$15 admission / $10 students / 9:30 doors / 10pm start / seated & standing

Jazz & stride pianist Monique Zhang invites you to a night of vintage jazz and original swing compositions inspired by the Jazz & Swing Era. Featuring Monique & her jazz duo - The Moniko Stride Duo (By Monique & Niko) and other guest musicians.

About Monique Zhang
A classically trained, multi-style pianist and vintage jazz composer specializing in stride piano and jazz & swing era performance.

Monique was introduced early to classic jazz through vintage animation, Golden Age Hollywood films, and dances as a kid. She discovered jazz more deeply and soon found her passion in stride piano during teen years. Entirely learnt by ears in stride style, she began composing original vintage-inspired music during her undergraduate studies at Berklee College of Music, developing a sound that blends authenticity, playfulness with some jazz ideas and making the sound personal as “the Monique way”.

Monique has a vintage spirit as a person born in the 2000s as a "modernist" person. Being idiosyncratic from any other people and musicians makes her and the music standing out.

Besides piano. Monique is a trumpeter, vintage stylist, artist, and dancer. Creative identities that continue to influence her music and stage presence.

Monique is also a current swing-era pianist with Beantown Swing Orchestra and leads The Moniko Stride Duo - A brand new, unusual jazz duo with a rare instrumentation known for its story-driven performance with passion and creativity.

About Niko Zontini
Affectionately known as "Monique's stride partner". One of the very few tuba players at Berklee College of Music, a multi-style low brass musician, composer. Niko has been diving into vintage jazz from Monique and stride-inspired phrasing, developing a personal "stride tuba" style. Niko is an electric bassist as well.
Niko becomes a meaningful inspiration for Monique and her latest jazz works which also becomes the creative bond and direction for The Moniko Stride Duo.

About The Moniko Stride/Swing Duo:
Founded on 11/2025. We specialize in: Jazz & swing era classics, trad/dixieland, blues, Monique's vintage jazz compositions & many more!

Why “Moniko”?
We've got almost the same full name — Monique/Zhang and Niko/Zontini — and we share a deep love for vintage jazz, time-travel aesthetics, early jazz style & entertainment.
Put those together and you get Moniko!

How The Moniko met:
Monique & Niko met in spring 2025 performing “The Famous Charleston Melody” together as part of a guest band. Niko quickly recognized Monique as a stride pianist, and Monique remembered Niko's powerful and personality-filled tuba playing.
A few months later, we reunited musically. Monique had Niko join her original vintage-jazz showcase at the Unplayed/Unheard Jazz & Contemporary Music Concert at Longy School of Music as our 1st duo show-up.
The stride piano & tuba duo of Monique & Niko was an immediate public favorite.

“Stride piano with tuba by young-generation musicians. Absolutely unique and beautifully synchronized!”