Biography

Elina Markatatou

She  was born in Heraklion of Crete in Greece. From a very young age, she was impressed with every kind of music as well as the trying to learn a musical instrument. Graduating from elementary school she was accepted at the High School of Music in Heraklion that after 7 years she graduated with high marks.  In 2007 as an Exact Science Direction student she successfully passed the required marks for attending in the University of Mathematics in Ioannina. Simultaneously, she enrolled in a private conservatory to follow theoretical music studies, studying harmony (2007-2009) and counterpoint (2010- 2012) studies at the Filippos Nakas conservatory of Ioannina. For six years, Markatatou specialized in Greek traditional music and performed at more than three hundred concerts in several cities of Greece.

Elina Markatatou studied mandolin and baroque mandolin with Prof. Gerda Abts at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp where she got her artist degree with great distinction in 2016. During her studies in Belgium, she attended various master classes given by  Marga Wilden Hüsgen ,Daniel Ahlert ,  Ricardo Sandoval, Rada Krivenko …

Elina performed a lot of different genres of music, giving recitals in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Ukraine and in several cities in Greece.  She performed a lot of different kinds of music. She has the talent to work with the music and to be able to perform whatever kind of music that they asked her from the traditional Greek, Italian, to more classical pieces and all these because of she love to communicate with the music.  Music and studying, plays a central role in the artistic life of Elina Markatatou. Following master studies at the royal conservatoire of Antwerp, she gave master classes over Greek music and mandolin at the music academy of Lier and the music academy of Brasschaat. 

In June 2018, she finished her master studies at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp, with a master’s thesis entitled “The four Traditions of mandolin music in Greece”. Under the supervision of Professor Yves Senden, during the last semester of 2018, she was researching further this topic as a guest researcher in cooperation with the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and awarded with a grand for a six-month starting project. Currently, she is teaching mandolin and guitar in the House of Music in Antwerp, Belgium.

Maria Markatatou

Maria Markatatou was born in Heraklion in Crete, Greece. Her family and her relatives had no connection with the music. However, from an early age, she felt attracted to music and the mandolin. In 2001 she enrolled in the music high school in Heraklion, Crete attending lessons of mandolin, tamboura and piano and in 2007 she graduated. After high school, she studied mathematics for the next six years at the department of Sciences of the University of Ioannina, Greece. At the same time, she enrolled in the conservatory of Filippos Nakas in Ioannina, Greece and she studied harmony (2007-2009) and counterpoint (2010- 2012). Moreover, she followed two years of private violin lessons. During her studies, she specialized in Greek traditional music and she made a lot of concerts in several cities of Greece. In 2013 she enrolled in the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp following bachelor in music and classical and baroque mandolin with the professor Gerda Abts. Till today she has attended master classes in mandolin by the professors   Marga Wilden Hüsgen, Daniel Ahlert, Ricardo Sandoval, Rada Krivenko, Natalia Marashova and Katsiaryna Zabairachnaya.  Maria gave recitals in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and in several cities in Greece. She performed a lot of different genres of music and she gave master classes over Greek music and mandolin at the music academy of Lier and Brasschaat, in Belgium.   

In 2018, she obtained her master’s degree in Music with distinction. The topic of her Master’s thesis was “The four traditions of mandolin music in Greece”. Under the supervision of Professor Yves Senden, during the last semester of 2018, she was researching further this topic as a guest researcher in cooperation with the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and awarded with a grand for a six-month starting project. Currently, she is teaching mandolin, guitar, and violin, as a volunteer, at the non-profit organisations: House of Music and Zing Zang Zong, in Antwerp, Belgium.