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Born in Karlstad, Sweden in 1966, saxophonist and composer Monik Nordine has lived on the West Coast of Canada for most of her life and spent her formative years on Salt Spring Island. Her first gigs at age 16 were at the Vesuvius Pub backing a local vocalist. Being under age, she would hide behind the sound equipment during the set breaks so as not to be noticed by the establishment. In 1984 she moved to Vancouver to attend Vancouver Community College where she met Alan Matheson. Working with his big band for a few years was a formative experience, where she met many of the important jazz players in and around Vancouver. During that time she was also introduced to Campbell Ryga, who became her main influence on the alto saxophone and who was a great mentor to her. Her projects there included her own bands and others, such as Fred Stride, Gary Guthman, Ian MacDougall, Jan Stirling, Mother of Pearl, Entropy, John Korsrud and The Hard Rubber Orchestra. Monik worked as a free-lance musician and went to school in Vancouver until 1993 when she finished her Bachelor of Music degree at the University of British Columbia and decided to move to Montreal. Montreal is a cultural cauldron that offers a broad range of artistic opportunities. There she worked with Holly Arsenault, Dinah Vero and the Diamonds, Mathieu Leger, Hassan Elhadi, Lilys Tigers, various latin bands such as A Comer and Barbara Barbara and the Amazons as well as her own groups which she presented at local Montreal jazz venues. In Montreal she became a composer through the mentorship of Jan Jarczyk, who was also her professor at McGill University and where she eventually completed a Masters Degree in Music in 1997. She recorded three albums there: Suite No.3: The Cycle of Life with the pianist Alex Clements, Twisted with Mathieu Leger and her own album not just to but over the moon, featuring her own compositions. On a Vancouver visit she also made an appearance on Cruel Yet Fair with The Hard Rubber Orchestra, which was later nominated for a West Coast Music Award. Before returning to her hometown on Salt Spring Island to raise her daughter in 2000, Monik traveled to London to study with Evan Parker and Kenny Wheeler. She also made a brief stopover in New York with Jane Ira-Bloom. Since then she has become a grass-roots organizer and Artistic Director of the Salt Spring Jazz Festival. She also performed with Michael Bublé, Rob McConnell, P.J. Perry, Paul Horn, Chase Sanborn, Hugh Fraser and VEJI, Tommy Banks, Brad Turner and Phil Nimmons and recorded three more albums: Blue Comedy with Pat Coleman, This Blue with Smilin Jack Smith, and her latest album Departure with the band Departure. www.departurejazz.com
EDUCATION
education
Monik graduated from Gulf Islands Senior Secondary School in 1984. She went on to Vancouver Community College where she achieved a diploma in Jazz and Commercial Music in 1986. In 1993 she graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Music Degree and in 1997 from McGill University with a Master of Music Degree.Her main teachers on the saxophone have been David Branter, Michael Allen and Remi Bolduc. Her main influence is Campbell Ryga who she was mentored by in 1986 and 1987. Some of her other teachers include: Evan Parker, Jane Ira-Bloom, Chris Crossan, Stan Sulzmann, Dave Paulson, Wilf Davies and Ron Nordine.
PERFORMANCES
performances
Some of the highlights of Monik's performing career:1998 - Montreal Jazz Fest performance with Mathieu Leger and Lezimpoly2001 - Big Works album tour with VEJI2002 - premiere of Little Red at ArtSpring Theater (Salt Spring Island, BC) with the Monday Night Big Band under the direction of Ian McDougall2003 - concert with Rob McConnell and the Monday Night Big Band2009 - Regina Jazz Fest performance with PJ Perry and VEJI2010 - faculty concert at Vancouver Island University
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