MEREL MAGALI
COX 

Dutch mezzo-soprano, Merel Magali Cox (2000), recently completed her undergraduate degree with First Class honours in Vocal Studies and Opera at the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Hilary Summers and Mary Plazas. She continues to have lessons with both of them besides currently studying a PGDip in Community Conducting at the RNCM and auditioning for a vocal masters upcoming year. Before moving to Manchester, Merel Magali was privately trained by Belgian Soprano Liesbeth Devos, regularly coached by Gary Jankowski at the Royal Conservatoire Antwerp and also by Eleonore Kimberley-Cockerham, known for her work with VOCES8. 

Coming from musical parents, Merel Magali has always been in close contact with classical music, following cello lessons and singing in choirs from a young age. Over the year’s she developed a passion for baroque and classical-concert repertoire but her love for performing and opera unfolded after participating in Dorset Opera Festival, where she joined the chorus for many years after. Highlights including Gounod’s Faust, Puccini’s Bohème, Verdi’s Nabucco and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. Last summer, Merel Magali sang in the opera chorus of Opera de Baugé in France and collaborated with maestro Konstantinos Diminakis for their Gala concert.

Merel Magali recently had the privilege of performing in the chorus of RNCM’s Opera Gala with Opera North and opera’s Le Nozze Di Figaro by Mozart and Die Fledermaus by J Strauss as part of RNCM 50th anniversary celebrations.

Noteworthy performances include her portrayal of Cherubino (full role) in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, Arsamene in Handel’s Serse, Medoro, in Handel’s Orlando, Julia Bertram in Dove’s Mansfield Park, Dorabella in Mozart’s Cosi fan Tutte, Apollonia in Haydn’s La Canterina and Marcellina in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro for RNCM opera scenes.

Merel-Magali has sang recitals for the Bridgewater Hall and Buxton International Festival. She was the alto soloist for selections of the Messiah with the Hallé Choral Academy and is much looking forward to perform the part fully with Salford Choral Society upcoming December and she is honoured to perform Rutter’s beautiful work ‘Feel the Spirit’ with Leeds Philharmonic Choir, under David Hill’s MBE baton.

In 2024 Merel-Magali won First Prize in the Bessie Cronshaw/Frost Brownson Song Cycle Competition, the ‘Avril Coleridge-Taylor Second Prize’ in the Williams-Howard Memorial Prize, both held at RNCM and Third Prize in the GSVC in Michigan, USA. She recently sang in masterclasses with o.a Ann Murray DBE, Della Jones, Susan Bullock, Dr. Louise Toppin, Nadine Benjamin MBE, Michael Chance, Andrew Watts, Nico de Villiers and Henry Waddington.

Merel-Magali has gradually developed herself into an established ensemble singer, chorus member and soloist. She is a former Salford Cathedral scholar, a Lay-clerk for Manchester Cathedral and sings regularly with The Mancunium Consort. So far, stand-out experiences are recently working together with The Gesualdo Six as part of G6’s ‘Manchester Sound Gallery’ and singing/acting in a major Sony/BBC movie ‘The Choral’ written by Alan Bennett, releasing in cinema’s soon.

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Merel-Magali recorded a CD with Salford Cathedral and sang the BBC Christmas Day Morning Eucharist, Messiah, St Matthew’s Passion and Durufle’s Requiem with Manchester Cathedral. She regularly performs with the Hallé Choir, conducted by Sir Mark Elder. One of the highlight’s was performing Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius with the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, at the BBC Proms 2022 under the baton of Edward Gardner in the Royal Albert Hall.

Over the past years she was invited to sing for the King of Belgium at his Royal Palace in Brussels with the Belgian National Youth Choir (BevocaL). With BevocaL she performed internationally and in venues such as the Flemish Opera and the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp, joining forces with VOCES8 in BOZAR in Brussels and the European Parliament in Strasbourg.