Merel-Magali Cox • Mezzo-Soprano
biography
Dutch mezzo-soprano Merel-Magali Cox is currently in her first year of her Masters degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studies under the tutelage of Mary Plazas. She has been awarded the Dame Eva Turner Award, Help Musicians (Dick Maidment & Peggy Cooper Award), Het Cultuurfonds (Aafje Heynis & Rome Kalma Trusts) and her studies are generously supported by Peter Snook and the James and Mary Glass Scholarship.
In 2024, Merel-Magali completed her undergraduate studies at the RNCM with Hilary Summers and Mary Plazas, graduating with the highest distinction.
Her operatic performances include the role of Linette in Prokofiev’s L’Amour des trois Oranges (RNCM Opera), Cherubino in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Kleine Opera), Idamante in Mozart’s abridged Idomeneo (RNCM Spotlight) and Solomon in Handel’s Solomon (Bolton Festival Orchestra & Choir). Merel-Magali is looking forward to perform the role of the Woodpecker in Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen in RNCM's Upcoming opera production.
This summer, Merel-Magali will join Buxton International Festival as a Young Artist, where she will perform in La Traviata, La Clemenza di Tito and Pauline Viardot’s Le Dernier Sorcier.
Merel-Magali has appeared in numerous productions with Muziektheater Transparant (Belgium), Dorset Opera Festival (UK), and Opéra de Baugé (Fr), performing in works such as Nabucco, Faust, Le Nozze di Figaro, The Magic Flute, Manon Lescaut, Carmen, Don Carlos, and L’Elisir d’Amore. At the RNCM, she has sung in the opera choruses of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and Johann Strauss’ Die Fledermaus. Additionally, she has performed a wide range of roles in opera scenes, including Medoro (Orlando), Julia Bertram (Mansfield Park), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Marcellina (Le Nozze di Figaro), Apollolina (La Canterina) and Arsamene (Serse).
@Esther Shea
Alongside her operatic work, Merel-Magali enjoys a diverse solo career in oratorio and recital repertoire. Most recently, she was selected to join the prestigious RNCM Songsters, a selective pool of accomplished singers and collaborative pianists at the conservatoire. Through this platform Merel-Magali hopes to share both the intimacy and extravagance song can be. She has performed recitals at Bridgewater Hall, Carole Nash Recital Room, RNCM Concert Hall and Buxton International Festival.
Her most recent concert highlights include Bach’s Johannes-Passion with the renowned ensemble Manchester Baroque, Handel’s Messiah and Dixit Dominus, Requiems by Mozart, Haydn, and Duruflé, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Britten’s Rejoice the Lamb, Haydn’s Nelson Mass, Rutter’s Feel the Spirit and Gloria, and various church masses. She has collaborated with ensembles such as the Leeds Philharmonic Choir, Manchester Cathedral, Salford Cathedral, Hallé Choral Academy, and the Salford, Birkenhead, Lower Windrush, Bakewell, and Congleton Choral Societies, working with conductors including David Hill MBE.
Upcoming engagements include Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (Wilmslow Symphony Orchestra), Britten’s Canticles II (RNCM Spotlight), Bach’s Matthäus-Passion (Liverpool Bach Collective), and her international debut with Elgar’s The Music Makers and Sea Pictures with Toonkunstkoor Roermond and Drents Symphonic Orchestra in the Netherlands.
@Mike Cooter
Merel-Magali is also a sought-after ensemble singer. She has performed at prestigious venues including the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Royal Albert Hall, Grieghallen in Bergen, and she appeared in the recent Sony/BBC film The Choral (Alan Bennett) directed by Nicholas Hytner and staring Ralph Fiennes, Roger Allam and Alan Armstrong, among others.
She is a VOCES8 Scholar (25/26) and a member of The Mancunium Consort, described by The Gesualdo Six as “one of the rising stars of the choral music scene,” with whom the group has recently collaborated in concert. The group's debut album, A New Light, was released on Friday 17th October 2025 under the VOCES8 Records label and is available to stream and purchase now.
Merel-Magali previously served as an alto lay clerk at Manchester Cathedral, singing daily services and featuring in broadcasts such as BBC Radio 3’s Choral Evensong and BBC One’s Christmas Morning Service.
Merel-Magali has recorded eight CDs with various ensembles, including The Mancunium Consort, Phoenix Ensemble, Salford Cathedral Choir, St-Martin-in-the-Fields diocese of Manchester, Edvard Grieg Korene, RNCM Chamber Choir, the VOCES8 Foundation Choir, and the VOCES8 Scholar Ensemble. In the upcoming months, Merel-Magali will tour with the latter ensemble throughout the UK, Italy, Spain, France, and Colombia.
Her competition successes include First Prize in the RNCM Song Cycle Competition, Second Prize in the Williams–Howard Prize, Third Prize in the GSVC in Michigan, and finalist placements in both the Recital and Opera categories of the David Clover Competition for Singing in Sheffield.
Merel-Magali has participated in masterclasses and coaching sessions with Ann Murray DBE, Della Jones, Michael Chance, Rupert Burleigh, Ingrid Surgenor, Gary Matthewman, Dr Louise Toppin, Nadine Benjamin MBE, Susan Bullock, Andrew Watts, Henry Waddington, Nico de Villiers, Janet Haney, Gary Jankowski, Claron McFadden, and others.
Please do not reproduce without permission, updated January 2026
CV AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST
repertoire
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cherubino - Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart Idamante - Idomeneo, Mozart (a) Solomon - Solomon, Handel Linette - L'amour des trois oranges, Prokofiev Woodpecker - The Cunning Little Vixen, Janáček (*) * = upcoming a = abridged
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Johannes Passion, Bach Matthäus-Passion, Bach (*) Rejoice the Lamb, Britten Canticles II, Britten (*) Ninth Symphony, Beethoven (*) Requiem, Duruflé The Music Makers, Elgar (*) Sea Pictures, Elgar (a) (*) Messiah, Handel Dixit Dominus, Handel Nelson Mass, Haydn Requiem, M Haydn Requiem, Mozart Spatzenmesse in C, Mozart Krönungsmesse in C, Mozart Missa Brevis in D, Mozart Missa Brevis in F, Mozart Feel the Spirit, Rutter Gloria, Rutter Gloria, Vivaldi * = upcoming a = abridged
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Carmen, Bizet L'Elisir d'Amore, Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor, Donizetti Faust, Gounod Le Cid, Massenet La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart (*) Die Zauberflöte, Mozart Le Nozze di Figaro, Mozart Don Giovanni, Mozart Cosi fan Tutte, Mozart Acis & Galatea, arr. Mozart (Handel) Manon Lescaut, Puccini La Bohème, Puccini Les Indes Galantes, Rameau Le Comte Ory, Rossini Die Fledermaus, J Strauss Nabucco, Verdi Don Carlos, Verdi La Traviata, Verdi (*) Le Dernier Sorrier, Viardot (*) * = upcoming
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rise Up and Wonder, Salford Cathedral (2023) The Choral (DVD) Sony/BBC (2025) Dan Locklair: Sing to the World, Phoenix Consort (2025) Martin Ellerby Voyages, RNCM Chamber Choir (2025) Rose Ever Blooming, VOCES8 Foundation Choir & Orchestra (2025) A New Light, The Mancunium Consort (2025) Music by Ola Gjeilo, VOCES8 Foundation Choir & Orchestra (*) Music by Martin Jansson, VOCES8 Scholars Ensemble (*) Berlioz’ Romeo et Juliette – live concert recording (semi-chorus), Edvard Grieg Kor (*) * = upcoming
conducting
Alongside her singing career, Merel-Magali is an emerging conductor with a growing reputation. Between her undergraduate and master’s degree in singing, she completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Community Conducting and Education with Distinction at the RNCM, studying under Mark Heron, Stuart Overington and Robert Gardiner, with generous support from The Wavendon Foundation.
During her undergraduate studies, Merel Magali undertook all the available conducting modules, completing her final exam with the Blackpool Symphony Orchestra. She has conducted the upper-voice ensemble Voci Unité, leading performances for International Women's Day, the opening of a new exhibition at Manchester Museum, as well as internally at the RNCM.
Merel-Magali also works closely with the community ensembles in and around Manchester and most recently served as the Music Director for Somnium Chamber Choir, with whom she delivered a season of successful concerts and projects.
BESIDES ALL OF THAT…
When not involved in music of any kind, Merel-Magali enjoys hanging out with friends, watching good cinema, playing video games and spending time looking for new repertoire in her personal physical score library or her trillion Spotify playlists.
@Ellie Forrester