About Meredith
As a child, Meredith LeVande was inspired to sing to fill the emptiness and confusion due to her mother's severe mental illness. "Nanny", her grandmother and a Russian-Jewish immigrant, raised Meredith in an environment that was as socially unique as it was old world. When Meredith was 15, her grandmother died, and out of fear of resembling any sort of "madness" often linked to artistry, she stopped and clung to the safety blankets of more traditional educational pursuits. Meredith graduated from the University of Rochester with a B.A. in English and Women's Studies, and she has also earned a Master of Music with a concentration in Studio Composition from the State University of New York, Purchase College.

After living in New York City, Meredith's talent for singing and songwriting became stronger than her fears. She channeled the sprit of her Nanny, and also of her own emotional struggles that she felt were inextricably linked to that of many women and the fragile human condition. Her songs reflect the destructive force of broken promises, the vulnerability of the mind and many more untraditional topics not usually found in catchy pop tunes.

Meredith has recorded two albums. Half Her, Meredith's second record, accurately documents her depth and maturity, as well as her humor. While both hooky and catchy, the album is also deep and thoughtful, and Half Her's release caught the ear of Starbucks Coffee Co., which added it to their music programming worldwide. This comes as no surprise since Meredith's first record, Through the Clouds, was licensed by the television show Dawson's Creek.

Meredith has also written, produced and presents a multimedia lecture called "Women, Pop Music and Pornography." Learn more about Meredith's lecture by clicking here, and download a brochure by clicking here (PDF document). In addition, in April 2008, Meredith was published in Meridians: feminism, race, transnationalism (Indiana University Press), an academic journal that "provides a forum for the finest scholarship and creative work by and about women of color in U.S. and international contexts."

In addition to touring both the east and west coast College Coffeehouse Circuit, Meredith used to play the NYC club venues more often, but prefers the College Circuit and the Coffeehouse scene. She's not about being in the "spotlight", though she has been several times. If you've shopped at stores such as Rave, Mandee's and Anne Taylor's Loft, or dined at PF Chang's or 9 West, chances are you heard Meredith's distinct voice.

Meredith was also licensed by DMX music and Half Her was in regular rotation on smaller radio stations all over the country. She is currently recording her third album and has released an original children's record, which has songs playing daily on SIRIUS Satellite Radio. Click here to visit her children's music Web site, Monkey Monkey Music.

But Meredith isn't about rattling off her credentials or inflating her musical resume. She could care less about being a "rock star". She loves keeping it real, and people love her for it. The little notes she gets saying her music inspires them or moves them, and seeing people up close and getting to know them is what she considers better than huge commercial success. In small, intimate venues is where you're likely to hear her ... and that's the way she likes it.