I was born in Thessaloniki in 1986. From the age of five I was enchanted by music and took my first violin lessons. Under the instruction and guidance of the conductor Dr. Kosmas Galileas in the Municipal Conservatory of Thessaloniki, music became my second nature. Through him I met exceptional musicians and attended various Master Classes. As a result of my music talent, I was chosen from the Conservatory to perform in the annual summer concerts.

In 1999 I earned the third prize in the violin competition organized by “Syllogos Wdeiwn Voreiou Ellados;” two years later I was awarded with “praise” in the violin competition “Filwnas” in Athens. In 2003 I graduated from College Delasalle, a French High School, and continued my musical education. Following the unexpected death of Dr. Kosmas Galileas, I pursued training in violin under the direction of Dr. Christos Vasileiadis. At the same time I traveled to Sofia (Bulgaria) by bus every two weeks to attend lessons with the Professor Peter Arnautof. In 2007 I obtained my violin diploma with a grade of A.

While playing the violin, I developed another need for self-expression in singing and began voice lessons with the soprano Siranous Tsalikian in New Conservatory of Thessaloniki. Since then I devoted my concentration to opera studies. During the years 2009-2012, and after numerous performances, I obtained thee diplomas with a grade of A in Harmony, Counterpoint and Voice. During the same period I taught violin in two Conservatories and gave private lessons in violin to young and aspiring musicians. Since August 2007 I began to play the ancient Greek instrument Piktis in the orchestra “Orfeia Armonia” which recreates ancient Greek music.

In fall 2012 I began my undergraduate studies with a major in voice performance, at the School of Music of Georgia State University, as a student of the School's Director Dr. Dwight Coleman, and started my minor in Anthropology in spring 2015. GSU awarded me the Peter Harrow Music Scholarship, a multiyear Scholarship, the Out of State Waiver Scholarship, and an Undergraduate Research Assistantship. During the summer and fall semesters of 2013, and the academic year 2014-2015 I received an Undergraduate Assistanship from the Department of Anthropology, and I work with Dr. Kathryn Kozaitis on her research manuscript on the Greek crisis. To this day, I have completed 84 credits hours with a Grade Point Average of 4.20 (A+), and I am a member of the National Honor Society, and Golden Key Honor society. In spring of 2014 I contributed to the establishment of the Greek Students and Scholars Association at GSU, where I serve as a Vice President. On February 2013 and November 2014 I participated in the voice competition of the National Association of Teachers of Singing and earned the second prize and third prizes respectively. In March 2014 I was invited from the Hellenic Women's Cultural Society of Atlanta to give a lecture on “Ancient Greek Music,” and performed as a soprano classical arias and Greek songs. A month later I performed the “Greek Heroic Songs” by Athanasios Zervas for the celebration of the Greek Independence in Kopleff Recital Hall. In April of the same year I performed with the GSU Opera Theater the role of Betty Paris in the opera “The Crucible.” In fall 2014 I was accepted in the Honors College at GSU, and nominated for the best International Student Year Award. My paper “The Destruction of Smyrna and its Artistic Legacy” won the 1st prize in the paper competition organized by the Hellenic Center and GSU in fall 2014, and during the same semester I gave a guest lecture at the Anthropology Department at GSU, where I presented data from my internship with the Volunteers of the European Youth Capital 2014 (in Thessaloniki). My paper “The Artistic Contributions of Women in Antiquity: Sappho and Hildegard of Bingen” was presented at the Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference 2015.       

I believe strongly in a well-rounded higher education, which is why I chose to attend a university rather than an independent school of music. In addition to my formal studies I write poetry, a talent that my high school literature teacher encouraged me to develop. Recent reviews from the Greek poetess, Eva Liarou, praise the sensitivity and depth of my lyrics. Poetry continues to be a comforting and meaningful component of my life. My poem “Dream out of Reach,” that was written on Cavafy's legacy, was published by the journal Studies in the Literary Imagination in fall 2015. Presently my poetry expresses the plight in which family, friends, and all Greeks find themselves, and also depicts the experience of young people – those who remain in Greece, and those like me who fled our country to thrive and prosper in other lands.

Read more at my  Mariot Page