Merlin Shepherd is one of the world’s leading players of traditional East European klezmer clarinet style. Apart from his own ensembles (including Songlines Top of the World band The Merlin Shepherd Kapelye) he has worked and toured throughout Britain and Europe with Budowitz, Frank London’s Klezmer Brass Allstars and Aaron Alexander’s Midrash Mish-Mosh, Boban I Marko Marcovic Orkestar, Luigi Cinque and Djivan Gasparian. Merlin also plays music from the Mediterranean, including Turkish, Greek and Romanian Music. He has been Musical Director for The Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London.
“Merlin Shepherd is Britain’s finest Klezmer clarinetist” Songlines
“A force to be reckoned with” Time Out
“He colours and shapes every phrase…providing spiritual & emotional heart” London Evening Standard