Author: moniquedonnelly

Vocal Contracting on The Sound and the Fury

| moniquedonnelly

james_francoSuch a thrill to be vocal contracting on the upcoming film The Sound and the Fury, directed by and staring James Franco.

I love being able to higher my singer friends and I couldn’t have been more proud of the way they sang with all their heart and soul. This on-camera choir included some of LA’s top session singers. Grammy award winner Alvin Chea (from Take Six), as well as Carmen Twillie, singer of the iconic Disney tune “The Circle of Life”. As well as being trusted to pick the right singers, they even allowed me to help pick out and help arrange the tunes they’d perform.

adaptation of William Faulkner’s 1929 novel

The Voice Season Finale with Celine Dion

| moniquedonnelly

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For the season finale of the voice I had the distinct privilege of backing Celine Dion and The Voice finalist Tessanne. Needless to say, it was especially unique and exciting to be singing with a living legend in an intense and energetic performance. Celine instructed us to give it our all and really pushed the choir to give the performance that extra oomph. We had a blast!
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Rio 2 Sessions

| moniquedonnelly

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In our most recent Rio 2 session we were invited to record in John Powell’s private studio. We laid down vocals for both songs as well as soundtrack. As always John Powell has created amazing textures and emotions. Can’t wait to see this film!!

The Voice Season 5

| moniquedonnelly

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I was pleased to have the opportunity to perform on another season of The Voice. As a part of the ensemble for top 10 finalist Jaquie Lee. I love hanging with my fellow singers all day and it was really nice of Christina to give a shout out to the background singers too! Check out the entire performance here.

Rio 2 with Sergio Mendes

| moniquedonnelly

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Rio 2 is in production and I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to be able to be a part! What a treat to meet and work with Sergio Mendes and all his crazy Latin rhythm! Such a talented, humble man who’s toothy smile is infectious. He’s helping write some of the tunes and the collaboration between he and John Powell is just magic.

Catch my daughter in the Rio 2 trailer as Cliara the Capybara. I had a great time being her vocal coach for this session.

Disney Concert Hall with Phoenix and Bergersen

| moniquedonnelly
That’s me on the top left.
That’s me on the top left.

Today I joined composers Nick Phoenix and Thomas Bergersen as a part of their choir at Disney Concert Hall for their first live concert. Their music is most recognizable from blockbuster movie trailers and their company “Two Steps From Hell” has such a loyal following that just a few measures into a song and the crowd would go wild. It was great to see the audience really fired up. The music was really intense, I got to belt out the first soprano high notes in my “out door voice”… ha! That gives me a thrill like none other. Since singing the music, I now recognize it in trailers or commercials. What a great gig. Not only do I get paid to do what I love, I get to hang out with 59 of my fellow studio singer friends while I do it.

Capitol Records Session with David Foster

| moniquedonnelly

Capitol records with David Foster
It was an amazing session at Capitol Records yesterday with David Foster. Initially I didn’t know what the session would be for, so I was extremely happy and excited when I found out that it was for Mary J. Blige and Stevie Wonder, for each of their newest projects!!
Pictured top right, David Foster holds out his cell phone so Stevie Wonder can sing us our parts. Stevie is redoing all his greatest hits and I cannot wait to hear his final product…. Fast songs are slow, slow songs are fast, meters to songs are changed, polyrhythms are going on, the strings are amazing, the arrangements are incredible! Mary J. Blige is doing a Christmas album and the parts the choir sang just gave me chills when listening back..

This incredible session was definitely one of the highlights of my career. I am so humbled full of gratitude for this incredible experience!
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Emmy Rossum CD Release

| moniquedonnelly

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Yesterday’s second session gave me just enough time to finish at Capitol, then head down the block to sing back up for actress Emmy Rossum (You’ve seen her in the theatrical release of Phantom) at her CD release party. We sang on two numbers that evening, but my favorite one was the Andrew Sisters tune “Apple blossom Time”. I just can’t get enough of those tight harmonies. She really is an amazing vocalist and so easy to blend with. Really hope this takes off for her… she’s amazing.