Maria Kvist was born in Sundsvall, Sweden 1971. She grew up in a small village in Ede, Jämtland. Music was an integral part in her family and she started to sing and perform at an early age with her father who is an accordion player.  She started to take piano lessons when she was six years old. During high-school Maria started to sing and play keyboard professionally in a local band, and was touring all over Sweden.
The interest for jazz began in the last year of high-school when her classical piano teacher Sven Erik Johansson introduced some music by Oscar Peterson and Gershwin. At Birka Folk High-School she studied classical piano and jazz in ensembles. In 1993 Maria went to Berklee College of Music for a year. There she studied jazz piano for Bill Davies and composing for Jeff Friedman.
When she returned to Sweden she attended The Royal Music College of Stockholm and studied jazz piano for Ove Lundin. During that time Maria toured and recorded with jazz-pop band Blå Kongo. She also started Lynx, a jazz quartet playing original music exclusively, which toured frequently throughout Sweden with the most memorable gig being opening act for Roy Haynes band on Jazz Club Fasching in Stockholm .  Since then, she is a working musician in different bands and has appeared as session pianist on various recordings.
Maria has performed with artists like Svante Thuresson, Cecilia Wennerström, Peo Jönis, Jakob Stadell, Karin Hammar, Peter Johannesson and Sixtus. Maria is also a member of the sextet ELC (CD-release 2009 Consequences) and has done many concerts with the tribute show to late Swedish jazz singer Monica Zetterlund called “Zetterlund i Våra Hjärtan” together with Lina Bergvall at Mosebacke in Stockholm during the past three years.

Maria formed a quartet in her own name in 2007 including members Linus Kåse (alto sax), Sven-Eric Johansson (double bass) and Isak Andersson (drums). With this setting she struck a deal with Swedish label Wime Records and released her debut album  I Read A Review (2008) to great critical acclaim:”You very rarely come across a debutant that take such a convincing step into the jazz elite.” (Tomas Nydahl, Lira). ”Her compositions remind me of the great American composers of popular music.” (Magnus Eriksson, Rootsy). The album highlights not only Maria’s jazz piano playing but also her vocal skills on all original compositions except Michel Petrucciani’s “It’s a Dance”.
In November 2009, after months of writing and rehearsing, the quartet once again went into the studio to record the new album Lemon Man, releaseMay 19th 2010, during a two-day session in Stockholm. The band comes to full expression on seven new originals, two standards and a Jerry Bergonzi tune.