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Diane Monroe

 Diane Monroe headshot 400x600
Guest Artist, Violin

About Diane

Diane Monroe, a native Philadelphian, is a violinist whose versatility and expressive artistry consistently bring both jazz and classical audiences to their feet. In 2018, Ms. Monroe won both a Pew Fellowship and a Pew Project grant from The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. The Pew Project grant funded her 2019 project, Violin Woman, African Dreams.

During her four-year run with the String Trio of New York, she toured in concert with Joe Lovano, Oliver Lake, Anthony Davis, Bang-On-A-Can All Stars, and literary artist Quincy Troupe. Having won the coveted Pro Musicis Recital Award as a classical artist in 1983, Ms. Monroe performed violin recital debuts at Merkin Hall, NY; Los Angeles’ Schoenberg Hall and County Art Museum; Renwick Gallery, D.C.; and Pickman Hall, Boston, MA. Other awards include the Distinguished Alumni Award from U.Arts (2002), Wendy and Alan Pesky Award (1996), and Pennsylvania Artists on Tour (2002). In 2004, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society presented Monroe’s violin recital entitled “Infused with the Blues” at the PMA Van Pelt Auditorium.

Monroe’s ensemble membership includes the Kasimir and Beaumont String Quartets, Amabile Piano Quartet, Concerto Soloists Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, St. Lukes Chamber Players (assist. concertmaster), Jupiter Symphony (concertmaster), Pennsylvania Ballet Orchestra (concertmaster), Concordia Orchestra (concertmaster), and Relache Ensemble and Network for New Music. Monroe has participated in the chamber music festivals of Marlboro (3 yrs.), Caramoor (2 yrs.), and Sitka (10 yrs.).

Monroe has taught violin and coached chamber music at Oberlin Conservatory, Temple U., Swarthmore College, Lehigh U., Ursinus College, Settlement Music School, and The Quartet Program. She has adjudicated for the Sphinx and Fischoff solo and chamber competitions, and has coached members of the Ying, Brentano, Dali, PUBLIQuartet, and Marian Anderson String Quartets. Ms. Monroe is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, and Philadelphia Musical Academy (now U.Arts); she has also attended Oberlin Conservatory of Music and Michigan State University.