RNCM hosts the official Northern launch show for Meraki Duo’s debut album, Notes from the Living Room, following its worldwide release on Delphian Records (Fri 11 Sep 2026). (London launch: Mon 7 Sep 2026 at Ronnie Scott’s). Hear the internationally sought-after, prize-winning duo of British flautist of Trinidadian heritage Meera Maharaj (Chineke! Orchestra, Meliora Collective) and Oslo-based British guitarist James Girling (Agbeko, The Easy Rollers) perform their record in full. Autumn 2026 marks 13 years since the duo formed as first-year undergraduate students at the RNCM, making this an especially meaningful homecoming for Meraki Duo.

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Meraki Duo

RNCM (Royal Northern College of Music)

Wigmore Hall Associate Artist Gweneth Ann Rand’s inspired selection of words and music looks at migration and exile both through the lens of history and with a contemporary eye. The soprano’s choice of works was shaped by a quote from the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and peace activist, Thích Nhất Hạnh, who himself spent over half his long life as an exile in France: 'If we believe that tomorrow will be better,’ he wrote, ‘we can bear a hardship today'.

Gweneth Ann Rand soprano; Allyson Devenish piano; Simon Lepper piano

Wigmore Hall

‘Finland Awakes!’ was Sibelius’s original name for Finlandia – a soul-shaking song of hope and liberation from a nation struggling to break from Russian rule. Freedom was in the air, and across Scandinavia composers turned to poetry, folklore and the untamed beauty of the natural environment to create music that sang of their dreams and aspirations.

Sibelius: Songs of Love and Freedom

Southbank Centre

Meera Maharaj and James Girling studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, where they quickly connected through a shared passion for chamber music, jazz, Latin American music traditions, and contemporary works.

Formed in 2014, Meraki Duo has since performed at Wigmore Hall and Kings Place, and festivals including Buxton International Festival, Swaledale Festival and London Guitar Festival.

Meraki Duo was winner of the International Chamber Music Competition for Flute & Guitar (2023, Spain), was selected onto International Guitar Foundation’s Young Artist Platform for 2020 and was finalist in the Royal Over-Seas League Competition (Mixed Ensembles) in 2019. 

Dominique Le Gendre

Events

Upcoming events

Mar 24, 2027

Meraki Duo · Leeds Conservatoire

Past events

Oct 1, 2026

Meraki Duo · Royal Northern College of Music

Jul 23, 2026

Gweneth Ann Rand soprano; Allyson Devenish piano; Simon Lepper piano · Wigmore Hall

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