Merit Ariane Stephanos

Merit graduated with a BMus Hons from Edinburgh University in 2000, holds a MMus in Contemporary Music Studies from Goldsmiths College with distinction (2002) and a Postgraduate Diploma in Creative Leadership from the Royal College of Music (2007). Inspired by her German-Egyptian heritage, Merit draws on Arabic and Western classical contemporary influences in her music. She is particularly interested in exploring dialogue between people and musicians from different cultures. Merit specialises in Arabic and Middle Eastern music, which she performs regularly with Lebanese singer and oud player Abdul-Salam Kheir. She is a soloist for Troia Nova who perform and research contemporary music informed by the traditions of Greece, Turkey and the Middle East and with whom she first appeared on Trafalgar Square in October as part of the Simcha Music Festival. Merit founded her own group Misirlou, an ensemble fusing Arabic and Eastern European sounds with Western contemporary music and Jazz. She is also guest singer for the eclectic early and world music duo Sambuca (Michael Copley on wind instruments and Peter Martin on lute, theorbo and guitar) and recently joined medieval ensemble Joglaresa.Merit sings contemporary vocal music with her newly launched Soprano Quartet Tongue Stuff, who premiered her song cycle ‘Mirrors of Jasmin’ at the Warehouse in July 2007. As a member of the New London Chamber, she sang in numerous festivals in Britain and abroad as well as in live recordings for BBC Radio 3. Their latest engagement included a 10-day residency at the Barbican performing Stravinsky’s Les Noces with Michael Clarke Dance Company. As a workshop leader and creative artist Merit has worked for organisations such as Philharmonia Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, Guildhall Connect and Opera North and she is the director of the World Music Vocal Project for Tower Hamlets Music Services. Merit has recently been appointed as a mentor on the creative outreach programme at the Royal College of Music and is a trainer for the new Trinity/Guildhall KS2 Teacher Training Programme. Merit is particularly interested in working with people from vulnerable backgrounds. After university, she worked for one year on a therapeutic music education project for the Pavarotti Centre in Mostar, Bosnia, and has gone on to develop this work in centres for refugees and asylum seekers, hospitals and centres for special needs.I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)