Folk Bands and Artists
Merit Ariane
London
Merit Ariane Stephanos is a singer and composer specialising in Arab and Middle Eastern vocal music. Inspired by her multicultural heritage and her initial training as a Western classical singer, Merit draws on classical Arabic and Western contemporary influences in her music and is passionate about exploring a musical dialogue between these cultures. Merit has a special interest in early Arab Christian chant, which she began researching in Lebanon in 2012, supported by a Gerald Finzi Trust scholarship. Merit performed at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2014, as Cantor in David Eldrige’s new play ‘Holy Warriors’. Most recently, Merit and composer Morag Galloway won a Terry Holmes composer/performer commission, which resulted in the premiere of ‘Swimming between Shores’, a music theatre piece exploring a women’s journey through identity, at the opening of the York Festival of New Music. Merit is a professor at the Royal College of Music, where she teaches creative and leadership skills.
