Monk, Meredith

Meredith Monk (born New York, NY, November 20, 1942) is a composer, singer, director/choreographer and creator of new opera, music theater works, films, and installations.

She pioneered what is now called "extended vocal technique" and "interdisciplinary performance." During a career that spans more than forty years she has been acclaimed by audiences and critics as a major creative force in the performing arts. In 1968, Monk founded the House Foundation for the Arts, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance. In 1978, she formed Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble to expand her musical textures and forms. Monk is a pioneer in site-specific performance, creating works such as Juice: A Theater Cantata In 3 Installments (1969) and American Archeology #1: Roosevelt Island (1994). She is also an accomplished filmmaker who has made a series of award-winning films including Ellis Island (1981) and her first feature, Book Of Days (1988). A retrospective art exhibition, Meredith Monk: Archeology of an Artist, was held at The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center in 1996. A monograph, Meredith Monk, edited by Deborah Jowitt was published by Johns Hopkins Press in 1997. Monk continues to compose music and create new works for the theater.

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