On April 3rd, the Arts at UMBC present MeredithMonk. A composer, singer, choreographer and creator of new opera,musical theatre works, films and installations, Monk is a pioneer in whatis now called "extended vocal technique" and"interdisciplinary performance." She creates works that thriveat the intersection of music and movement, image and object, light andsound, in an effort to discover and weave together new modes ofperception. Her ground-breaking exploration of the voice as an instrument,as an eloquent language in and of itself, expands the boundaries ofmusical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings,energies, and memories for which we have no words. During a career thatspans more than 35 years she has been acclaimed by audiences and criticsas a major creative force in the performing arts.
Since graduating from SarahLawrence College in 1964, Monk has received numerous awards throughouther career, including the prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Award in1995, two Guggenheim Fellowships, aBrandeis Creative Arts Award, three Obies (including an award forSustained Achievement), two Villager Awards, a Bessie for SustainedCreative Achievement, the 1986 National Music Theatre Award, sixteen ASCAP Awards for Musical Composition andthe 1992 Dance Magazine Award.She holds honorary Doctor of Arts degrees from Bard College, the University of the Arts,the Juilliard School, The San Francisco Art Institute andthe Boston Conservatory.Her recordings DolmenMusic (ECM New Series) and Our Lady of Late: The VanguardTapes (Wergo) were honored with the Germans Critics Prize for BestRecords of 1981 and 1986. Her music has been heard in numerous films,including La Nouvelle Vague by Jean-Luc Godard and The BigLebowski by Joel and Ethan Coen. A new publishing relationship with Boosey & Hawkes will make MeredithMonk's music available to a wider public for the first time.
In 1968 Ms. Monk founded The House, a company dedicated to aninterdisciplinary approach to performance. In 1978 she formed MeredithMonk and Vocal Ensemble to expand her musical textures and forms. She hasmade more than a dozen recordings, mostof which are on the ECM New Series label. Her music has been performed bynumerous soloists and groups including The Chorus of the San Francisco Symphony, Musica Sacra, The Pacific Mozart Ensemble, Double Edge,and Bang On A CanAll-Stars, among others.
Monk is a pioneer in site-specific performance, creating works such asJuice: A Theater Cantata In 3 Installments (1969) and most recentlyAmerican Archeology #1: Roosevelt Island (1994). She is also anaccomplished filmmaker who has made a series of award-winning filmsincluding Ellis Island (1981) and her first feature, Book OfDays (1988), which was aired on PBS,shown at the New YorkFilm Festival, and selected for the Whitney Museum's Biennial. Aretrospective art exhibition, Meredith Monk: Archeology of anArtist, opened at the New York Public Libraryfor the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in 1996. Other recent artexhibits are comprised of a major installation, Art Performs Lifeat the Walker Art Center, a show,Shrines, at the Frederieke Taylor/TZ'Art Gallery and inclusion inthe Whitney Museum's Century of American Art. A monograph, MeredithMonk, edited by Deborah Jowitt, was released by Johns Hopkins Press in 1997.
In October 1999 Monk performed A Vocal Offering for His Holiness, theDalai Lama as part of the World Festival ofSacred Music in Los Angeles. In July 2000 her music was honored by athree concert retrospective entitled Voice Travel as part of the LincolnCenter Festival. Earlier this year Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemblecompleted a tour of Magic Frequencies, a science-fiction chamberopera in Eastern Europe. Her latest music theater work, mercy, acollaboration with visual artist AnnHamilton, premiered at the American Dance Festivalin July 2001. Future projects include a series of pieces with electroniccomposer DavidBehrman and Monk's first orchestral piece commissioned by Michael Tilson Thomasfor the New World Symphony.
Admission
$15 general admission, $7 students/seniors, free with UMBC ID.
Tickets are available at the door. Sorry, no credit cards.
Images for Media
High resolution images for media are available online:http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/arts/hi-res/or by email or postal mail.
Telephone and web
General Music information: (410) 455-2942
UMBC Artsline (24 hour recorded message): (410) 455-ARTS
Media inquiries only: (410) 455-3370
UMBC Arts Calendar: http://www.umbc.edu/arts
UMBC News Releases: http://www.umbc.edu/newsevents/oci/index.phtml?r=Art
Department of Music: http://www.umbc.edu/music
Directions
--From Baltimore and points north, proceed south on I-95 to exit 47B. TakeRoute 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine ArtsBuilding.
--From I-695, take Exit 12C (Wilkens Avenue) and continue one-half mile tothe entrance of UMBC at the roundabout intersection of Wilkens Avenue andHilltop Road. Turn left and follow signs to the Fine Arts Building.
--From Washington and points south, proceed north on I-95 to Exit 47B.Take Route 166 toward Catonsville and then follow signs to the Fine ArtsBuilding.
Daytime metered visitor parking is available in Lot 10, near theAdministration Building. Visitor parking regulations are enforced on allUniversity calendar days. Hilltop Circle and all campus roadways require aparking permit unless otherwise marked.
Online campus map: http://www.umbc.edu/aboutumbc/campusmap/
