Monica Hatch vocalist

New classical CD a majestic return to roots for Hatch
By Scott McLennan Entertainment Columnist - May 19, 2006
smclennan@telegram.com

With the albums “If You Never Come to Me” and “Lady of Hearts” and through her work as a host on radio station WICN-FM (90.5), singer Monica Hatch has become a vibrant figure within New England’s jazz community.

Yet outside the limelight, Hatch has long been singing a classical canon at church concerts and private ceremonies. And the Grafton resident studied classical music well before emerging as a jazz vocalist.

So for her third CD, “Bright Seraphim,” Hatch returned to her roots, with the soprano recording a repertoire that includes material dating back to the very start of her career.

“ ‘Ach Ich Fühls’ is actually the piece I sang for my audition for Juilliard,” explained Hatch, who included that portion of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” on her new album.

Hatch collaborated with conductor and pianist Ian Watson, music director at Cathedral of St. Paul in Worcester, to craft the gorgeous sounding 11-track disc, which includes accompaniment from the cathedral’s festival orchestra and St. John’s Schola Cantorum. Hatch’s lithe and limber voice moves dramatically through compositions by Bach, Handel, Haydn and Mozart.

Hatch will be signing copies of “Bright Seraphim” from 2 to 4 p.m. tomorrow at Tuscan Rose in Grafton center, and performing at 5 p.m. Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Church in Worcester. Hatch is also performing in Mozart programs June 10 and 11 at Cathedral of St. Paul.

“For years I was keeping my classical career on the back burner,” Hatch said. “I didn’t have the confidence to step out.”

To regain that confidence, Hatch began studying again four years ago with voice coach Margaret Tartaglia, former artistic director of Salisbury Lyric Opera.

Though already well-trained at Juilliard School and Eastman School of Music, Hatch felt the urge to study again after taking part in celebrated performances of Duke Ellington’s Sacred Concerts staged in Worcester.

“I sang with so much freedom in the work. I was given the opportunity to meld my two styles. No other piece really makes that possible,” she said.

While the jazz stylings in Ellington’s suite came easily to Hatch, the classical components required a level of work that she said made her realize she needed to get back into shape vocally.

“The classical material is more demanding. It requires me to really lock into technique. With jazz I can relax more. I can bend notes and utilize the microphone to create an effect. With classical, the voice is entirely the instrument,” she said.

At Eastman in Rochester, N.Y., Hatch majored in classical voice, but the school’s jazz ensembles liked her style, too. While at Eastman, DownBeat, the most prominent jazz magazine in the country, awarded Hatch a jazz vocalist award in the college division of its annual music poll.

Back in Massachusetts, Hatch parlayed her jazz performances into the debut recording “If You Never Come to Me” in 1995. She followed that with “Lady of Hearts” in 2000. For the past four years, Hatch has been host of the midday Jazz Matinee program on WICN Mondays through Thursdays, and on Friday presents the station’s Voices of Jazz from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Her last album was a collection of lullabies titled “Till Morning’s Light.”

But amid all that contemporary music, Hatch sang classical music at various church festivals and services.

“My husband encouraged me to make this CD. He saw me singing at weddings and solos at church and one day came home with the idea of making this,” Hatch said.

And though sparked by a whim, “Bright Seraphim” is hardly whimsical. Much of “Bright Seraphim” is devotional music, and Hatch’s soprano accentuates the celebratory nature of the material. In the orchestra pieces, Hatch’s voice blends with the strings coloring the upper registers of the compositions. In the songs with simpler accompaniment she has the chance to be more dexterous, daring and playful with the material. The variety of the program and enthusiasm of the performances suggests Hatch enjoyed her return back to her roots.

“Bright Seraphim” is available for sale online at amazon.com and at cdbaby.com. Local retailers are also preparing to stock the title.

“My dilemma has always been whether to choose classical or jazz,” said Hatch. “I just always chose both.”

Scott McLennan can be reached at tgmusic1@yahoo.com