DA HOT SEAT WITH DJ MALONE- ANN MERRIAMS

Ann Merriam's pioneering career has been dedicated to education, artistry, and community for more than 25 years. She is the founding Artistic Director of the auditioned Performing Arts program at Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts, which hosts more than 200 students across the core disciplines of music, drama, and dance. Graduates of her program study at Juilliard, the Boston Conservatory, NYU, and U of T, and are working on the stages of Broadway, Soulpepper, Stratford, Shaw, Mirvish, and beyond. Professionally, her work has been seen at Theatre Passe Muraille, Roy Thompson Hall, Canada's National Arts Centre, and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Recently, Ann's team and the award winning Wexford Gleeks were the subject of Global TV’s 16x9: The Real Glee, and TVO’s documentary Unsung: Behind the Glee, which won Best Arts Documentary at the Canadian Film Awards. Ms. Merriam’s students have performed for former U.S presidents, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and for James Earl Jones, and Goldie Hawn. The Wexford Gleeks are regular guests and crowd favourites on CBC’s Sounds of the Season, and have been featured on CTV's Canada AM. A recent highlight saw the Wexford Gleeks in an historic collaboration with the Barenaked Ladies on Earth, and Commander Chris Hadfield aboard the International Space Station. The resulting music video has been viewed on YouTube over 1.4 million times.

Ms. Merriam holds a Bachelor of Music Education (Western Ontario University) and a Masters of Theatre Education (New York University).