Linda Apple Monson. Creative Services photo
Piano virtuoso Linda Apple Monson found her passion for music when her parents gave her an upright piano on her sixth birthday.
Instead of touring the world to the accolades of fans and colleagues, this International Steinway Artist shares with her students the enthusiasm for music she felt in grade school.
“Music has the power to reach and teach each of us in ways that words cannot express. Therefore, I try to instill in my students that music is a gift that needs to be shared with others to be able to truly appreciate it,” says Monson, a professor in Mason’s School of Music. “To have the privilege of sharing this wonderful legacy of music making with the next generation of students is my supreme joy.”
The Alumni Association named Monson Faculty Member of the Year at the Celebration of Distinction annual awards banquet on March 28.
Monson began her career at Mason in 2000, designing and revamping the curriculum for the keyboard studies area, as well as preparing students for a variety of performances. In 2003, she was named director of keyboard studies and associate chair of the Department of Music (now associate director of the School of Music).
“I can think of no one more deserving of this honor than Dr. Monson. She possesses a rare gift of being able to communicate with her students exactly what they need to do to perform their very best,” says Dennis Layendecker, Heritage Chair of Music and director of the School of Music. “An exceptional performer and educator, Monson consistently impresses me with her knowledge, insight and obvious care for each one of her students.”
Today, students from around the globe flock to her studio where she teaches a variety of classes ranging from private music instruction in piano to graduate accompanying classes to weekly repertoire and master classes. Her success as an educator is demonstrated on the concert stage and in the numerous recitals, performances and competitions that showcase her students.
In addition, Monson’s teaching and leadership have been the inspiration and catalyst for Mason to become an All-Steinway School in 2007. Through an effort spearheaded by Monson; one of her former students; and Sidney O. Dewberry, former rector of Mason’s Board of Visitors, Mason was able to purchase 16 new Steinway grand pianos for the School of Music.
The long hours and hard work that Monson puts into the university and the School of Music each and every day continues to be recognized year after year. In fall 2011, Monson was honored with a $200,000 endowment fund in her name. The fund, which supports scholarships for music students, recognizes the extraordinary commitment and impact that Monson has had on her students, faculty and friends of the school. Also in 2011, she was named a Distinguished Service Professor, an honor reserved for outstanding Mason faculty members whose scholarly and service contributions win international distinction. In addition, Monson is a recipient of Mason’s 2009 Teaching Excellence Award. She was selected for the 2007 Fulbright Senior Specialist Roster, in collaboration with the U.S. State Department and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars.
When she’s not in the classroom, she’s touring the world as a performer and scholar. She has given lecture-recitals, solo piano recitals, and piano master classes in the United States, Europe, Asia and Central America. She is also a frequent lecture-recitalist at international, national and regional conferences of the College Music Society. An advocate of new music, Monson has presented numerous solo piano world premieres.
If her teaching and performing schedules weren’t enough to keep her busy, Monson serves on countless university committees, most recently serving on the Mason Presidential Search Committee. She is also serving her fourth term as a faculty senator at Mason, representing the College of Visual and Performing Arts. She is president of the College Music Society Mid-Atlantic Region. In addition, she is the director of music at Springfield United Methodist Church.
Monson earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in music from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University and a diploma in piano from Musica en Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain.