Marina Sakellakis

Marina Sakellakis is a multi-faceted performer, educator, and advocate for the arts based in Austin, Texas. She currently serves as the adjunct professor of saxophone at Austin Community College and as adjunct faculty at San Antonio College and Northwest Vista College where she teaches all woodwind instruments. As she works towards her doctorate, she is currently the saxophone teaching assistant at The University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches private lessons, applied methods courses, and leads the University Saxophone Ensemble.

Marina is a founding member and the tenor saxophonist of her saxophone quartet, Zed, who recently won First Prize & Audience Choice at the Plowman Chamber Music Competition, First Prize at the MTNA Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize at the 2024 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and more. Active as both performers and educators, Zed has given featured performances at conferences around the country and masterclasses and recitals at Louisiana State University, the University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas A&M International University. 

Committed to equity and accessibility in the arts, Marina works with nonprofit organizations Austin Classical Guitar and Austin Soundwaves. She teaches woodwind instruments, supports local Austin music education programs, and works to create musical experiences for people who have faced significant trauma. She was named a Firebird Fellow through the Academy for Impact through Music, where she is currently working with a global cohort to research music education for positive social change.

She earned her Master of Music in saxophone performance from The University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Dr. Stephen Page, and received her Bachelor of Music in multiple woodwind performance from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Dr. Timothy McAllister.