Monica Katrese Davis , violin

Monica Katrese Davis, 22-year-old violinist, is a Columbia University Senior, pursuing a degree in history and has been playing the violin since the age of 3. At Columbia, Monica has been both concertmaster of the Columbia University Orchestra as well as the Bach Society Orchestra. She is also currently a member of the Soulful Symphony, Pamplemousse New Music Ensemble and the Ensemble Du Monde. Ms. Davis began her violin studies at the Hartt School Community Division and most recently has been studying privately with Mickey Reisman and Phil Setzer. She has had the honor of performing in master classes for a distinguished group of musicians and composers, notably world-renowned violinists, Midori and Pamela Frank; composer, Gunther Schuller; and members of the Juilliard and Emerson string quartets. As an orchestral player, she has performed in Steinway Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Symphony Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, the Academy of Music, and the Sydney Opera House and in festivals that include Aspen, Greenwood, and the NYU String Quartet Workshop. Ms. Davis has been a guest soloist with the Hartford and Manchester Symphonies and in 2004 she performed the Brahms’ Double Concerto with cellist Laura Usiskin, as winner of the annual Columbia University concerto competition.

Getting to know Monica Davis

Hobbies: lacrosse, walking, reading

Favorite Food: my dad’s okra and rice, most Italian food

Most Memorable/Scary Musical Experience: The silence after my final performance of the slow movement of the Brahms Clarinet Quintet this summer at Greenwood. Every summer for the past four summers I have been a counselor at my favorite place on earth, Greenwood Music Camp. The faculty, counselors, and campers all love the place and each other so much that there is always something special about the music that happens at Greenwood. But I felt something particularly special about my Brahms group. We all got along well and clicked musically from the beginning. Our coach, Becca Fischer, had said something to us about physically giving the last notes of the piece to the audience. In the silence after we finished, I really felt that the audience was taking time to accept those notes. The applause grew out of the silence and it was one of the most gratifying musical experiences I have had.

Why I Love Being a Young Artist: I love the energy that emanates from young artists. It is something that is, I think, singular to young artists, because unlike a lot of other young people, young artists are able to pursue a career in something that they really love to do.

Personal Motto: Leave everything on the stage.