Maria Kramvi is a music professional who tirelessly engages with community programmes that promote social justice, peacebuilding and inclusion through music and education. She is a graduate of the Cyprus Music school and recipient of the Marios Tokas Scholarship Award. Maria finished her Bachelor degree at City University of London with percussion lessons at the Guildhall School of Music and continued her studies at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, receiving an MA in Music Education and Performance. At the moment, she is a PhD candidate at the Open University of Cyprus with the supervision of Michalinos Zembylas, researching how music education can be used to actively promote a peaceful future in Cyprus. Through blending music, research, and practice, Maria aims to create a triangle of knowledge and experience with sides that will strengthen each other. In this way, she will continue practicing and promoting peace through music in Cyprus and beyond.
Maria is the co-founder of the bi-communal initiative “Rhythm of Cyprus”, an educational program that started in November 2019, with the aim to use music as a peacebuilding tool for connecting Greek Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot children. “Rhythm of Cyprus” makes use of music as a means to build sustainable societies based on peace and understanding. The program is connecting various organisations and individuals with UNFICYP as an advisor. Maria has been recognised by UNFICYP as a woman contributing to the peace process in Cyprus at the 75th anniversary of UNFICYP and the 20th anniversary of Women in Peace. Also, Maria has been selected as the Cyprus Delegation at Ubuntu Leaders Academy by United Nations (UUN). As one of the youth leaders with a voice at the UUN and a strong will for serving the common good and to engage all the participants in Human Rights, Social Justice and Sustainable Development promotion, she aims to further extend her community service.
As a recognition for the efforts on developing music activities and programs that promote peace and social inclusion, Maria has been one of the four finalists of the region Europe and Canada for The Commonwealth Youth Award 2022.
Furthermore, Maria is one of the Team Leaders of Sistema Cyprus, a socio-music organization that provides free music education through orchestras to the children of Cyprus, including migrants, refugees and children with less opportunities. The Larnaca centre, which Maria is coordinating, hosts the wind section of the Sistema Cyprus Symphony Orchestra. Maria is also a community music workshop leader at shelters of unaccompanied refugee minors in Cyprus. In addition, Maria has been the World Voice Master Trainer in Cyprus, after the completion of a series of trainings at the refugee camp of Skaramangas in Athens. Following the training, she took the initiative to bring the programme to Cyprus. The World Voice programme (by the British Council) uses singing as a medium to enhance children’s learning in countries around the world, promoting inclusive singing and global understanding. From its beginning in Cyprus in 2017, World Voice united the voice of 2000 young singers.
At the moment, Maria works at the Cyprus Music Schools as a Percussion Teacher, performs regularly with TrakArt Pop Orchestra, lead Community Music Workshops all over Cyprus and she is a PhD candidate at the Open University of Cyprus.
