Marlene Verwey was born in Delareyville, South Africa and graduated from the Royal College of Music in London, the Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, University of Pretoria South Africa, and the Accademia Internazionale della Musica, Milano, generously supported by the Ernest Oppenheimer Memorial Trust. She studied under Raffaele Trevisani, Jeanne Baxtresser, Paul Edmund Davies, Graham Mayger and John Hinch. Other teachers include Alberto Almarza, Stephen Schultz and George Fazakas.

As member of the Southbank Sinfonia in 2007 Marlene had the opportunity to perform with conductors Vladimir Ashkenazy, Edward Gardner, Michael Collins and Michael Lloyd amongst others and worked alongside musicians from the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Royal Opera house in Covent Garden and the British Youth Opera

Marlene has won the 3rd prize in the International Flute competition "Leonardo de Lorenzo" held in Viggiano, Italy during August 2005 and has been the overall winner of the prestigious SAMRO overseas scholarship competition in 2004. She has been a member of the World Youth Orchestra since 2003 and has joined this orchestra on various tours including a concert at the United Nations in New York and tours to the Middle East and Europe. She won the Wind category of the National Music Competition ATKV Forte in 2000 and has performed with various orchestras in South Africa, Europe and the USA.

In April of 2007 Marlene and pianist Salome Wepener (DuoSouth) commissioned two new works by South African composers Stefans Grové and Hendrik Hofmeyr, which resulted in a very successful Première Tour to South Africa where they performed these works in Pretoria, George and at the Klein Karoo National Arts Festival.

Marlene plays on a J.R. Lafin headjoint which she won by popular vote at the annual Sir James Galway International Flute Masterclass, held in Weggis, Switzerland in August 2008. She was supported by the Marc Rich Foundation to attend this event receiving a scholarship for artistic achievement.