Monica Slater
Monica Rose Slater (she/they) is a Brazilian-American, interdisciplinary artist and educator based in San Francisco. Equally at home and in a classroom, play, musical, or opera, she believes that artistic expression is a shortcut to empathy—something our world can always use more of as we strive for more equitable communities. Monica has worked extensively in education as a one-on-one voice teacher, group voice teacher, theater educator, and as a writing tutor in collegiate writing centers. No matter the discipline, she wants students to find their voice. She lives by the Martha Graham quote about individual expression: “It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.”
In 2021, Monica graduated from James Madison University (JMU) with a degree in music, where she had the privilege of singing the roles of Josephine in HMS Pinafore and Pamina in Mozart’s Magic Flute, as well as producing and starring in a performance of Domitila, a Brazilian chamber opera. Also during her time at JMU, Monica received a scholarship from the Honor’s College to study abroad at the American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria, and in 2021, Monica was a Fulbright Semi-Finalist for the Franz Liszt Academy of Music Award in Budapest, Hungary. Most recently, Monica graduated from San Francisco Conservatory (SFCM) with a Master’s of Music, where she studied with Jane Randolph. While at SFCM, Monica sang the roles of Servilia in La Clemenza di Tito, Marmee in Little Women, several roles in Ravel’s L’enfant et les Sortilèges, and originated the role of Bella Chagall in the world premiere of The Color of Love by Jon Anderson.
Monica has had a blast performing all around the Bay Area since her cross-country move in 2021! She has worked with 42nd Street Moon, Pocket Opera, Lamplighters, Foothills Music Theatre, Throckmorton Theatre, Cinnabar, and soon, Berkeley Playhouse. In her free time, Monica explores way too many hobbies! Among them are cooking, baking, skating, biking, strolling, yoga-ing, reading, painting, cooking some more, and trying to become fluent in German. OH, and doing one woman versions of Les Mis in her room — lots of that.
