New Sounds Live

MEREDITH MONK 40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERTS
Live performance by Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble, and west coast guest artists. *These concerts will be taped for future broadcast on WNYC.

World Financial Center Winter Garden
Wednesday, November 9th at 7PM
Wednesday, November 16th at 7PM
220 Vesey Street
Battery Park City ››› Directions
Admission FREE
» New Sounds Live 2005-2006 Concert Season

For 40 years, composer, musician, vocalist, choreographer, filmmaker, dancer, and director Meredith Monk, has deftly crisscrossed the fault lines between disciplines, leaping out of any kind of box, and establishing a category for the non-categorical. Her multi-disciplinary work continues, with two consecutive Wednesday evening performances at the World Financial Center.

The first Wednesday night, November 9, 2005, is something of a west coast salute, as two groups converge to pay homage to Ms. Monk’s singular artistry. AXIS Dance Company, comprised of dancers with and without physical disabilities, and the innovative choir, Pacific Mozart Ensemble will perform select favorites and interpretations from Monk’s repertoire. Plus, a special performance of "Facing North" by singer Theo Bleckmann, together with Meredith Monk rounds out the show.

The second Wednesday night, November 16, 2005, features performances by Meredith Monk and Vocal Ensemble of excerpts from Book of Days and other selections. Hailed as “one of America’s Coolest Composers,” Monk uses her voice, an instrument of amazing flexibility, to create vibrant aural soundscapes -wordless, unclassifiable works incorporating elements of music, dance, theatre, and ritual. According to composer David Lang, “Meredith is infectious. Her whole being is dedicated to opening itself up to new possibilities and new musical adventures, and just being around her makes you open up along with her.” *These concerts will be taped for future broadcast on WNYC. The first will air on New Sounds, at 11PM on Wednesday, December 7, 2005, and the second concert will be broadcast at 11PM on Tuesday, December 20, 2005.

Meredith Monk 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 we have no words. Monk’s wordless compositions combine the technical virtuosity of classical music, the poignancy of folk music, the freedom and flexibility of jazz and the rhythmic excitement of rock and roll. She has alternately been proclaimed as a "magician of the voice" and "one of America’s coolest composers." During a career that spans 40 years this season, she has been acclaimed by audiences and critics as a major creative force in the performing arts.

Additional Resources:
» Meredith Monk’s website
» AXIS Dance Company
» Pacific Mozart Ensemble
» Theo Bleckmann's website
» New Sounds Live 2005-2006 Concert Season
» World Financial Center