Wilson Mericle is a music major from Morganton, North Carolina.  He has been singing for fifteen years.  Though he began his musical education on piano, and pursued the trumpet and French horn through middle and high school, voice has always been his principle instrument.

Wilson studied in Morganton initially with Lori Ipok, until joining the Lenoir Rhyne Youth Chorus, a professional children’s chorus housed at Lenoir Rhyne University, in the sixth grade.  He sang with LYRC for seven years.  Finally, in his senior year of high school, Wilson began studying voice privately under Mrs. Diane Thornton, artist associate of Davidson College.

Now a Lyric Baritone, Wilson continues to take lessons under Mrs. Thornton.  Throughout his time at Davidson, Wilson has been a member of the DC Chorale, serving as secretary his junior year and now as co-president with his friend and fellow music major Jennifer Nicholson.  He has also participated in Davidson’s opera workshop twice, and will be rounding out his final workshop as the Count in the department’s production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.  Wilson is also one of the founding members of Dr. Raymond Sprague’s madrigal group, which was formed for last year’s Chorale tour to Salzburg, Vienna, and Prague.  Wilson’s Davidson career will culminate in the spring of 2012 with a recital consisting of works by Handel, Mozart, Rossini, Donizetti, Brahms, Mahler, Hahn, Fauré, and Ives.

Aside from singing, Wilson loves acting, rock climbing, and just sitting down with a good book.  His older brother Edwin, a recent graduate of UNC Asheville, is also a music major (percussion/jazz studies).

After Davidson, Wilson hopes to attend grad school in pursuit of a career in Opera.