# Meredith Coloma

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{{Short description|Canadian musician and luthier}}
'''Meredith Coloma''' is a Canadian musician and [luthier](/source/luthier) from [Vancouver](/source/Vancouver).

Born in Vancouver,<ref name=":0">{{cite web|author=Kelly|first=Ash|date=2017-06-24|title=Before she was 19, Meredith Coloma was already a master in her male-dominated craft - CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/young-vancouver-guitar-maker-s-niche-work-shines-at-international-show-1.4176796|archive-url=|archive-date=|accessdate=2019-03-20|website=CBC}}</ref> Coloma grew up in Canada, Chile and Taiwan.<ref>{{cite web|last=Mckenzie|first=Kevin Hinton & Ryan|title=BCBusiness|url=https://www.bcbusiness.ca/30-Under-30-2018-Meredith-Coloma|accessdate=20 March 2019|website=BCBusiness}}</ref> She attended the [Lee Strasberg Institute](/source/Actors_Studio) in New York City.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Bellett|first=Gerry|date=2012-03-09|title=Vancouver singer reaches finals|pages=6|work=The Vancouver Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54683844/vancouver-singer-reaches-finals/|access-date=2020-07-04}}</ref> At just 16, she was touring as a professional musician and began to take note of how important the construction of the instruments was.<ref name=":0" /> By the time she turned 19, she had already apprenticed under professional luthiers, including [Roger Sadowsky](/source/Sadowsky).<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Kurucz|first=John|title=Custom made: Vancouver has more female luthiers than anywhere else in Canada|url=https://www.vancourier.com/entertainment/custom-made-vancouver-has-more-female-luthiers-than-anywhere-else-in-canada-1.12544758|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Vancouver Courier}}</ref>

Coloma went on to start her own guitar-making business in Vancouver.<ref name=":0" /> She has earned recognition for entering the male-dominated field of guitar-making as a young, queer BIPOC woman.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Hernandez-Fuentes |first=Monique |date=October 22, 2025 |title=Interview with Coloma Guitars: Finely Crafted Guitars Made With Passion and Precision from Vancouver |url=https://www.riffarella.com/blog/interview-with-coloma-guitars |access-date=2025-10-22 |website=Riffarella |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> She is known for her handcrafted [gypsy jazz](/source/gypsy_jazz) guitars, [mandolin](/source/mandolin)s, [violin](/source/violin)s, [ukulele](/source/ukulele)s, [acoustic guitar](/source/acoustic_guitar)s and [electric guitar](/source/electric_guitar)s.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lee|first=Jenny|date=2014-03-08|title=B.C. provides ideal climate for six-string manufacturers|pages=36|work=The Vancouver Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/54683987/bc-provides-ideal-climate-for/|access-date=2020-07-04}}</ref><ref name=":2" />

A singer-songwriter, Coloma was a finalist in the 2012 [International Songwriting Competition](/source/Songwriting_competition) in Nashville.<ref name=":1" /> She is a co-founder of the Vancouver International Guitar Festival.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kurucz|first=John|title=No need to fret, Vancouver guitar festival is back and bigger than ever|url=https://www.vancourier.com/news/no-need-to-fret-vancouver-guitar-festival-is-back-and-bigger-than-ever-1.23391720|access-date=2020-07-04|website=Vancouver Courier}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Shepherd|first=Jeremy|title=Music agent turned guitar maker talks craft|url=https://www.nsnews.com/entertainment/music/music-agent-turned-guitar-maker-talks-craft-1.23389458|access-date=2020-07-04|website=North Shore News}}</ref>

==Boutique Builder==

Coloma Guitars operates at a small scale, currently producing around ten guitars a month. <ref name=":3" /> After finding growth and success with the Freya model Coloma began having difficulty managing the responsibilities of a growing business.<ref name=":3" /> Coloma took a step back to assess the balance between her personal life and business in addition to managing rising customer demand.<ref name=":3" /> In order to meet this demand she had to drastically restructure how she was running her business.<ref name=":3" /> This meant hiring staff to meet the 180+ customers and counting that were on the waitlist.<ref name=":3" />

Coloma Guitars specializes in creating guitars with unique designs while maintaining affordability, such as the Freya.<ref name=":3" /> Coloma describes the Freya as a boutique instrument (guitar) that is affordable for the working musician.<ref name=":3" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coloma, Meredith}}
Category:Living people
Category:Canadian luthiers
Category:Musicians from Vancouver
Category:Canadian women guitarists
Category:Canadian musical instrument makers
Category:Year of birth missing (living people)
Category:Women instrument makers
Category:21st-century artisans
{{Canada-guitarist-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Meredith Coloma](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Coloma) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meredith_Coloma?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.