About Me
Drawing from a wide and eclectic variety of styles, Monique’s sound is her own. She has strong roots in Celtic and American folk music, which she performed with her father Vic in fiddle competitions and folk festivals since the age of six.Building on this foundation, Monique's music is now based upon many different genres, the most prominent being American and Brazilian jazz, folk, Celtic, and classical. She also explores music from Eastern Europe, South India, and other foreign countries. Elements of these styles have strongly influenced many of her compositions and improvisations. She is equally comfortable on voice and violin in live and studio performances. As a poet and lyricist, Monique often incorporates her words imaginatively into her songs, which can be described as an artful hybrid between jazz, folk, rock, and pop.Monique earned her BM in Violin Performance at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania, where she was a scholarship student of Dr. Kenneth Sarch. She performed as the concertmaster of the MU Symphony and also played violin with the MU Jazz Ensemble; she gave both classical and jazz recitals in Mansfield, Corning, Wellsboro, and surrounding areas. She was also a member of the Williamsport Symphony throughout her years attending MU.Monique received a full tuition scholarship to the 2003 Henry Mancini Institute at UCLA, where she studied and/or performed with Jeremy Cohen, Lesa Terry, Diana Krall, Christian McBride, Gunther Schuller, Vince Mendoza, and Oregon. She attended the Masters in Jazz Studies program at University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where she was a student of world-renowned jazz violinist John Blake. She has also received extensive mentorship from Orlando Haddad, Christian Howes, Don Glandon, Ben Schachter, and Micah Jones.
A few little interesting tidbits, in case you were getting bored from the formal bio vibe: 1. She plays violin with Kanye West every now and then - usually whenever he comes around Philly. 2. She appeared on ESPN twice for promo commercials - one was for Eli Manning and she played the fiddle on the subway while Philly-based blues singer Georgie Bonds told Eli's story with his song "I've Paid My Dues." 3. She has performed with Philly songwriters John Francis and Bill Ricchini - they are both great - you should check them out. They are both on myspace. 4. A few (or is it many now?) years ago, she did a show with Smokey Robinson. She had never heard of him at the time - so performing his songs with him was her introduction to one of Motown's greatest artists. What a fun concert that was. Even though he was older, he still had a great look - he had the whole outfit, even down to the tight leather pants. And there were screaming fans throwing themselves at the stage - only they were not teenage girls, but rather middle-aged ladies. I guess a true fan remains one forever!
And now, we return to the conclusion of the formal bio:Monique performs and teaches as a freelancer in the Philadelphia area. She sings soprano in the choir at First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia, under the direction of a marvelous and highly respected organist and all-around musician by the name of Andrew Senn. (He happens to be a most fantabulous friend, too.)
Monique's future plans include visiting other countries to gain insight on their cultures and musical traditions. As a performing musician with solid teaching experience in both private and classroom settings, she gives lessons, master classes, and performances to promote awareness of violin and vocal techniques, ear training, theory, composition/songwriting, and improvisational styles.In addition to singing and fiddling, Monique has also developed solid skills on piano, guitar, mandolin and viola. She currently lives in the Philadelphia area and is working on her solo project. She anticipates releasing an album rather sooner than later.
