is a collective of Houston-based professional musicians committed to taking classical chamber music out of the concert hall and into accessible community spaces.
Founded in October 2020 as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Monarch presents over 80 concerts annually. The ensemble has brought classical music to over 25 Houston neighborhoods, performing at a variety of venues including parks, churches, farms, gas stations, traditional indoor venues, and front porches.
Monarch has also been featured on many traditional concert series, including the Cypress Creek FACE Promenade Series, the Houston Methodist Center for the Performing Arts Crain Garden Series, and the Bayou City Art Festival, and has performed at many of Houston’s prominent concert venues such as POST Houston, Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Past seasons have included collaborations with the Houston-based ensembles WindSync, Kinetic Ensemble, Houston Chamber Choir, and Skylar Campbell Dance Collective.
Monarch’s seasonal programming celebrates the holidays with “Neighborhood Nutcracker,” an original production of Tchaikovsky’s score arranged for wind quintet and percussion accompanied by a video projection of the ballet, as well as special programs for Halloween, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Memorial Day, and more.
