Born and raised in Connecticut in a family of nine children, Monica Hatch was drawn to both classical music and jazz from the beginning of her musical journey. Influenced by her parents’ love of music (her father was a pianist and fiddler, her mother was a soprano in the church choir), she listened to her father’s recordings of Meade Lux Lewis, Oscar Peterson and Dave Brubeck while learning the music of Handel, Vivaldi, Schubert and Delibe. Monica was also introduced to many other jazz legends during her teen years including Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Mary Lou Williams, Bob Brookmeyer, Paul Desmond, Wes Montgomery, Herbie Hancock, Freddie Hubbard and more. At the same time she began studying piano, flute and recorder and sang solos in school choruses and played with the instrumental ensembles. Her mother urged Monica to join the church choir at the age of 12 where her singing abilities were quickly recognized as she sang solos for weddings and church services. After High School, a field trip to see Madame Butterfly at the New York City Opera with her first voice teacher, Jack Litten, inspired Monica to pursue her singing career more seriously. Litten prepared Monica for her auditions having her sing Mozart’s “Ach ich fuhls”, Handel’s “Rejoice Greatly” and Scarlatti’s “Le Violette”. She was accepted to several prestigious conservatories including Carnegie Mellon, The Hartt School, Ithaca College and Juilliard. As a sought after soprano, she has been a soloist with The Massachusetts Symphony, The Thayer Symphony, The Concord Symphony, Cathedral of St. Paul’s Festival Orchestra, The Bach Society of Worcester, The Worcester Chorus and dozens of church choirs. Her oratorio performances include, Faure’s Requiem, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Vivaldi’s Gloria, Bach’s Magnificat, Mozart’s Requiem, Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in G. Being described as “particularly outstanding” by the Boston Globe in her role of the “Duke Ellington Sacred Concerts” at the Boston Globe Jazz and Blues Festivals in 1998 and 1999, her critically acclaimed performances led to her becoming the soprano of choice for many subsequent productions of this work in New England. An established recording and performing artist, and radio personality hosting the Jazz Matinee on NPR station WICN 90.5 FM in Worcester, Mass, Monica continues to perform throughout New England in concerts, recitals and private engagements.