MARIA MANOUSAKI

Maria Manousaki stands as one of Greece’s most successful and versatile musical talents, working to great acclaim and commercial success as a violin performer and band leader, Maria's musical style can be best categorized within the jazz and world music scene.

Maria Manousaki was born in Johannesburg of bicultural parentage, her base is in New York but the last few years she commutes between the island of Crete and New York.

After completing the English Royal School of Music Violin examinations, Maria graduated from the Greek Conservatory Filippos Nakas with a Jazz Violinist Degree. She received a scholarship from the world renowned Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, earning an Honors Degree in Professional Music in 2002.

Maria has lived in Dubai where she performed in many prestigious events such as the International Film Festival, at private functions for the Sheikh of Dubai, the Madinat Theatre in Mina Al Salam, various seven star hotels including the Burg Al Arab. She has also performed Qatar for the Queen's son's wedding, and for the Duchess of Kent.

Maria has performed at the Pescara Closing Ceremony for the Mediterranean Olympic Games, 2009 in Italy. She has performed for Adeles latest video which was shown on her 2018 Tour around the world, has opened a Pet Shop Boys concert in Lykabetus Athens and a Sting concert at Lincoln Center in NYC.

Maria is the founder of The Cretan World Music Festival which was initiated in Hania Crete in July 2014. She is also the musical curator for the Vlatos Jazz series taking place in the island of Crete since 2018, a series taking place in a relic of an abandoned unused stone church built in 1855.

The concerts are acoustic and take place under candle light.