A native of Bulgaria, Moni Simeonov began playing the violin at age five and came to the United States on a full scholarship to the Idyllwild Arts Academy at fifteen. He has performed extensively with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Opera, Ensemble San Francisco, and previously served as Concertmaster of the Sacramento Philharmonic.
He has also appeared as guest concertmaster with the Reno, Louisiana, and Pacific Symphonies. His doctoral studies at USC’s Thornton School of Music included minor fields in viola performance, Schenkerian analysis, and Japanese language, with a research emphasis on the interpretation of Balkan folk music.
As a dedicated educator, Moni’s chamber music students have won gold medals at the St. Paul and Coltman Competitions, as well as multiple prizes at the Fischoff Competition, and have performed at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His private students have earned admission to the Juilliard School, Colburn Conservatory, Yale University, New England Conservatory, the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore, among many others.
On tour and in Los Angeles, Moni devotes significant time to community engagement and educational initiatives. He performed and coached alongside Midori for the Orchestra Residencies Program’s American and international tours, serving as its director until 2014. His outreach has reached diverse communities—from homeless shelters in Peru and at-risk communities in Tennessee to Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon and hospitals for the terminally ill in Sri Lanka.
Moni’s summer teaching includes the Interlochen Arts Camp, Singapore Violin Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, the Hawaii Chamber Music Festival, and the Texas Music Festival. He is also the founder of Bulgaria’s first chamber music academy, Quartet Intensive, held annually in Sofia.
His performances and masterclasses have taken him throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with recordings archived by PBS, NPR, KUSC, Bulgarian National Radio and TV, and NHK Japan.
Moni received his Bachelor’s and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music under Zvi Zeitlin, his Master’s and Artist Diploma from Yale University under Ani Kavafian, and his Graduate Certificate and Doctorate from USC under Midori.
He currently serves as Director of String Studies at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at California State University, Long Beach. He is also the creator of zenviolin.com.