The University is home to world-class programs in the performing arts through the Eastman School of Music as well as programs in <\/em>music<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>theater<\/em><\/a>, and <\/em>dance<\/em><\/a> in the School of Arts and Sciences. The new <\/em>Sloan Performing Arts Center<\/em><\/a>\u2014a 29,000-square-foot facility on the River Campus\u2014is slated to open in spring 2021 and will provide a space for theatrical programs, dance programs, concerts, and other activities. The center will house a theater, scene shop, dressing rooms, costume shop, and conditioning lab.<\/em><\/p>\n Our \u201cSpotlight on the Performing Arts\u201d will feature a regular interview with a faculty member, student, or visiting artist in the areas of music, theater, or dance.\u00a0Learn more about performing arts on the <\/em>Institute for the Performing Arts website<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n Monday, Oct. 21 at 7:30 p.m.<\/strong> Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 11:05 a.m.<\/strong> Tuesday, Oct. 22 at 1:30 p.m.<\/strong> Wednesday, Oct. 23 at 12:30 p.m.<\/strong> Meredith Monk<\/strong> has long been recognized not only as a unique and influential artist, but also as one of America\u2019s great gifts to the arts as a composer, singer, director, choreographer, filmmaker, and creator of new opera, music-theater works, films, and installations.<\/p>\n She has received three of the highest honors bestowed on a living artist in the United States:<\/p>\n In conjunction with her 50th season of performing and creating work, she was named Carnegie Hall\u2019s 2014\u201315 Debs Composer\u2019s Chair. The year 2019 brought renewed attention to two of her masterpieces, with a widely praised Los Angeles revival of her 1993 opera Atlas, and the release of a newly restored film of her multimedia work from the 1970s, Quarry, an exploration of fascism.<\/p>\n Monk will be in residence at the University of Rochester from Monday, October 21 through Wednesday, October 23, for a multi-day residency titled \u201cDancing Voice\/Singing Body.\u201d She will serve as the inaugural visiting artist for the Institute for the Performing Arts<\/a> at the University\u2019s School of Arts and Sciences, and as the 2019 Glenn Watkins Lecturer<\/a> at the University\u2019s Eastman School of Music. This Eastman lecture program was established in 2003 by distinguished musicologist and Eastman School of Music alumnus Glenn Watkins \u201953, to bring an exceptional figure in the field of music and related humanistic disciplines to speak at the school.<\/p>\n Here, Monk answers questions about her work.<\/p>\n I think this is a wonderful and progressive way to think about education, and looking back, this kind of openness was definitely important to me in my own development as an artist. While at Sarah Lawrence College I studied voice, dance, and theatre, and created my own combined performing arts major. For me, there was a sense of wholeness in being able to learn and work across disciplines. I think this kind of approach helps to illuminate connection and is very reflective of the world we live in today. In my music-theater work, I aim to affirm the richness of human experience. Weaving together different perceptual modes across disciplines is one way to both reflect and offer that.<\/p>\n Nature has been my greatest inspiration, but I also love to read, watch films, and listen to all kinds of music. There have been numerous composers, singers, writers, filmmakers, and visual artists who have inspired me. I admire anyone who has followed their own path, asked questions, and who has found places that fall between the cracks of genres or categories.<\/p>\n My hope is that each of us may find what is unique to us as individuals, and to keep a spirit of inquiry and discovery alive. If you have a vision of something that you want to do, follow it and you will find a way.<\/p>\n
\nUpcoming Events during Meredith Monk\u2019s Artist Residency<\/h3>\n
\nMeredith Monk\u2019s Cellular Songs: Concert Version<\/a>\u2014SOLD OUT<\/em><\/p>\n
\nMaster Class: Meredith Monk<\/a>\u2014Reserved for University of Rochester students<\/em><\/p>\n
\nEastman School Master Class: Meredith Monk<\/a>\u2014Reserved for University of Rochester students<\/em><\/p>\n
\nGlen Watkins Lecture: Meredith Monk<\/a>\u2014Free and open to the public, but tickets are first come, first served<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
At the University of Rochester, our students can essentially create their own curriculum, leading to a lot of cross-disciplinary study and research. We have students who major in both biology and dance, for example. You\u2019ve talked a lot about interweaving disciplines. How has that enriched your own work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Where do you find your inspiration?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
You are a highly celebrated pioneer of interdisciplinary performance. Is there a message that you\u2019re\u00a0hoping to send to a future generation of artists influenced by your work?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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