Meriel studied her Diploma of Music at Canberra School of Music in 1985, before heading to the US to study her Masters at the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in piano chamber music and accompanying.

Meriel is a Churchill Fellow, after receiving the 2013 honour to study harp in Austria and Germany.

She is a freelance teacher and musician on both piano and harp and has played with orchestras across Australia, including the Tasmanian, Melbourne, Sydney, and Canberra Symphony Orchestras, and Opera Australia.

As an accompanist, she has worked at the Australian National University and as a freelance including innumerable student exams and recitals, specialising in string repertoire.

As a chamber musician and collaborative artist, Meriel has performed at many festivals across Australia and the US, and is a regular with Virtuosi Tasmania.