The Mary Orji Visionaries Collective was founded in the summer of 2021 by Mary Orji during her sophomore year at Berklee College of Music. Seeking deeper connection amid feelings of isolation, Mary set out to create her own universe within the Berklee community. That summer, she met Ezra Martin‑Rosenthal and Roella Oloro, with whom she began weekly free‑jazz sessions on Thursday mornings.  

As her vision grew, Mary invited additional “visionaries” to join the Collective: Ovaun Matthews, Chauncy Scruggs, Esther Adebayo, Treshor Webster, Maliyah Woodie, Alex Ortiz, C The Third, Miles Thompson, Ana Delgado Cruz, Will Macnamara, Remington Strecker, Leila Chapell, Adina Baptiste, and Mae Ya Carter Ryan. Together, they spent two semesters in her junior year preparing for her debut visual album, CONCEPTION. Recording sessions took place on March 18 and April 17, 2022, with the visual album filmed at Boston Funk in downtown Boston on April 30, 2022.  

On September 26, 2022, CONCEPTION was released and took on a life of its own, with performances across Boston venues. The Collective made history at the Berklee Performance Center as the first student‑run show led by a Student Black woman saxophonist. Following that milestone, they opened for artists such as Jackson Powell and Seba Molnar, and appeared at Boston’s B.A.M.S Festival, sharing the stage—after Terri Lyne Carrington featuring Tia Fuller—with Grandmaster Flash. Since then, the Collective has continued to evolve, welcoming new members Steven Amoikon and Samuel Apoutou to carry Mary’s visionary legacy forward.