Linda Joyce Merrick (born 11 May 1963) is a British clarinettist and the current principal of the

Royal Northern College of Music The Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) is a conservatoire located in Manchester, England. It is one of four conservatoires associated with the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music. In addition to being a centre of music education ...

. Merrick was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. Her Ph.D. thesis was published by VDM Verlag in 2009. Merrick joined the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) as director of performance studies and senior tutor in clarinet in 2001. She became director of the RNCM's Centre for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (2005–2010), vice-principal (2006–2012) and principal (from 2013). Under Merrick’s leadership, the RNCM was rated the top UK conservatoire for research in the Research Excellence Framework (2014). As a clarinet soloist, Merrick has released over 40 solo CDs for labels including NMC, Naxos, Guild and Metier, and broadcast for BBC Radio 3, Arte TV, CKWR Radio in Canada and DRS 1 Radio in Switzerland. She has performed as a soloist internationally in America, Australia, China, the UAE and throughout Europe. Merrick has performed over 80 new commissions and recorded three CDs with the contemporary ensemble Sounds Positive of which she is a founding member. She is also a regular collaborator with the

Kreutzer Quartet The Kreutzer Quartet is a British string quartet. With their selected programs they have given concerts in Italy, Germany, France, Holland, Serbia, Montenegro, Sardinia, the United States, Spain, Cyprus, Poland and Lithuania. A further focus is ...

. Merrick is a Fellow of the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...

and the

, where she holds a Personal Chair. She is Chair of

Conservatoires UK Conservatoires UK, also known as CUK, is a group that represents eleven world-leading British conservatoires. The current Chair of CUK is Professor Linda Merrick, Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music. Members UCAS Conservatoires ...

, Vice-President of the Clarinet and Saxophone Society of Great Britain and the UK Representative for Howarth Clarinets. She was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

2023 New Year Honours The 2023 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

for services to music in higher education.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merrick, Linda 1963 births Living people English classical clarinetists Musicians from Bristol 21st-century English women musicians Academics of the Royal Northern College of Music Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Women clarinetists 20th-century English women musicians 20th-century British classical musicians 21st-century classical musicians English women academics Women heads of universities and colleges Fellows of the Royal Academy of Music Fellows of the Royal College of Music 21st-century British clarinetists Alumni of the Royal Northern College of Music