BIOGRAPHY
Mona Verhas is a Belgian violinist, born in 1997. She started playing the violin at the age of 4 in the class of Koen Rens and studied afterwards with Erik Sluys at the Music Academy of Anderlecht. In 2013 Mona was accepted to the Young Talent Class at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp and obtained there as well her Bachelor degree with Prof. Alissa Margulis. In 2018 she was accepted to the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst Frankfurt am Main with Prof. Erik Schumann, where she graduated her Master in 2020 and with whom she continues to study in the Konzertexamen/Solistenklasse program.
​
Mona took masterclasses with grandmasters such as Midori Goto, Pavel Vernikov, Svetlana Makarova, Dora Schwarzberg, Renaud Capucon, Jan Talich, Philippe Graffin, Barnabas Kelemen, Julia Fischer, Miriam Fried, Eberhard Feltz, Alexeï Moshkov, Gilles Millet, Heime Müller, Marc Danel, and others.
She got the First Prize at 'The International Soloist Competition' in Cièza, Second Prize at the 'International Knopf Competition' in Düsseldorf, First Prize and Audience Award at the 'Rotary Breughel Competition' in Brussels, First Prize at the 'Soloist Competition Youth and Music Antwerp', First Prize at the 'Belfius Classics Competition' in Brussels, a Förderpreis at the Chambermusic Competition 'Polytechnischer Wettbewerb HfMDK Frankfurt', and was a finalist at the 'International Ysaÿe Competition' in Liege and the 'Vieuxtemps Competition' in Verviers. With her string quartet Sonoro Quartet, she won Third Prize and 2 Special Prizes at the Bartok World Competition in Budapest in 2021.
​
Since a young age, she had many opportunities to play as a soloist with orchestra. She has played with orchestras such as Prima La Musica at De Munt/La Monnaie Brussels, the Brussels Philarmonic at Concertgebouw Brugge, the Symfonieorkest Vlaanderen at Concertgebouw Brugge and deSingel Antwerp, the Brussels Sinfonietta at Flagey and Brussels Conservatory Hall, the Oost Vlaams Symfonisch Orkest, the AMAJ Jong Symfonisch at deSingel and AMUZ Antwerpen, the GUSO, the Ensemble Orchestral de Bruxelles, etc.
​
Mona is active as a soloist, chambermusician and orchestra musician. She has played numerous recitals and chambermusic concerts at various festivals such as the 'West Cork Chambermusic Festival' (IE), the 'Rheingau Musik Festival' (DE), the Young Generation Concerts at BOZAR (BE), the Storioni Festival (NL), 'Rotterdam Chamber Music Society' (NL), the 'Arte Amanti Festival'(BE), the 'B-Classic Festival Vlaanderen', the Festival 'Pietrasanta In Concerto'(Italy) 'Brussels Chopin Days', and many others. In 2019, she founded her own string quartet: the Sonoro Quartet. As prizewinner of the 2021 Bartók World Competition in Budapest and heard on national and international stages, the Sonoro Quartet profiles itself as one of the most promising string quartets of the young generation. Currently, the quartet is studying at the Dutch String Quartet Academy in Amsterdam (NSKA) where they are taking lessons and master classes with renowned musicians such as members of Quatuor Danel, Quatuor Ebène and Eberhard Feltz. Coached primarily by Marc Danel and Gilles Millet, the quartet also took lessons from Heime Müller, co-founder of the Artemis Quartet. Recent and future highlights include concerts at Amuz and deSingel in Antwerp, De Bijloke in Ghent, Bozar in Brussels, Tivoli Vredenburg in Utrecht, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Stadsgehoorzaal Leiden, National Concert Hall in Dublin, Liszt Academy, Bartók Memorial House and Auer Festival in Hungary, Festival Midis-Minimes, B- Classic-Festival and West-Cork Chamber Music Festival. In 2023, tours are planned in Switzerland, Ireland and New Zealand. In the 2023-2024 season they will tour throughout Europe and will be heard in the biggest venues in Europe, having been selected as "Rising Stars" by ECHO (European Concert Hall Organization).
​
Mona has played in orchestras such as the Munt/La Monnaie, the Brussels Chamber Orchestra and regularly tours with orchestra 'Le Concert Olympique' in venues such as the Philharmonie Berlin, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Konzerthaus Vienna and the Elbphilarmonie Hamburg.
​
Mona is currently Co-Leader of the 2nd violin section at the Antwerp Symphony Orchestra (BE).
Mona plays a violin by François Pique, 1805, Paris.