Monica Huggett

Monica Huggett was born and raised 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 realized she had to practice every day, and during the dinner hour. It was then she realized 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 excitement 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 concertmaster 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.

In her nearly thirty years of working in baroque music Huggett 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 centers on her ensemble Sonnerie, which has recently released CDs of Mozart Piano Quartets and Biber Violin Sonatas on ASV. She also occasionally dabbles in nineteenth century repertoire with an ensemble called Hausmusik, and has very recently recorded a CD of Brahms chamber music with them for GMN/Signum.

Huggett spends quite a few months of the year in Portland, Oregon in the USA, her job being the Artistic Director of Portland Baroque Orchestra. She finds "West Coast" life much more relaxed than in London and enjoys the change. In the past year she has been guest director of the Norwegian Chamber Orchestra, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Israel Camerata, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Ensemble Arion Montreal and Tafelmusik Toronto.