Sorcha Cribben-Merrill
- Blues
- Folk
- Jazz
- Singer/Songwriter
Hearing songwriter Sorcha Cribben-Merrill sing is at once stirring and soothing. Her lush vocal jazz charm and powerful presence draw you into bluesy grooves, haunting ballads, and intricate vignettes. An exquisite storyteller, Sorcha’s songs speak the truth as much as they spark the imagination.
Raised on the ocean in rural Maine, Sorcha is equally at home performing in folk festivals, rock clubs, intimate listening rooms, and on sailboats. A multi-instrumentalist living in Portland, Maine, her acoustic guitar, electric guitar, banjo, and ukulele all shape her compositions and performances, as does living by the sea.
Sorcha has opened for Grammy-nominated mandolinist Matt Flinner, folk music icon Tom Rush, and celebrated cellist/multi-instrumentalist Leyla McCalla, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops — teaming up with collaborators Jo Sorrell on cello/vocals and pianist/electronic musician Kafari on rhythm bones. She has performed at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (Emerging Artist), Stone Mountain Arts Center in Brownfield, ME, and The State Theatre in Portland, ME, where she sang two original songs with The Fogcutters, Maine’s contemporary nineteen piece big band.
The transformative power of music underscores her work. Sorcha regularly brings music to memory care audiences, she has supported songwriting programs at the Center For Grieving Children, and she partners with The Lullaby Project. The Lullaby Project is a Carnegie Hall program that pairs new parents with professional artists to write and sing lullabies for their babies. Her original music is also featured in LIGHT: a Documentary Film by Caroline Treadway (Feb 2021).
Sorcha’s third studio album, Quiet, was co-produced with Jeff Oehler of Beehive Productions and released in September 2016.
