Sunderman Conservatory of Music

Dr. Kris Monson is a professional double bassist, educator, and scholar based in New York City and active across the Mid-Atlantic region. He has had the honor of working with many of the top musicians in the international jazz, contemporary, and new music scenes – including Marc Cary, Roy Hargrove, Veronica Swift, Renée Fleming, Vince Mendoza, Lalah Hathaway and Robert Glasper – on stages such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Opera America, Lincoln Center, and jazz festivals across the US, Europe, and South America.

A passionate educator, Monson is the Adjunct Assistant Professor of Double Bass at Gettysburg College, where he teaches applied lessons in double bass and jazz improvisation, double bass literature and pedagogy, and coaches chamber music and jazz combos. During the summer, he teaches music history, theory, and improvisation at the Manhattan School of Music summer program and music fundamentals at George Mason University. An in-demand clinician, Monson has given master classes at schools across the country, including the University of Texas at San Antonio, the University of Central Arkansas, the University of Virginia, Sewanee: The University of the South, Furman University, and the University of Mary Washington.

As a researcher, Monson has presented at conferences for the College Music Society (2025 Medellín, Colombia; 2024 Washington, D.C.; 2023 Tallinn, Estonia), the Jazz Education Network (2026 and 2024 New Orleans, LA; 2022 Dallas, TX), and the International Society of Bassists (2023 Ann Arbor, MI). Upcoming and recent presentations include the 2027 College Music Society international conference in Reykjavik, Iceland, the 2026 Jazz Education Network Conference, a Spring 2026 Faculty Forum presentation at Gettysburg College, and the 2025 Symposium on Historic American Music at Susquehanna University.

As a performer and composer, current and recent projects include his 2024 album, Option to Extend; his four-movement work, Suite for Charlottesville: Regarding the August 2017 ‘Unite the Right’ Rally; performances with Dr. Jorge Variego's Imaginary Folklore, a clarinet-bandoneón-double bass trio that celebrates Argentine folklore and new music; and extensive performances with vocalist Veronica Swift, saxophonist Charles Owens, pianists Matt Baker and Mark G. Meadows, and many others. Upcoming and recent performances include Tanglewood, Miller Symphony Hall, NYC’s Winter Jazz Fest, Dizzy's at Lincoln Center, Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland, the Rochester International Jazz Festival, Chris' Jazz Cafe, Keystone Korner, and international artist residencies in Switzerland and Luxembourg.

Monson is a graduate of the New England Conservatory (DMA), the Manhattan School of Music (MM), and the University of Virginia (BS in Systems Engineering and Music), where he was mentored by trumpeter John D'earth. His teachers include jazz greats, Buster Williams and Dave Holland, and classical bassists Don Palma (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra), Orin O'Brien (New York Philharmonic), and David Grossman (New York Philharmonic).