Anya Marie Menk is a musician, educator, composer, lyricist and social activist from Le Center, Minnesota. Menk’s diverse skill set is displayed through classical and jazz voice, piano and flute. She recently graduated with a Master’s Degree in Contemporary Performance from the Berklee Global Jazz Institute on full scholarship under the direction of GRAMMY-winning jazz pianist Danilo Perez. She has performed with jazz luminaries such as saxophonist Joe Lovano, drummer JT Bates and Peter Eldridge of New York Voices. Menk is the 2025 winner of the Dr. Dee Daniels Vocal Jazz Scholarship through Jazz Education Network.
Prior to her studies in jazz, Menk studied classical piano under professor emerita Dr. Helen Baumgartner for over ten years; she also studied classical voice with Dr. Patricia Snapp, and classical flute with Prof. James Devoll. She began her jazz studies under Dr. David Stamps, co-founder and Vice President of ISJAC (International Society of Jazz Arrangers and Composers), and jazz pianist and composer, Dr. Masayoshi Ishikawa. She graduated from Gustavus Adolphus College in 2022, receiving a Bachelor's degree in Vocal and Instrumental Music Education with honors in Music Composition. She studied privately with voice professors Davide Cerreta and Peter Eldridge, and piano professors Chase Morrin and Zahili Gonzalez Zamora at Berklee College of Music.
Menk has been teaching privately for a decade, drawing inspiration from many thoughtful and devoted educators throughout her life. She instructs piano, voice and flute students of all ages. She currently teaches in the Electronic Music and Recording Arts department at MacPhail Center for Music in Minneapolis, as well as the North Star Jazz Workshops located at Jazz Central Studios. She also works as a pianist and band leader for St. Joan of Arc church.
Menk enjoys writing music with social justice themes as well as concepts that pique her curiosity. With the help of her dad and sound engineer, Carl Menk, she released her debut album, “Inner Voice” in 2022, which includes her original, “How Many More” dedicated to victims of gun violence, as well as a vocalese over Clifford Brown’s, “Joy Spring” to bring awareness to the impacts of climate change. At Berklee, her culminating project, “Of History and Hope” is a continuation of her work to advocate for gun reform to aid in the prevention of school shootings. She plans to release the music from this project in 2026. With social activism at the front of her mind, she plans to continue to perform and teach long into the future.