Christine DeLeon
After a short listen to singer-songwriter Christine DeLeon, you might wonder how the voices of Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez and Judy Collins have been combined into one. As described by Mike Agranoff, presenter of the Minstrel Coffeehouse in Morristown, NJ, "Christine has made quite an impression on those who have heard her. With a strikingly clear and strong alto voice, 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 "reminescent of that of a young Judy Collins: Powerful, crystalline and assured."
Raised in Northern New Jersey, Christine's deep dedication to music began at a very young age. In fact, her earliest memories of childhood are of the captivating sounds from the radio. With an artistic drive and ability that fostered it, she discovered the joy of singing as a member of the children’s choir at her family church at the age of 8. Even after a cautious warning by a mentor for being overly zealous (not being able to refrain from dancing), Christine knew that music was in her life to stay.
Christine began songwriting at the age of 17. After more than twenty years exploring that creative path, she was chosen as a winner of the 2008 New Jersey Folk Festival Songwriting Competition. Performance possibilities are varied and versatile as she embraces many styles and offers a wide vocal range. Equally comfortable with her original songs of a reflective, humorous or storytelling nature as well as familiar sing-along tunes to inspire audience participation, Christine has all the tools to get any performance job done.
Drawing from her early involvement in church music, Christine has spent over two decades building her musical skills while gladly serving at several churches. In her current position at Holy Trinity Church in Hackensack, NJ, she has both soloed and led assembly singing since 1995. She has enjoyed involvement in many New Jersey Choral groups such as The Harmony Singers of Wayne, the Morris Conservatory Chorus and she has been a member of Suburban Sound, the Montclair Chapter of the nationwide Sweet Adelines group. Seeking to play music with friends and to share her own songs, Christine joined The Folk Project in 2005 and has relished the many collaboration and performance opportunities within that organization.
Christine sailed into the studio on her maiden recording voyage in early 2007. True to the collage of a diverse journey, "January Hiding" offers her reflections of a wide range of subjects, from fond childhood memories to the perplexing tragedy of September 11, 2001.
With solo performance experience from many open mics in the Northern NJ area as well as at venues such as The Minstrel Coffeehouse (Morristown), Café Z (Rahway), Acoustic Café (Park Ridge), Hillside Café (Nutley), Amazing Grapes (Pompton Lakes), Music Off Main (Hackettstown), the Red Lion Cafe (New Brunswick), the New Jersey Folk Festival and the Folk Project Festival, Christine is ready and eager to travel wherever the road leads next.