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. Mike Agranoff, host of the Minstrel Concert Series in Morristown, NJ, said "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 "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.”
Raised in Northern New Jersey, she discovered the joys of singing as a member of the children’s choir at her family church at the age of 8 and followed that interest into her school and volunteer chorus groups. Despite the cautious warnings of a mentor for excessive enthusiasm, Christine started off on her journey as a performer. She began her own songwriting at the age of 17 and, after more than twenty years exploring that creative path, she was chosen as a winner of the 2008 New Jersey Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.
Sailing into the studio on her maiden CD recording voyage in early 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 proclaimed 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 called “Fine Traditions."
Performances by Christine are varied and adaptable as she embraces many styles and sports a wide vocal range. Equally comfortable playing her original songs of a reflective, humorous or storytelling nature as well as familiar sing-along tunes to inspire audience participation, she can easily appeal to listeners of many different musical interests. Her extensive solo experience includes the Morris Plains Farmer’s Market, the Jefferson Township Public Library, Sanctuary Concerts (Chatham), The Minstrel (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 casual music for dining at restaurants such as Brewed Awakening (Metuchen), The Fine Grind (Little Falls), Harmony Tea Room (Westwood), Greenberry's Coffee & Tea Company (Morristown), Amazing Grapes (Pompton Lakes), Bula World Cuisine (Newton), Dolce Café (Ridgewood), and Rivara’s Restaurant (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.
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