Monica Hatch sings the song
After a five-year stint as the voice of “Jazz Matinee,” heard over WICN Radio, Monica Hatch left the show to concentrate on her music. Since leaving the program in November, the vocalist has enjoyed a flurry of activity.
A consummate performing artist in both classical and jazz music, Hatch is also teaching these days at Apple Tree Arts, a music and theatre arts programs for individuals of all ages in Grafton.
“I’ve been teaching for about two years,” she says. “I started out with just one or two students the first year. Now I’m up to about 14 students. I’m teaching vocal technique for children and adults. I have some advanced students and people of all different levels as well.” 
Hatch performs in benefit for the program this Saturday at The Grafton Inn with guitarist Mitch Seidman and bassist Bob Simonelli. The show is called A Summer Evening of Jazz.
“Because it is the first day of summer, a lot of the tunes will have a summer feel,” she says, before listing pieces like “Summer Samba,” “Summer Nights,” “Heat Wave,” “Too Darn Hot” and “Slow, Hot Wind.”
As a jazz singer, Hatch is recognized as the winner of Down Beat Magazine’s Jazz Vocal Soloist Award. Her exceptional album Lady of Hearts features the work of the late, great Worcester pianist Tony Zano.
Seidman and Simonelli are well-known musicians who have performed with many notable bands and local ensembles. Seidman recently presented workshops at Union Music and Simonelli played a recital with Dick Odgren at Steinert’s Music. Seidman has numerous albums to his credit. Simonelli has recorded with Emil Haddad, among others.
Hatch says the setting for the Apple Tree Arts benefit will be upstairs in the banquet room at the Inn. “We are going to set it up like a jazz club. It’s going to be an actual concert-type performance with cabaret seating.” 
Speaking of her other musical project, Hatch says, “I’ve been doing a lot of classical music lately. I just performed with the St. Paul’s Festival Choir. We did Mozart’s Misa Brevis and the Vivaldi Magnificat. I’ll be working with Trinity Lutheran Church. We are doing a Bach Cantata in a few weeks and, of course, I’ve been doing a lot more jazz gigs as well.” o
