Biography
Monte Belknap has enjoyed teaching at Brigham Young University–School of Music for seventeen years and previously taught at Brigham Young University–Idaho and Western Illinois University. At a young age Monte won several prizes across the country including the Starling International Violin Competition at the Aspen Music Festival in 1989. He then studied with Kurt Sassmannshaus and the world-renowned pedagogue Dorothy DeLay at the University of Cincinnati, College–Conservatory of Music, and was also a faculty member of the prestigious Starling Preparatory String Project and as an assistant of Mr. Sassmannshaus.
Of Belknap’s performance of the Barber Violin Concerto in 2013 with the BYU Philharmonic, the critic Ed Reichel stated:
“Belknap captured the eloquence of the music with his luxurious playing that embraced the lyricism fully…. Belknap’s fingers certainly flew up and down the fingerboard. And his dexterity was paired with a lightness that brought a shimmering quality to the music. It was a tour de force performance.”
He has performed as a guest artist at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Italy, The George Enescu International Violin Competition in Romanica, The Barge Music Series in NYC, and served as concertmaster of the Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras. Professor Belknap also performed and recorded the complete Beethoven Piano and Violin Sonatas soon to be released on the Tantara Label. Mr. Belknap also serves as the concertmaster and soloist with the LA East recording studio and has been the featured violin soloist on many sound tracks including “The Work and the Glory” movies, the “The Iceland Saints”, the online video games “Lord of the Rings” and “Dungeons and Dragons”. In recent years he has performed chamber music with international artists, Jeffrey Solow, Scott Ballentyne, Steve Balderston, Mark Kosower, John Novacek, Denise Djokic, Menahim Pressler, Miriam Fried and many others.
Every Summer Professor Belknap teaches at BYU's Summerfest and at the International Music Festival of the Adriatic in Duino, Italy. He also is a featured artist every year with the Park City International Music Festival in Utah. This past year he performed several concerts as soloist with the American Fork Symphony Orchestra, the BYU Symphony Orchestra, the BYU Philharmonic and the Orchestra at the Cathedral of the Madeline. In the Fall 2012 the Deseret Piano Trio premiered the Barlow Endowment commissioned piece, “Lonesome Roads”, a piano trio by Dan Visconti, composition faculty from the Eastman School of Music.
In 2010 Professor Belknap was awarded the “Studio Teacher of the Year” by the Utah State Chapter, of the American String Teachers Association (ASTA). He has presented six times at the national convention of ASTA. In 2013-2015 his students have performed three times in Carnegie Hall winning several competitions in New York City. This year alone his students are soloing with the BYU–Symphony, the BYU–Philharmonic, the American Fork Symphony, the Oquire Mountain Symphony, the Timpanogos Symphony among others. His students consistently win local and national awards.
Education:
- Former Concertmaster of Illinois Symphony and Chamber Orchestras
- MM, Violin Performance, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, 1994
- Further studies in Viola and Orchestral Conducting, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music
- BM, Violin Performance, University of Cincinnati, College-Conservatory of Music, 1991