Christine DeLeon
Upon hearing singer-songwriter Christine DeLeon, you might wonder how the voices of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Judy Collins have been combined into one. Mike Agranoff, host of the Minstrel Concert Series in Morristown, NJ, says "Her brilliant voice and artful songs have made her a local hero. She delivers her own well-written songs and those of her folk contemporaries with charm and conviction." Scott Sheldon of Sing Out! Magazine describes her voice as "reminiscent of that of a young Judy Collins: Powerful, crystalline and assured." Kevin Coughlin of MorristownGreen.com adds, “Say the word ‘pure’ and two things come to mind: a beer commercial from a Rocky Mountain stream and the voice of singer Judy Collins. Time to add Christine to that list.” “Pure melody wore a smile and … had a presence that was bigger than the stage.” says Don Smith of the Fair Lawn Patch.
Christine began songwriting in her teens and, after more than twenty years exploring that creative path, she was chosen as a winner in the 2008 New Jersey Folk Festival Songwriting Competition. Sailing into the studio on her maiden CD recording voyage in 2007, “January Hiding” is 11 songs reflecting a wide range of subjects from fond childhood memories to the perplexing tragedy of September 11. During a December 2009 interview, Ron Olesko of WFDU Radio offered that Christine “has given us a great, great CD … it’s like a good book you just want to cuddle up with.” That entire radio interview, including many live performances of songs, was released as her second CD entitled “Fine Traditions."
Performances by Christine are so varied and adaptable that the advertisers for the 2010/2011 First Night Morris County were inspired to say her “wide vocal range and stylistic versatility will impress you.” Equally comfortable playing her original songs of a reflective, humorous or storytelling nature as well as familiar tunes to inspire audience participation, she can easily appeal to listeners of many different musical interests.
Christine’s extensive performance experience includes the Mountainside Library, UMC at Newfoundland, Rahway Public Library, Carmel Retreat Center (Mahwah), Hurdy Gurdy Folk Music Club (Fair Lawn), Café Zed (West Orange), First Night Morris County (Morristown), Jefferson Township Public Library, Sanctuary Concerts (Chatham), Minstrel Coffeehouse (Morristown), Acoustic Café (Park Ridge), Café Z (Rahway), Hillside Café (Nutley), Music Off Main (Hackettstown), and Red Lion Cafe (New Brunswick). She has also excelled at providing music for casual dining at Field of Creams Café (Mahwah) Brewed Awakening (Metuchen), The Fine Grind (Little Falls), Harmony Tea Room (Westwood), Greenberry's (Morristown), Amazing Grapes (Pompton Lakes), Bula Cuisine (Newton), Dolce Café (Ridgewood), and Rivara’s (Fair Lawn). Her performances at Knowlton Riverfest (Delaware), the NJ Folk Festival (New Brunswick), Festival in the Borough (Washington) and the Folk Project Festival (Bloomingdale) have delighted festival audiences of all ages.
With a guitar, her versatile voice and an unwavering connection with audiences of many musical tastes, Christine DeLeon has all the tools to get any performance job done exceptionally well.