Merle Böwering
What particularly fascinates you about music? What fascinates me most about music is the interpersonal and musical exchange. It's always special for me to be on stage with fellow musicians, react spontaneously to one another and experience this feeling of community. Songwriting is also very important to me. When composing and writing lyrics, I can express my thoughts and feelings and share them with others.
Which musician has personally influenced you the most so far? Bon Iver (American folk band) is the band I listen to the longest and most consistently. The way Justin Vernon writes lyrics excites and inspires me a lot. I also find it exciting to observe how the band's sound has changed over the years. Ella Fitzgerald's singing was one of my first introductions to jazz. Her phrasing and scat singing immediately touched and impressed me. In addition to Ella, the sound of Chet Baker and Esperanza Spalding also influenced me personally.
Which band/soloists have you always wanted to be on stage with? I would like to be on stage with the Portuguese musician MARO. What I particularly appreciate about her is how she writes melodies and her soulful and soft voice, which is very recognizable.
What is your life like outside of music? In addition to making music, teaching and attending concerts, I enjoy dancing in my free time. I've danced a lot of ballet and hip hop before and have now started doing it again. This is a nice balance to my everyday life, which is otherwise very focused on music. It allows me to work out a lot and clear my head. I also like going to the theater or watching dance productions.
EDUCATION
since WS 2021/22 . Cologne University of Music and Dance, Cologne. Jazz/Pop (Bachelor of Music)
– Singing major (Prof. Anette von Eichel, Susanne Schneider)
– Songwriting (Stephan Scheuss)
– Composition/Arrangement (Prof. Niels Klein)
– Minor in piano (Benjamin Schäfer)
WS 2020/21 – SuSe 2021 . WWU Münster, Münster . Musicology, French (double bachelor's degree)
2011 – 2019 . Borghorst High School, Borghorst . High school . High school diploma (1.9)
2007 – 2011. Kardinal-Von-Galen Elementary School, Steinfurt-Borghorst. Primary school
INTERNSHIPS AND WORKSHOPS
04/2021 – 09/2021 . SAE Marienschule, Steinfurt. Work in child care
03/2020 . Voluntary service (organization AFS) in Brazil. Planned duration: one year / actual stay: one week (due to corona)
09/2019 – 01/2020 . Westphalian Provincial of Münster. Temporary assistant in the liability department
05/2018 – 09/2021 . TB Burgsteinfurt. Dance teacher (leader of several children's dance groups)
MUSICAL CAREER
Steinfurt Music Factory
2018 – 2020 . Singing lessons (Agi Rozycka)
2009 – 2019 . Cello lessons. “Studio Orchestra” – cello
2007 – 2021 . piano Lesson
Westphalian School of Music
12.2020 – 07.2021. Singing lessons (Lis Harting)
Competitions / Workshops
2020 . Steinfurt Jazz Workshop (singing teacher: Eva Mayerhofer)
2019 . Final participation. Composer competition “Your Song” - KiKa studio recording of the song “Enough” with Max Mutzke
02.2019 . Dortmund. Stage school intensive workshop
2018 . Performers College, London. “Three Days Easter Event”
2017/2018. Cologne . “Performance Course” – singing, dancing, musical
Teaching activity
2022 – 2023 . Choir direction “Chorambolage” (Cologne Deutz)
09.2022 – 11.2022 . Singing lessons “Sound College” (Cologne)
since 2023 . Choir direction “Swinging Sixties” (Niehl retirement home)
since 2023 . Choir director District Court Choir (Cologne District Court)
since 09.2023 . JeKITS (Open Jazz House School, Cologne)
since 02.2024 . VocalJam AG (integrated comprehensive school in the city center of Cologne)
Funding
2021 . EP funding from create music nrw
since 2023 . Funding “Live Music Now”
2023 . Dörken Foundation (“Ursula Wienkens Summit” and “Sourcrowd”)
PROJECTS & ENSEMBLES
2019 – 2021. Electro-pop project CREEKS. Songwriting, singing
since 10/2022 . AMSLA (trio) . Composition, singing
since 10/2022. Lennard Stünkel Quintet
since autumn 2022 . State Youth Jazz Orchestra of Hesse
– Margo . Cologne based indie pop singer . Background vocals
– Early Bird . Vocal ensemble from Cologne
– Ursula Wienken’s Summit
– Eleven Seconds . Vocal ensemble from Cologne and Frankfurt
– Sourcrowd . Bandleader: Johannes Sauer
