Marina Sakellakis (she/her) is a multi-faceted performer, educator, and advocate for the arts based in Austin, Texas. She currently serves as Adjunct Faculty at San Antonio College and at Northwest Vista College where she teaches all woodwind instruments, and as the Saxophone Teaching Assistant at the University of Texas at Austin. As she works towards her doctoral degree, 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 a silver medal at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, Second Prize at the NOLA Chamber Fest Competition, and First Prize at the American Virtuoso International Music Competition. They were also recognized as finalists in the Coltman Chamber Music Competition and the MTNA National Competition. Zed has given featured performances at the Chamber Music America Conference, the International Saxophone Symposium, the Texas Music Educators Association Convention, and the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference. Active as both performers and educators, they have given masterclasses and recitals at Louisiana State University, The University of Texas at San Antonio, and Texas A&M International University. 

Marina is an active performing and recording musician, and regularly plays with the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, having recently travelled to New York City to play at Carnegie Hall. During their 2024 season, she was a featured concerto soloist for the consortium premiere of Viet Cuong’s Second Nature. As a multi-instrumentalist, she has performed in pit orchestras for musical theater companies such as Zilker Theatre Productions, the University of Michigan Musical Theatre Department, and the Heller Awards for Young Artists. Marina made her orchestral debut with the Round Top Festival Orchestra, playing Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. She has been invited to play in Portugal, Switzerland, and England for various new music festivals and concerts.

Committed to equity and accessibility in the arts, Marina works with nonprofit organizations Austin Classical Guitar and Austin Soundwaves. With Austin Classical Guitar, she works in Music & Healing, an initiative that provides uplifting musical experiences to people who have experienced significant trauma. With Austin Soundwaves, she teaches woodwind instruments and supports local Austin music education programs. 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 has given presentations on music and community engagement at multiple conferences, including the International Saxophone Symposium and the North American Saxophone Alliance Biennial Conference.

She earned her Master of Music degree in Saxophone Performance from the University of Texas at Austin, where she studied with Dr. Stephen Page, and received her Bachelor of Music degree in Multiple Woodwind Performance and a minor in Performing Arts Management and Entrepreneurship from the University of Michigan, where she studied with Dr. Timothy McAllister.