Monica
Rallabhandi

Monica is currently studying at the University of Western Australia (UWA), and is in her 4th year of a double degree in the Bachelor of Psychology and Bachelor of Arts in music. Her musical journey started at the age of 5, when she started learning the piano, and Indian classical voice. At age 7, she started playing the violin and is currently studying under the tutelage of Professor Paul Wright.

As part of her studies at UWA, Monica has had numerous opportunities to play with the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra (WASO) and with the WA Opera, such as in a production of Dido and Aneas in 2024. Furthermore, in 2025, Monica received the Wesley Uniting Church Scholarship, and regularly performs at the church. In 2024, as part of her studies, Monica participated in a 4 month long exchange program with the University of Toronto (UofT). There, she studied both psychology and music and studied violin with Canadian violinist, Mark Fewer. While at UofT, Monica was able to play for violinist Jeremy Bell, as well as attending a masterclass with esteemed violinist Timothy Chooi. During her travels, she also visited the Julliard School of Music in New York and had the opportunity to have a lesson with Joseph Lin and Daniel Phillips.

Over the last few years, Monica has become increasingly integrated into the Western Australian music scene. Monica has been a member of the Western Australian Youth Orchestra (WAYO) for the past 5 years, and currently holds the position of concertmaster, as well as receiving the Peter Moore Scholarship in 2025. As a member of WAYO, she performed alongside WASO in 3 side-by-side projects. In 2023, Monica participated in the Australian Youth Orchestra’s National Music Camp. She is also a regular performer with Cygnus Arioso and has participated in several summer concerts.

Aside from music, Monica has played cricket for several years. As a left-handed opening batter and wicketkeeper, she represented Western Australia at the U15 National Tournaments held in Adelaide and Canberra in 2018 and 2019 respectively. She was also selected for the Western Australian Cricket Association's (WACA) youth batting academy. She has also been a member of the South Perth and Subiaco-Floreat Female A grade and B grade teams which won both T20 and 40 over WACA competitions.

Monica is currently training to be a volunteer paramedic for St. John’s Ambulance and is volunteering with Beyond Blue.

Monica will be stepping onto the MetSO stage for our EPIC - Winter Event :