Merita Rexha Tërshana is among the most active and distinguished pianists in the Albanian music scene.
Born in Tirana, she began studying piano at a young age. After graduating from the Art High School in 1990 under the guidance of Nadjezhda Porodini, she continued her musical education at the Academy of Arts in Tirana with Prof. Margarita Kristidhi. Postgraduate masterclasses took her to Germany, where she studied with renowned professors including Paul Badura-Skoda and Till Engel.
As a soloist, Merita Rexha Tërshana has performed with prominent orchestras, such as the Albanian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Opera and Ballet Theater, the Tirana Philharmonic, the Orchestra of the Academy of Arts, and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Kosovo. She has collaborated with distinguished Albanian and international conductors including E. Koço, B. Llapaj, D. Savic, A. Lepuri, A. Zielinski, Zh. Ciko, J. Barbullushi, L. Quadrini, and N. Marin.
Her musical career has taken her to numerous international stages in countries such as Germany, Austria, Japan, Denmark, Switzerland, Italy, Greece, and North Macedonia. Additionally, she is a regular guest at prestigious festivals like the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Bregenz Festival, the Starnberg Festival, as well as regional events such as the Remusica Festival, Ohrid Summer Festival, Pianodrom, Kamerfest, the International Chamber Music Festival, Different Trains Festival, and Balkan Contemporary Music Festival.
In addition to her solo performances, Merita Rexha Tërshana is highly regarded as a chamber musician, having collaborated with renowned instrumentalists such as Rudens Turku, Klaidi Sahatci, Ermir Abeshi, Andrej Bielow, Felix Klisser, Areta Zhulla, Ksenia Milas, Tomas Leleu, and Loic Schneider. She is particularly known for premiering numerous works by Albanian composers as well as significant Albanian premieres of international works. Notably, in 1998, she performed the complete piano works of Iannis Xenakis in the presence of the composer himself.
Merita Rexha Tërshana has also made notable contributions through recordings. In 2009, she released a CD featuring works by Schumann, followed by another recording with violinist Klaidi Sahatçi, featuring compositions by A. Peçi.
In Albania, she has received multiple awards recognizing her musical achievements, including the "Best Performer" prize at the 1996 Festival for New Albanian Music, awarded by a jury led by French composer G. Boeuf. Additionally, she has twice received the prestigious Kult Award as "Best Performer of the Year" (2010 and 2016).
Since 2002, Merita Rexha Tërshana has been a professor at the Piano Department of the University of Arts in Tirana. From 2018 to 2024, she served as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Music and Head of the Piano Department.