Marika Countouris was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, where her life as a budding musician began. She took her first piano lesson at the age of seven, and even though she hated it, she begrudgingly continued at the request of her parents. Throughout high school, she participated in way too many activities such as marching band, musicals, jazz band, chamber choir and, of course, the swim team.

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She continued her music education at The Catholic University of America, where she received a BM in musical theatre. Here, she discovered that all her many painful, tortured years of piano lessons were actually 1. super valuable and 2. provided her with great way to make a living. She began music directing, working on shows with both the School of Music and with the student run organization, CenterStage. Today, she music directs all over the DC area at the high school, college, and professional level. 

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Since joining AFM in 2021, Marika has played for musicals at Arena, Ford's, Signature, Olney, and Woolly Mammoth. A few of her favorite shows to conduct have been A Strange Loop, Ride the Cyclone, and Passing Strange.

Some of Marika’s greatest joys in life are hanging out at home with her two pups, traveling to Greece, and drinking iced espresso.