Mariela Shaker

Mariela Shaker, born 1990 in Aleppo, Syria, started playing the violin after joining the Arabic Institute of Music in Aleppo in 1999. She graduated from the institute in 2004 with distinction. Shaker was always an active performer in Syria and participated in many festivals and concerts in Aleppo including a solo violin recital in the Directory of Culture and in the St. Ephrem Syriac Orthodox Cathedral in 2008. She received many accolades in Syria and was invited to participate in the Dubai Arabian Competition and to play with the Emirate Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Shaker taught violin for five years at the Arabic Institute of Music until she auditioned in London in 2011 and received an offer to complete her music studies at the Trinity Laban Conservatoire for Music. In 2013, she survived the war in Syria after receiving a full-tuition scholarship to attend Monmouth College and to study Music Performance for her second Bachelor's degree. She previously received her first Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Aleppo. After graduating from Monmouth College, she was awarded a full-tuition academic scholarship to pursue her Master’s in Music Performance at DePaul University, graduating in 2017.

Shaker has appeared as a concert violinist performing solo with the Mesopotamian Symphony Orchestra in California Theater. Her debut recital at the Kennedy Center on June 20, 2015, celebrated World Refugee Day, organized by UNHCR. Shaker was named as Champion of Change for World Refugee by President Obama and was honored at the White House in 2015. She also played for members of the U.S. Legislature in the same year. Some notable engagements include performances by invitation from Cate Blanchett in London, at the Beyond Borders International Festival in Scotland, and in the presence of Queen Rania of Jordan for the International Rescue Committee in 2016. In 2017, Shaker was appointed UNHCR High Profile Supporter and in 2018, she received the first-ever Anne Frank Promisekeeper Award.

Recently, Shaker has performed and spoken at prestigious venues and events including the White House, the Brooking Institute, the Pentagon Conference, the United Nations, and the Arab American Institute. Her global engagements span the Emirates Airline Literature Festival, Georgetown University, George Washington University, the Asfari and Saied Foundations, Harvard University, MIT, Points of Light, the International Rescue Committee, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Lincoln Center, UNHCR, CARE, King’s College Chapel (Cambridge), The Barbican Center (London), and many others worldwide. Her work has been featured in major publications including the Huffington Post, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Buzz Feed, and Woman’s Day.

Shaker has recently been appointed as a violin professor at Monmouth College, where she develops a personal voice and expression in her students and motivates them to achieve their best potential. She is also recognized as the Goodwill Peace Ambassador of the World Council of Aramean and Ambassador of the Points of Light Organisation. Through her music and public speaking, Shaker continues to raise awareness of the impacts of war in Syria and advocates for peace and tolerance.