Maria Markesini was born in one of Greece's most beautiful islands, Kefalonia, where music has played a major role for centuries. A Greek island, with a strong Italian influence, Kefalonia has been home to countless musicians, poets and artists. At the age of three, it was already clear to her parents that Maria would become a musician. She was constantly singing and harmonizing melodies. It was not long before her talent was discovered, and she began piano lessons at the age of five. Music, and theatre, remained her main interests throughout childhood. At the age of fourteen, she joined the Athens Conservatory, where she studied classical piano with Popi Efstratiadi. At the same time, she was also presenting the television program “The Wonderful World of Music.” Maria was drawn to the world of media, but when the time came to make a choice, music won. In 1988, she joined the Music Academy of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where she studied classical piano with Michael Davidson and Daniel Wayenberg. In 1993, she graduated as a piano soloist. She continued her postgraduate studies at the Royal Music Academy of Brussels, with Andre de Grote, and during the same period, took part in master classes with teachers like Lazar Berman and Zoltan Cozsis. Through her appearances on television, and her recitals in Europe, Maria’s audience continued to broaden. During those years, singing jazz was her secret passion, something she was only doing in her free time. A conservative way of thinking, which often confronted her in the classical and academic music world, and the demanding lifestyle of a classical pianist, left little room for experiments. Maria was slowly growing into a state of mind where complete creative freedom would be the only rule she could accept for herself. It was at this time that the ordinary events of life seemed to be part of a greater plan, a divine wisdom. An unexpected arm injury would change things for Maria forever! Forced to cancel a piano recital, she proposed to the disappointed hosts that she sing jazz instead. The overwhelming response she received from the audience that night was such that she knew: a new start in her career had been born! She began jazz studies with Fay Claassen, Harjo Pasveer, Xandra Willis, Bart de Win and Henk van Gallen, and in 2004 she followed master classes at the Music Academy of Amsterdam with among other teachers, Dick Oats and Michael Abene. Since then, she has been dividing her appearances between piano recitals and jazz and gospel concerts all around Europe. Being a musician with a great spectrum of styles, colours and expressive levels, she rapidly won audiences and critics, who described her as Greece’s most promising new talent. Her unique sound moves between traditional and modern jazz, to folk, gospel and chanson française. In 2007 Maria signed a contract with Universal Music / Artway - Texnotropon, for her first solo album as a singer. The album, entitled, ''The Mimis Plessas Song Book - 12 Sketches'' is a collection of songs by the legendary Greek songwriter, Mimis Plessas. It was released in December 2007 and received very enthusiastic reviews. Many of the songs were well known hits in Greece in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Maria re-discovered them and arranged them again, together with Bart de Win and the Vaste Mannen and the Jurriaan Berger Quartet. The sound of the CD is a cross between jazz, chanson française, latin and ballads, while retaining much of the joy and simplicity of the Mediterranean music. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License and may also be available under the GNU FDL.

source: Last.fm