Guitarist
M E R A K I
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Winners of the II International Chamber Music Competition for Flute & Guitar in Spain (2023), Meraki Duo have spent the past decade performing extensively in the UK with programmes which offer a distinctively diverse pairing of flute and guitar. Premièred in 2020 at 1901 Arts Club, London, Meraki Duo’s first substantial commission À Norte, Rio Preto, by Berlin-based Brazilian composer Rafael Marino Arcaro, was recorded at Goldsmiths Studios and released in 2024.
In their recitals, flautist Meera Maharaj extends the expressive range of the duo by featuring the alto flute in works such as Debussy’s ‘Beau Soir’, Takemitsu’s Toward The Sea and Miroslav Tadic’s Four Macedonian Pieces. Their programmes uniquely incorporate James Girling's arrangements of music spanning as widely as Messiaen’s wordless songs, William Grant Still, Bacharach, and Hermeto Pascoal.
Meera Maharaj and James Girling both studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, where they immediately connected through a shared passion for chamber music, jazz, Latin American styles, and contemporary works. Formed in 2013, Meraki Duo have since performed year-round for recital series from Northumberland to Cornwall, at venues such as Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, and festivals including Buxton International Festival, Swaledale Festival and London Guitar Festival. Meraki Duo were selected onto International Guitar Foundation’s Young Artist Platform in 2020. In 2019, they were finalists in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition (Mixed Ensembles) in London.
In 2025-2026 they record and release their debut album with Delphian Records.
