Maria Rita Epik was born in Izmir on January 1st,1958. She attended the Italian kindergarten, Gazi Primary School, and İzmir Özel Türk High School.
Epik composed her first song soon after she started playing the guitar at the age of 11
Maria Rita Epik graduated from the Ege University Business Administration faculty in 1979. During her senior year in university, she won the first prize with her song `Seviyorum` (‘I Love’) in the Eurovision Song contest organized by TRT (Turkish Radio and Television). Due to the political stand of the government of the time, she could not attend the finals held in Israel. She is still the only female songwriter in Turkey who has won the competition.
In 1981, Maria Rita Epik moved to the United States to study music at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. She studied piano with Nitza Kats, harmony with Mary - Louise Hallauer , voice training with Scott Mc Coy and composition with Ken Holliday and Jon Polifrone.
Following her return to Turkey, Maria Rita Epik worked as a Professional Tour Guide in English, Italian and French for the Ministry of Tourism.
In 1986 she founded the Yamaha Practical Music Center in Izmir and worked there as an administrator for four years. In 1990 she left the center to start her own music school.
In 1992 Maria Rita Epik succesfully became Turkey’s representative for (ABRSM), the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. This enabled her school to run the music exams which were being conducted in more than 90 countries worldwide.
Devoting herself to music and the education of young generations, Maria has been awarded by many institutions for her efforts; in 1996 her school was granted the “Izmir Award” by the International İzmir Research Center, and in 1999, she was given the “Special Award for Culture and Art” by the National Industrialists and Businessmen Association. In 2003 the İzmir Mavişehir Rotary Club honoured her with the “Service to the Profession” Award, and in 2009, the Güzelyalı Rotary Club gave her an award for her impact in the field of Musical Education.
Epik’s intensity and sensitive nature is apparent in songs she composed commemorating the deaths of well-known personas; “Peki Ben Niye Öldüm-Yes,But Why Did I Die” (1994) for Uğur Mumcu; “Ave Maria” (1999) for the Opera Singer Zehra Yıldız, "Beyaz Atlı, Beyaz Saçlı Prens-The White-haired Prince on a White Horse" (2005) for Ahmet Priştina. In 2000 she composed “Thalassa” with the heartfelt wish that it would contribute to humanity and peace. These songs have been produced and recorded, but were not put on the market.
| Seviyorum | 1979 | Won first prize in the National Finals of the Eurovision Song Contest organized by TRT( Turkish Radio and Television) |
| Tanışma | 1979 | First Album (Yonca Plak) |
| Music for the play "At" by Guila Hay | 1987 | This piece was staged by Prof.Dr.Ozdemir Nutku at D.E.U. |
| Yanımda Yoksun | 1989 | Albüm (Yonca Plak) |
| Peki Ben Niye Öldüm | 1994 | This song was written in honour of Ugur Mumcu. Sung by Maria Rita Epik, accompanied by the State Conservatory's students's symphony orchestra this song was broadcast simultaneously on radio stations throughout the country on the 1st anniversary of his death. |
| Ave Maria | 1999 | Composed for soprano and piano in honour of the Opera singer Soprano Zehra Yildiz, the song was performed on Dec.10th,1999 in Istanbul at the Ataturk Cultural Center. |
| Thalassa |
2000 | Inspired by the closeness between Chios Island and Çesme, Maria Epik composed and wrote this song. Invited by Unesco, she performed it at the `2nd Festival of Creative Women of the Mediterranean and Black Sea`. |
| Aradan Uzun Zaman Geçti | 2005 | Album (Doğan Music Company) |
