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, she graduated from the Greek Conservatory Filippos Nakas with a Jazz Violinist Degree. She received a scholarship from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, earning an Honors Degree in Professional Music in 2002.

She performs as a soloist as well as with her band “Maria Manousaki Quintet” around America and the world. Some musicians she has performed and recorded alongside are: Shai Maestro, Petros Klampanis, Ron Afif, Gilad Hekselman, Christos Rafailides, Thana Alexa and Jean Michel Pilc.

Her debut album as a leader “Sole Voyage" was released in 2015.

She 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.