Monica was born and grew up in west London. She is the fifth of seven children born into a family of Irish, English and French descent. She started having violin lessons when she was six, on a half sized violin which had been given to her brother but never used. She was particularly keen to start with, but that initial enthusiasm waned when she realised she had to practise every day, and during the dinner hour.

It was then she realised she was in for the long haul. At age twelve it was decided she was only fit for a career in music, so, although she passed 8 O-levels, at age 16 she was packed off to 5 years of grind at the Royal Academy of Music. She became a very competent clean and efficient violinist, but always felt that Eric Clapton generated more excitment and wondered why .......Then, while still a student, she was lent a baroque violin, and immediately felt that this was an instrument she could really identify with. She became known as a specialist in baroque music, but felt a bit like the blind leading the blind, until she was invited to form an orchestra with Ton Koopman. This became the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Monica was the concert master from 1980-87. This was a wonderfully stimulating experience for her, and it was through working with Ton Koopman that she finally felt that she hadn't missed out by not being a rock guitarist.

Monica made her debut at the Wigmore Hall in 1972, playing modern violin in the Messiaen  "Quatuor pour le fin de temps".  She has played here regularly ever since, and still enjoys the warm accoustic, and intimate ambiance of this unique chamber hall.

In her thirty years of working in baroque music she has worked for most of the famous, or good, or famous and good (occasionally) directors and orchestras in Europe, and her discography is much too long.

In the UK her work centres on her ensemble Sonnerie, which has recently released CDs of Mozart Piano Quartets and Biber Violin Sonatas on ASV, The Biber CD won the prestigious Baroque Instrumental Gramophone Award in 2002. In the coming year Sonnerie will be releasing a CD of Biber Mystery Sonatas and they have already begun a project to record the complete Handel chamber music with strings.

Monica spends quite a few months of the year in Portland, Oregon in the USA, where she is the Artistic Director of Portland Baroque Orchestra. She finds "West Coast" life much more relaxed than in London and enjoys the change.
In her sixth decade she hopes to take more holidays........ and more exercise meanwhile enjoying her life in music

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