About Stella
Stella Monshaw is a pianist, music director, piano teacher, and music arranger. Stella is an exceptionally well-rounded musician with experience performing in many genres including: musical theater, classical, rock, jazz, blues, pop, country, etc. Combining her life-long passion for music and love of theater, Stella has been the pianist for about 50 theater productions, including award-winning productions of Les Misérables, Sweeney Todd, Parade, and Phantom of the Opera. Her roles in these productions include music director, pit pianist and keyboardist, conductor from the keyboard, keyboard programmer, rehearsal pianist, and audition pianist.
Current projects in the DC area include: Associate Music Director for Constellation Theatre Company’s production of Desperate Measures, Music Director for Dominion Stage’s production of Rent, Keyboard 2 for Catholic University’s production of Pippin, and Teaching Artist/Music Director with Next Stop Theatre Company’s Stars on Stage Program for Lion King Jr.
Stella also works as a freelance collaborative pianist. Her varied work has included collaborating with vocalists, instrumentalists, and ensembles in recitals, coachings, and lessons. She has also played for numerous choirs in concerts and rehearsals, and was the pianist for the LSU Symphonic Winds and the Chapman University Jazz Big Band. Stella has held multiple church pianist positions where she’s played for choirs, led rehearsals, and played the piano and organ during services.
Originally from Southern California, Stella recently moved to Washington, DC. Prior to moving to DC, she received a Master of Music degree in Collaborative Piano at Louisiana State University where she studied under the direction of Dr. Ana María Otamendi and Dr. Michael Gurt. Stella also received a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance from Chapman University’s Hall-Musco Conservatory of Music where she studied under the direction of Dr. Grace Fong. Selected awards include the Turner-Fischer Collaborative Piano Scholarship at LSU and the Hall-Musco Conservatory Piano Performance Award.
Stella has run her own successful private piano teaching business for 16 years, and she was formerly the Piano Instructor for the Orchestra Department at Huntington Beach High School Academy for the Performing Arts. She also transcribes, arranges, and orchestrates music.
