Monica Huggett

Monica Huggett progressed from a diligent presence in the early music scene to become a leading interpreter of Baroque violin repertoire, tackling demanding pieces such as the Bach sonatas and partitas while establishing her own ensemble. Born in London, she attended the Green School for Girls before enrolling at the Royal Academy of Music, where she initially trained with the goal of a traditional violin career. Her first encounter with a period instrument sparked an instant affinity. Among her teachers were prominent advocates of historically informed practice, among them Sigiswald Kuijken, Gustav Leonhardt, and Ton Koopman, who took on a guiding role. Together with Koopman she helped launch the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra in 1980 and served as its concertmaster. Both later collaborated with the Portland Baroque Orchestra in Oregon.

Huggett gradually expanded her solo engagements on stage and in the studio. Gramophone magazine selected her recording of the Bach sonatas and partitas as an Editors’ Choice in December 1997, while her 2001 album of the Biber violin sonatas drew widespread acclaim; the Telegraph declared, “This is a disc that merits the attention of anybody who appreciates the highest flights of violin playing, from whatever period.” Her programs spanned several centuries, encompassing Renaissance consort pieces as well as Beethoven’s violin concerto, each performed on the most suitable instrument. She also pursued imaginative thematic projects, such as the 2001 release Haydn and the Gypsies, which traced the impact of Romany music on Haydn and his contemporaries. After appearing as guest conductor with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the European Union Baroque Orchestra, she created her own group, Sonnerie, in the mid-1990s. The ensemble continued to champion lesser-known works; its 2003 recording The World’s First Piano Concertos, devoted to pieces by J.C. Bach, Abel, Hayes, and Hook, proved both engaging and provocative by proposing a fresh boundary between keyboard idioms. In addition to her touring schedule, Huggett holds the post of professor of Baroque violin at the Royal Academy of Music. She has further pursued conducting, evidenced by her 2012 recording of J.S. Bach’s St. John Passion.