ABOUT
The Monarques are a Christian folk music group dedicated to worshipping God through a unique sound inspired by folk gospel and early rock n' roll.
Laura and Steve Monarque met onstage, performing in the rock musical Destinations at Le Poisson Rouge in New York City, where they found a shared passion for music and storytelling. Between them they have many years’ experience in music, theater, television and film. Laura has performed across the country in professional regional theaters, including the original tour of Broadway musical A Night with Janis Joplin at Arena Stage and Cleveland Play House, and alongside indie folk band Blitzen Trapper in their original musical at Portland Center Stage. Over the years, Steve has acted in many well-known films including Sixteen Candles and No Small Affair, and numerous TV appearances including a special MTV video for the popular song "25 or 6 to 4", by rock band Chicago. In recent years Steve and Laura have focused on creating and producing high-end, family-friendly content for both live performance and film through their company MonaVision Films. Recent projects include the award-winning made-for-TV film “Simpler Times”, written and directed by Steve, in which they performed alongside Jerry Stiller and the late Anne Meara. Laura co-wrote the theme song with Jerry, and the film is distributed and programmed by ShortsTV. Steve’s play “That’s Life”, a story of spiritual redemption in which a suicidal rock n’ roller meets his guardian angel through a Karaoke machine, is currently in development in New York City. The 13-song score is written by Steve and performed by The Monarques.
In 2019 Steve and Laura heard Melanie Kalin sing in church and her lyrical pure tone was a natural fit for their music. Melanie was born and raised on Long Island, NY. She grew up singing in her church choir, and she loves using her voice to worship God. Melanie currently leads worship at Living Faith Christian Church in Farmingdale, NY. She also serves in the church youth group ministering to middle school and high school students. You can often find her at a local coffee shop reading a book or having a deep conversation with a friend. Oh, and let’s not forget about her adorable dog, Denham. He has brought so much joy to her life! To sum it all up, Melanie loves God, people, dogs, music and coffee.
