Greece • Maria Markesini - Kosmo (2010)

One of Greece's most beautiful islands, Kefalonia, was Maria's birth place. 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 theater, 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 youth 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.
Soon afterwards new plans where made that resulted to a theater tour throughout the Netherlands in 2009-10, with master pianist Bert van den Brink. The two recorded a new cd, "Kosmo", a bridge over two worlds. Or maybe more than two... Maria's desire to make music beyond frontiers came to life more than ever in this cd. Greek folk, jazz, chanson, pop, all seems to blend in naturally in "Kosmo". The genius of Richard Bona, an artist that has himself brought different worlds together in his music, looked like the perfect choice for this multi colored album. The duet "Na Vro Ekeinon", where both Maria and Richard sing an improvise in Greek, Maria's mother tongue, astonished the international press that gave the "Kosmo" album excellent reviews.