News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

MEREDITH MONK


BIO:
Meredith Monk (b. November 20, 1942 in New York, NY) is a composer, singer, director/choreographer and creator of new opera, music-theater works, films and installations. A pioneer in what is now called “extended vocal technique” and “interdisciplinary performance,” Monk creates works that thrive at the intersection of music and movement, image and object, light and sound in an effort to discover and weave together new modes of perception. Her groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument, as an eloquent language in and of itself, expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which there are no words. Over the last five decades, she has been hailed as “a magician of the voice” and “one of America’s coolest composers”. Celebrated internationally, Monk’s work has been presented by BAM, Lincoln Center Festival, Houston Grand Opera, London’s Barbican Centre, and at major venues in countries from Brazil to Syria. Among her many accolades, she was recently named 2012 Composer of the Year by Musical America and one of NPR’s 50 Great Voices, and received a 2011 Yoko Ono Lennon Courage Award for the Arts. In 1968 Ms. Monk founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance. In 1978 she founded Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble to expand her musical textures and forms. As a pioneer in site-specific performance, she has created such works as Juice: A Theatre Cantata In 3 Installments (1969) and Ascension Variations (2009) for the Guggenheim Museum, and American Archeology #1: Roosevelt Island (1994). Monk’s award-winning films, including Ellis Island (1981) and her first feature, Book of Days (1988), have been seen throughout the world. Her music can also be heard in films by such directors as Jean-Luc Godard and the Coen Brothers. In addition to her numerous vocal pieces, music-theater works and operas, Monk has created vital new repertoire for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments, with commissions from Kronos Quartet, Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and Los Angeles Master Chorale, among others. Since graduating Sarah Lawrence College in 1964, Monk has received numerous honors including the prestigious MacArthur “Genius” Award, two Guggenheim Fellowships, three “Obies” (including an award for Sustained Achievement), two Villager Awards, and two “Bessie” awards for Sustained Creative Achievement. She holds honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from Bard College, the University of the Arts, The Juilliard School, the San Francisco Art Institute and the Boston Conservatory. Monk has made more than a dozen recordings, most of which are on the ECM New Series label, including the 2008 Grammy-nominated impermanence and Songs of Ascension, recently named #1 new music release of 2011 by WNYC/New Sounds host, John Schaefer. Monk’s 40th year of performing and creating new music was celebrated in 2005 by a four-hour marathon at Carnegie’s Zankel Hall. This spring she will be honored with a remix and interpretations CD, MONK MIX, featuring 25 artists from the jazz, pop, dj and new music worlds. In March 2012, she premiered Realm Variations for six voices and small ensemble, commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony. Monk is currently developing a new music-theater work, On Behalf of Nature, to premiere in January 2013.

Latest Articles


The Stonewall Chorale to Present NY Premiere Of Gender Identity-Themed Work Photo The Stonewall Chorale to Present NY Premiere Of Gender Identity-Themed Work
by Chloe Rabinowitz - March 14, 2024

Join The Stonewall Chorale, America's first LGBTQ choir, for the NY premiere of Andrea Clearfield's cantata, HERE I AM: I AM HERE. Learn more about the piece and see how to purchase tickets. ...

Ruth Goller Releases Otherworldly Debut LP 'SKYLLUMINA' Photo Ruth Goller Releases Otherworldly Debut LP 'SKYLLUMINA'
by Michael Major - March 01, 2024

Explore the otherworldly debut LP 'SKYLLUMINA' by Ruth Goller. This music, featuring de-tuned bass and overdubbed vocals, is otherworldly and defiantly unclassifiable — far-out sibilant ice age siren songs that haunt like something conjured in a fever dream starring Björk, Meredith Monk, and Mike Wa...

Ruth Goller Announces Debut LP 'SKYLLUMINA' Photo Ruth Goller Announces Debut LP 'SKYLLUMINA'
by Michael Major - January 17, 2024

Ruth Goller — who has performed with the likes of Alabaster DePlume, Shabaka Hutchings, Bex Burch, and Damon Albarn — announces SKYLLUMINA, her debut album. This music, featuring de-tuned bass and overdubbed vocals — far-out sibilant ice age siren songs that haunt like something conjured in a dream ...

Le Boeuf Brothers to Release 'HUSH' in April Photo Le Boeuf Brothers to Release 'HUSH' in April
by Michael Major - March 02, 2023

Receiving key assistance from engineer Andy Taub, the Le Boeuf Brothers turned that thought into a reality.  And working with first-class musicians and longtime friends—tenor saxophonist Dayna Stephens, bassist Linda May Han Oh and drummer Christian Euman—they produced a brilliant work of calm purpo...












Videos


Recommended For You