From banging on pots and pans with chopsticks to clamoring for attention on a plastic toy guitar, guitarist Jamie Monck’s music begins from a place of exploration and creativity. An advocate for pieces off the beaten path (and also the Bach Chaconne), Monck’s expansive repertoire has been described by Eliot Fisk as, “Conquering not just Everest, but the whole Himalayan Mountain range.” Much of his repertoire seeks to re-imagine musical structures and ideas that came before us, inviting both the performer and the listener to consider their past experiences and memories.

Jamie is attempting to reclaim what might otherwise be a concert season rendered void with his digital 2020-2021 concert season, “freely he goes lost.” The season will feature a gentle stream of premieres, under-loved gems and pieces Jamie is eager to add to his repertoire.

Believing that life is not meant to be lived alone, Monck enjoys sharing the stage with his peers. Jamie’s partnership with Ciyadh Wells, Duo Charango, is a guitar duo that explores newly composed pieces for the guitar. They have just commissioned a set of brand new works, the Neoteric Guitar Project, for electric guitar duo to be premiered as soon as in-person concerts are allowed to happen post-coronavirus.

Jamie follows in the footsteps of Segovia, Bream, Fisk, and others through his commitment to commissioning new works for solo guitar. In 2020-2021 he is proud to be collaborating with a number of colleagues on pieces for classical guitar. He is so, so glad to be working with his dear friend Bosba on her new piece, “the sun also rises.” Laura Rose Schwartz is expanding her miniature, “Perennial” into a full grown piece. And new sonatas by Javier Contreras, Griffin Candey and Stephanie Ann Boyd will be coming in the spring of 2021.

Additionally, he is also properly returning to the electric guitar for the first time since high school through his new project, “dark is a way.” This program features pre-existing electric guitar music by Eve Beglarian and Nick Norton alongside brand new pieces composed for him by Cassie Wieland, James May, Yaz Lancaster, and Gulli Bjornsson.

When he’s not pumping nylon, Jamie loves The Bail Project, flowers, long walks, FC Barcelona, Chopin’s Op. 35, Ocean Vuong, Jean-Michel Basquiat, the scent of lavender, sunshine, tacos, and pups. He currently lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his girlfriend Erin and his pooch Basil.

Jamie plays Ondine, a guitar built by Stephan Connor and uses Augustine strings.