Biography
A little something about me...I was born the second child of three to Les & Georgiana Clark in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. My parents tell stories of me singing myself to sleep as a baby and their frustrations when having to discipline me knowing a “go to your room and shut the door” only meant private studio time.
At three, a music teacher recognized my ear for music while simultaneously my parents discovered the need to harness all of my excessive second-born energy. Piano alone wasn’t enough for this monstrous task and I soon was enrolled in tap, jazz, ballet, and gymnastic classes.
At five, I was cast in my first musical, Pinocchio, where I convinced the director to let me be the little boy who collected coins for my big sister, the coffee grinder.
As a teenager, I added viola, harp, guitar, bass, and banjo to my list of instruments and began writing music. My parents introduced me to the arts as a way to focus my unbridled spirit and teach me a little self-control. Instead, I became a performer.
At eighteen, I moved to Atlanta, Georgia to attend Emory University. There, I not only studied classical voice, but also performed in recitals, musicals, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology. (I'm still not exactly sure how that last part happened.)
An addiction to school, and a desire to live out west took me to San Diego. There, I gained an MFA in Musical Theatre, a propensity towards wine, a love for Joni Mitchell and 80's power ballads, and - thanks to the opens ears, minds, and mics of San Diego- I began calling myself a songwriter.
I now live in New York City where I am working as a professional actor, singer, and songwriter. In spring of 2004 I released my first album of original music, and I am currently writing music for the first ever online musical, Girl Robot. I perform in shows all over the country, record when I can, give concerts when there’s time, read as much as possible, and strive to always keep my eyes, ears, heart and mind open.
Thank you to my parents for giving me every opportunity in the world, my teachers for showing me how, and the universe for giving me so much ENERGY!
With love, Merideth