For over five decades Meredith Monk pushed the envelope of vocal music. Her highly unique approach to the voice has inspired many generations of musicians and sound artists and earned her numerous prestigious awards.
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In autumn 2023, the Oude Kerk presents contemporary music legend Meredith Monk (1942). The presentation is a unique retrospective of her influential performance practice, in which she constantly sought harmony between the spiritual, the earth, and human existence. Monk also chose a series of her world-famous musical compositions, which will be performed during the exhibition period by a new generation of local musicians, in dialogue with the church architecture. The project is organised in collaboration with Hartwig Art Foundation.
Extensive retrospective
The sound of Monk’s singing is often described as ancient ent contemporary, and thus fits seamlessly with the Oude Kerk as both Amsterdam’s oldest building and place for contemporary art. The exhibition features her music, notations, scores and drawings, sound recordings and films, and a group of immersive installations, which translate themes and objects from her stage productions into new experiences. To complement the exhibition, Monk is developing a retrospective series of live concerts for the Oude Kerk that will allow a full experience of her oeuvre.
Legend of contemporary music
One of the defining characteristics of Monk’s compositions and performances is her highly distinctive use of the human voice. Monk is considered the great pioneer of interdisciplinary performance, the genre that emerged in New York’s artist community in the 1960s and ’70s. Her pioneering compositional work and performances have received numerous awards, including aNational Medal of Arts, the highest award in the United States diespecifi ek awarded for achievements in the arts.
