Biography
Monica Hatch trained under the celebrated American soprano Eleanor Steber and ranks among the handful of vocalists who have built thriving careers in both classical music and jazz. Raised as one of eight siblings, she first appeared before audiences in her church choir at age twelve, though her exposure to the recordings of Meade Lux Lewis, Oscar Peterson, and Dave Brubeck—owned by her fiddler father—had already convinced her by age eight that music would be her path. As a coloratura soprano distinguished by flawless phrasing, a transparent crystalline timbre, and perfect pitch, she has sung the role in Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts once associated with Alice Babs, presented vocal works by Schuman and Vivaldi, and maintained an active schedule as a jazz performer. Although she worked occasional jazz engagements during the 1980s, Hatch committed herself fully to the idiom in 1993, securing regular club appearances in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her jazz profile includes two albums, a DownBeat Magazine award for jazz vocals, and performances at festivals presented by the Boston Globe. Drawing on her classical foundation, she brings technically refined vocal control to jazz and a keen sensitivity to lyrical content, delivering interpretations marked by warmth that never allow her naturally powerful instrument to overshadow the song. Away from jazz engagements at Bullfinch’s and Scullers, she sings with the St John’s Schola choir and listens to Shirley Horn, Joni Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald, and, above all, the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim.
Albums