Greek mezzo soprano Marina Karagianni was born in Johannesburg, South Africa and grew up in Thessaloniki, Greece. She took her first music lessons at the age of 7 and initially studied the classical guitar for 10 years. After a few years of writing and performing her own songs, her love of singing took over. She studied for a Singing Diploma (classical) at the Ampelokipi Municipal Conservatoire in Thessaloniki as well as a Degree in Harmony and was awarded both titles with distinction. At the same time she studied for a BA Hons in Early Childhood Studies specializing in music education. As part of her education degree she wrote a paper entitled ''The importance of music for preschool age children; methods of teaching''.

In Thessaloniki, Marina also gained invaluable experience in various aspects of music production and education as an assistant director, stage manager and assistant choir director while working alongside her singing teacher, Grigorios Pyrialakos. She also did work in opera translation and adaptation.

In 2003, Marina moved to Cambridge to study for a Master of Arts in Music in vocal performance at Anglia Ruskin University. While at Anglia Ruskin, Marina was awarded a postgraduate bursary to fund her research into the music of Percy Grainger. She completed her postgraduate studies with a lecture recital and dissertation on the subject of Percy Grainger's British folk music settings and presented her paper at the Cambridge University Graduate Conference of Ethnomusicology in June 2006. While in Cambridge she also worked as a music specialist teacher in nursery schools in Cambridge and taught singing privately to students of various ages. She also founded and led ''Saturday Music Sessions'', an alternative music group for community children 2-7 years old based in Cambridge.

Marina is currently based in London, she studies with the international tenor Ryland Davies and divides her time between performing and teaching. She has appeared as a soloist in concert, recital and opera singing music by Pergolesi (Stabat Mater), Berio (4 Canzoni Popolari, Folksongs, A-Ronne, 3 Weill Songs), Purcell (Dido in Dido and Aeneas), Durufle (Requiem), Handel (Dixit Dominus), Mozart (Vesperae solennes de confessore), Kurt Weill, Britten (Paul Bunyan) and Montsalvatge (5 Canciones Negras) amongst others. Marina has also given recitals of Percy Grainger's folk song arrangements. She is particularly interested in folk-inspired art songs, baroque opera and the music of Handel. 

Recent London performances included a recital at St. Bride's Fleet street and a Handel recital at St. Martin-in- the-Fields. In May 2011 Marina appeared as Dido in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas for Anglia Opera in Cambridge. In August 2011 she will be covering the roles of 3rd Lady/3rd Boy in the Magic Flute for Co-Opera Co. in London and in autumn 2011 she will be appearing as Don Liscione in Scarlatti's ''La Dirindina'' in her hometown Thessaloniki.