Kathryn Merriam is a multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, vocalist and producer. Born to the co-founders of the Merriam School of Music, she grew up immersed in sound. Initially pursuing classical piano at Brigham Young University, she transitioned to jazz halfway through her degree. After graduating, she spent a year touring internationally as a jazz pianist and vocalist.
In 2011, Kathryn received a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, where she honed her craft under the guidance of acclaimed pianist Helen Sung (Esperanza Spalding), vocalist Rhiannon (Bobby McFerrin), and songwriter Mark Simos (Allison Krauss). It was at Berklee that she began to gravitate towards the songwriting / folk scene, leading to a prolific period of composition and experimentation in self recording/producing.
Returning to Toronto in 2013, Kathryn became involved with the synth-pop band For Esme and began to immerse herself in the city’s folk and experimental improv scenes. She lent her talents as a supporting musician to various projects, including working as keyboardist / harmony vocalist for The Great Lake Swimmers and performing with Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene. She also co-founded the band Of Vera with collaborator Gillian Stone, and subsequently recorded, engineered, and co-produced Gillian’s first solo EP as well as an Of Vera EP.
In 2015, Kathryn began playing the harp, and shifted her musical focus yet again. She wrote a collection of songs centred around the classical pedal harp, culminating in a full orchestral album “Rhythm of the Sunlight” ~ produced/arranged by Scott Peterson, recorded in 2018 and released recently. Reviewers drew comparisons to the unique sound of Kate Bush.
Most recently, Kathryn co-founded the alternative folk trio Sleeping Bees, with whom she regularly records and performs. Kathryn produced & engineered Sleeping Bees’ most recent single, Rest, and is in the midst of recording their next release. She also continues to work as a supporting musician within various projects in the Toronto music scene, as harmony vocalist and keyboardist. Her most recent solo endeavour was putting together a Joni Mitchell tribute show at the Jazz Bistro ~ performing with a full band, and featuring music spanning Joni’s wide range of repertoire.
For the past five years, Kathryn has been working with vocal mentor Fides Krucker, whose unique vocal approach (Emotionally Integrated Voice) has dramatically transformed Kathryn’s vocal performance, capacity & pedagogy.
Kathryn continues to have an active creative life in the Toronto music scene, while simultaneously supporting a large studio of private voice & piano students in Toronto’s west end.
Music
Listen
A recording, a live video, her debut solo album, then the records she has lent her voice, harp, piano and hands to. Press play on anything.
Rhythm of the Sunlight is a 10-song album of original music; written & performed by Kathryn Merriam, and produced/arranged by Scott Peterson (aka Prince Enoki).
It was written between 2013–2017, recorded in 2018, and released in 2024. These songs are about untangling long-held patterns of thought; releasing fear, inviting magic, and opening perception.
“This album is like if a classic Disney princess became self-aware and wrote an album as a way to work out what the hell was going on. I would also describe it as if Bjork and Tori Amos were hired by Disney to write their next musical.”
“I can watch these thoughts, like an actor reads her lines, and decide what to keep”
I wrote the song “Garden” during the pandemic. As a freelance musician / artist / teacher, this time was one of great release for me ~
I was learning to rest. To be with myself, with my body. To heal patterns around over-productivity, anxiety, etc.
This song was recorded with a band I was in at the time, The Wilderness Inside. A collection of friends making music together.
Held by ever-changing hues of lush textural strings & an unexpected ending, this recording reminds me of being held & buoyed up by dear friends, and creating with abandon.
Private one-on-one lessons, in Kathryn’s Roncesvalles studio near High Park, or in your own home in Swansea, Queen West and the neighbourhoods nearby.
Kathryn Merriam is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist & songwriter with over 15 years of teaching and performing experience. Raised in a family of musicians & educators, Kathryn has lived and breathed music since before she can remember.
After completing a bachelor’s degree in piano performance (with a focus in jazz), Kathryn continued her education at the Berklee College of Music ~ studying songwriting with Mark Simos (writer for Allison Krauss), piano with Helen Sung (pianist for Esperanza Spalding), and voice with Rhiannon (collaborator of Bobby McFerrin). Kathryn has toured abroad in various solo and ensemble settings, and her experience & skills span many genres ~ including classical, folk, jazz, indie pop/rock, and experimental. Kathryn has an active creative life in the Toronto music scene ~ performing & recording her own original music (on harp, guitar & piano), as well as playing/singing in various bands as a supporting musician.
As a teacher, Kathryn is passionate about creating a safe, fun, non-judgemental space in the classroom for learning & exploring music. By honing in on a student’s interests and strengths, as well as cultivating a spirit of curiosity ~ she loves to gift her students with the ability to speak the language of music, and use this skill to bring more joy, connection & meaning into their lives.
Zia Cole calls Kathryn a “creativity doula”: someone who provides a safe, supportive, and encouraging space for long-overdue songs to be born. Their “creativity portal” of “3 songs in 3 days” combined guided writing and recording, followed by Kathryn’s mixing, harmonies and instrumental parts.
For the past five years Kathryn has studied with vocal mentor Fides Krucker, whose Emotionally Integrated Voice approach has transformed her vocal performance, capacity and pedagogy. Her songs themselves are about untangling long-held patterns of thought and inviting magic.
Kathryn works as a supporting musician within various projects in the Toronto music scene, as harmony vocalist and keyboardist. She has worked as keyboardist / harmony vocalist for The Great Lake Swimmers, performed with Brendan Canning of Broken Social Scene, and was involved with the synth-pop band For Esme.
On record: harp, piano and backing vocals on Georgia Hathaway’s Between the Green; backing vocals and piano on Erik Bleich’s SUMAC; piano and backing vocals on Gillian Stone’s Banshee Blues; vocals and harp on Sleeping Bees’ Rest; and vocals on Run Dufresne’s Fault Line.
At Berklee, Kathryn began a prolific period of self recording and producing. She has since recorded, engineered, and co-produced Gillian Stone’s first solo EP, Banshee Blues, as well as an Of Vera EP, and produced & engineered Sleeping Bees’ most recent single, Rest. She is in the midst of recording their next release.
Gillian Stone describes “her formidable collaborative approach to co-producing”; Zia Cole, her “panning wizardry” and the way she “polished all the ragged bits and made everything shine.”
“Her voice is that of the silver-tongued faeries; it is that of the siren’s call.”
Read the full testimonialClose
Kathryn Merriam is not only an exceptional sound engineer/producer/vocalist/musician/teacher in her own right, but a “creativity doula” extraordinaire, as well. She provided me with a safe, supportive, and encouraging space where I could finally lay myself bare and birth these long-overdue “song babies.” I had not sung in front of anyone for years; yet, with her, it was easy to be vulnerable.
Kathryn was knowledgeable, attentive, empathic, and intuitive, guiding me into — and beyond — the fray of my own fears. Our “creativity portal” of “3 songs in 3 days” gave me a focus and a sanctified place where I could laser through self-imposed limitations and come out the other side. It was like suddenly being able to breathe again. Emotions that had built up over the years, but had never found a voice, came through in tidal waves. The catharsis was so profound that I felt I’d shed 20 pounds by the end of it!
And after the recording was done, Kathryn brought cohesion and balance to the tracks; she polished all the ragged bits and made everything shine. She added her panning wizardry. She added her own harmonies, voices, whispers, and elemental magic. She added her own piano, percussion, and guitar tracks, including one from Voyageur, Canada’s Six String Nation guitar.
Her invisible presence in the songs is pure enchantment. Her voice is that of the silver-tongued faeries; it is that of the siren’s call. But instead of calling you into the dark waters, she calls you beyond the mists, to the heart of yourself, a place where your greatest dream becomes reality.
Zia Cole
“Meeting Kathryn was the genesis of me learning to value myself as an artist.”
Read the full testimonialClose
Between 2015 and 2016, I worked with Kathryn in her home studio to build the three songs that became Banshee Blues — my “pre-debut” EP. I was verging on turning 30 and had been writing and performing for years, but had yet to encounter a collaborator who regarded my work as a conduit of inspiration and creative kinship. I had subsequently spent my artistic life feeling disconnected and alone, believing that something was inherently wrong with the unorthodox nuances intrinsic to my songcraft. As such, with what was then 15 years of music composition, performance, scholarship, and pedagogy under my belt, I had never followed through with releasing any of my work.
Meeting Kathryn was the genesis of me learning to value myself as an artist. Our profound creative connection wasn’t quite instant, but when it hit it was a revelation. It was the first time I felt seen, supported, and understood as a composer. Banshee Blues exists because of her pure, enthusiastic belief in me. It exists because of her formidable collaborative approach to co-producing, her fearlessness as an (then) emergent engineer, and her contributions as an auxiliary vocalist and multi-instrumentalist informed by her extensive knowledge of music theory and practise. It exists because we were aligned with being curious about experimental recording approaches — unusual mic placements, unconventional performance techniques, a willingness to explore disparate timbres and dissonances. There were no mistakes in our process, only opportunities to learn.
Banshee Blues encapsulates a pivotal moment in my artistic development. It holds the dulcet naissance of my creative confidence, a container built through Kathryn’s unyielding support. Documenting the end of my acoustic folk era, the EP is the sole and final record of my decade and a half of this practice. The process of creating it was the closing of a chapter, catalyzing the transition into my true sonic home in electronics and effects. And while I have moved into more expansive aural worlds, Banshee Blues remains living and breathing on Bandcamp: as an easter egg waiting to be continually discovered, as the singular relic of my practice of origin, as an ode to Kathryn’s fundamental role in my artistic emergence and enduring creative sense of self.
Gillian Stone (she/her/hers)
“I’ve been a fortunate student of Kathryn for two years now. She not only has taught me how to use my voice, but also guitar and piano! I look forward to my weekly lessons, because Kathryn creates a safe space for me to be vulnerable and genuine, allowing me to connect to my music and thoughts. She’s one of the most talented people I know, and never fails to musically inspire me. Her teachings have gotten me to places I never thought I’d be. I love Kathryn, and you’ll love her too!”
Alijah Rose (16 years old)
“I’ve been fortunate to have Kathryn as a music teacher and guide in the songwriting process over the past few years. She is so good at creating a safe and judgement free space for learning. Though her knowledge is vast, she approaches her lessons from a place of creativity and play — not ego. Her music theory lessons have helped me so much in my songwriting journey, and I think that so many could benefit from all that she has to offer.”
Reid Williamson, artist & earthworker
Gallery
Photos
Contact
Let’s make something
Creative coaching and music lessons, backing vocals and supporting work, production, arranging and engineering. Lessons are in her Roncesvalles studio or in your home nearby. Tell Kathryn a little about what you have in mind.
Roncesvalles · Toronto
Message sent
Thank you
Your note is on its way to Kathryn. She’ll be in touch soon.
