Diane Monroe

“What I feel is at stake in my work—and the work I long to do—is the courage and skill to escape/abandon classifications of style and genre in order to make music that speaks distinctively from my own history, experience, and imagination.”

A composer and violinist, Diane Monroe bridges classical string repertoire, jazz and blues improvisation, African and African American musical traditions, and contemporary experimental music. Lauded by The Philadelphia Inquirer for having “one foot in the old world and another stylish one in the new,” Monroe is known for her ability to expressively interpret and improvise varying musical styles and periods in both European classical and American jazz traditions. Her cross-genre work has included engagements with artists and groups such as Pew Fellows Bobby Zankel, Odean Pope, and John Blake; the Max Roach Double Quartet; Harlem Symphony Orchestra; and Bang on a Can All Stars. Monroe has been leading her own ensembles for more than 15 years, including The Diane Monroe Quartet and a duo with her longtime musical partner, vibraphonist Tony Miceli, with whom she released the album Alone Together in 2014. Monroe received a 2018 Center Project grant to create Violin Woman, African Dreams, an evening-length suite inspired by museum and historic house collections in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood.