December Duo Holiday Concert: Irie Monte and Crispin Campbell

IRIE MONTE is a classically trained violinist and educator living in Key West. Growing up in New York, she studied violin with Setsuko Nagata, of the New York Philharmonic. In 2012, Irie received a bachelors in Music Education from New York University. While at NYU, Irie performed in many ensembles and Irie performed regularly with the highly acclaimed New York Repertory Orchestra.

In 2015, Irie made her way to Key West and fell in love with the island. She has been working to build a community of local string players and is devoted to her students of all ages. Irie performs regularly around town at private and public events in various ensembles including the Southernmost String Quartet and The Key West Duo. She has played at venues such as Tennessee Williams Theater, The Studios of Key West and Waterfront Playhouse.

Cellist CRISPIN CAMPBELL is known as “a musician who defies categories”. Blending a deep love of the classical tradition with a natural spirit of collaboration, he is excited to team up with Irie Monte for this performance at the Studios of Key West. From his Michigan home Crispin has a varied life performing a wide variety of music, from orchestral concerts and chamber music to jazz, bluegrass and Latin music. He taught for many years at Interlochen Arts Academy, where he mentored young cellists from all over the world to begin their own careers.

Currently Crispin teaches at the Interlochen Cello Institute in June, the Clazz Music Festival in Tuscany in July, and the Semana de las Cuerdas in Medellin, Colombia in October. He was Visiting Professor of Cello at the University of Miami in 2022. While not performing and teaching, he enjoys traveling, cooking, reading history and spending time with his wife and family.