A native of Finland, Merja Soria performs the traditional music of her Finnish heritage. She combines the ancient kantele with the poignant sound of her voice to sing the haunting songs of Suomi (Finland). Ms. Soria’s CD recording  Arctic Silence is a selection of ancient Finnish folk songs, one of which was featured in the National Geographic Television’s program “Beyond the Movie: Lord of the Rings.” Merja was the inaugural artist in the Finlandia Foundation’s Performer of the Year touring program. She received a Masters Degree in Music at Sibelius Academy in Finland and has taught Finnish music at San Diego State University and University of San Diego. In both 2003 and 2006, she was featured in Who’s Who in America. She has performed at the Los Angeles Music Center, the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, the Toronto Centre For the Arts, the Hopkins Center for the Arts at Dartmouth College, Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University in Washington, DC and many music festivals across the United States and in Europe.  
 In December 2018 Merja was the featured performer, the “tradition-bearer” at the Christmas Revels production at the Harvard University’s Sanders Theatre. The performances were seen by over 20,000 people. Merja has performed at the Christmas Revels production with Washington Revels and Revels North as well.