Maria Karaferi (Greek: Μαρία Καραφέρη)
was born in 1972 in Ioannina, Greece. She grew up in Konitsa.
She studied the accordeon, the piano and music theory-harmony at the
municipality conservatory of Ioannina.
At the Philippos
Nakas Conservatory in Athens she continued studying the piano under
Reima Raijas and advanced theory (harmony, counterpoint and fugue) under Joseph
Papadatos, graduating in 1997. Meanwhile she tought music theory-harmony at the
same conservatory. After that she studied the piano under Nelly Semitekolo at
the municipality conservatory of Pireaus.
Early 2000, she moved to Germany where she studied composition at the
Hochschule für Musik Köln
under prof. Johannes
Fritsch. She graduated in july 2002.
As a pianist she participated in a contemporary piano / chamber music project
with works of George Crumb, directed by Peter
Degenhardt.
Johannes Fritsch writes about her music:
"Ihre Kompositionen sind durchweg von einer spröden und eher
zurückhaltenden Wehmut und Traurigkeit gekennzeichnet und finden selten nur zu
unmittelbarem Ausdruck. [..]
Ähnlich wie aus Christous Werken [Maria's thesis was about the composer Jani
Christou] geht auch aus ihren eigenen Kompositionen immer wieder hervor,
dass die Zeit unreflektierten, vom Handwerk bestimmten Komponierens vorbei ist."
Compositions of Maria have been performed in Germany and The Netherlands.
Maria lives in the Dutch city
Alkmaar with her husband Onno Zweers
and their sons Simon and Dimitri.
She is not the only Greek female composer living in The Netherlands; also
Aspasia Nasopoulou
and Calliope Tsoupaki live there.