Theo Bleckmann Presents: Meredith Monk with Theo Bleckmann and Katie Geissinger in Concert
About this event
Thursday, May 19th – 9:30pm
The iconic composer/performer Meredith Monk offers one of her rare, more intimate concerts in her premiere at National Sawdust, with two of her esteemed colleagues, Theo Bleckmann and Katie Geissinger, both highly acclaimed singers in the New Music world. Fresh from her appointment as the Debs Composers Chair at Carnegie Hall (2014-15) and recent National Medal of Arts award from President Obama, Monk has been hailed as both “a magician of the voice” and “one of America’s coolest composers”. The concert reflects five decades of innovation and awe-inspiring vocal mastery, mining the depths of the myriad possibilities of the human voice.
“[Monk] may loom even larger as the new century unfolds, and later generations will envy those who got to see her live.” –Alex Ross, The New Yorker
www.meredithmonk.org
Meredith Monk
Meredith Monk is a composer, singer, director, choreographer, filmmaker, and creator of new opera, music-theater works, films and installations. Considered one of the most significant creative forces in the performing arts of the past fifty years, she is a pioneer of what is now called “extended vocal technique” and “interdisciplinary performance”. In 1968, Ms. Monk founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance. In 1978, she formed Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble to expand her innovative exploration of the voice as a multifaceted instrument. She has received numerous awards including a Doris Duke Artists Award, a MacArthur “Genius” Award and two Guggenheim fellowships. Monk was recently named Carnegie Hall’s 2014-15 Debs Composer’s Chair, an Officer of the Order of Arts and Letters by the Republic of France, one of NPR’s 50 Great Voices, and Musical America‘s 2012 Composer of the Year. Celebrated internationally, her work has been presented at major venues throughout the world. In September 2015, Ms. Monk received the National Medal of Arts from President Obama. www.mereditmonk.org
Theo Bleckmann
Theo Bleckmann is a Grammy-nominated singer, composer and arranger whose work spans concerts, installations, live electronic vocal processing, contemporary music theater, cabaret, ambient music and performance art. Bleckmann has released a series of diverse albums including his collection of acoustic solos for voice (I dwell in possibility) and his highly acclaimed Hello Earth – the music of Kate Bush. He has worked with such artists as Ambrose Akinmusire, Laurie Anderson, Uri Caine, Philip Glass, Ann Hamilton, John Hollenbeck, Sheila Jordan, Phil Kline, David Lang, Kirk Nurock, Frances McDormand, Ben Monder, Kenny Wheeler, John Zorn, Bang on a Can All-Stars, and, most prominently, with Meredith Monk since 1994. Mr. Bleckmann has performed with Laurie Anderson on The Late Show with David Letterman and has been a guest of Terry Gross on NPR’s Fresh Air. Mr. Bleckmann is currently working on his first CD for ECM. www.theobleckmann.com
Katie Geissinger
Katie Geissinger has performed with Meredith Monk worldwide in concert and theater pieces from ATLAS and the Grammy-nominated impermanence, to Monk’s most recent music theater piece, On Behalf of Nature. Career highlights include the premiere of Bang on a Can’s Obie-winning The Carbon Copy Building (Canteloupe) and appearing in Philip Glass and Robert Wilson’s Einstein on the Beach (Elektra Nonesuch). Other recent credits include Ann Hamilton’s the event of a thread, with music by David Lang, at the Park Avenue Armory. Katie is currently touring in Julia Wolfe’s Steel Hammer in collaboration with Anne Bogart’s SITI Company and The Bang on a Can All-Stars.
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ACME: American Contemporary Music Ensemble
ACME, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble, a National Sawdust Group-in-Residence, will have its first residency in the space from December 14-20, 2015. The week will culminate with an open-to-the public concert at 6pm on Sunday, December 20, 2015.
ACME has been performing and interpreting new music for over 10 years, and at National Sawdust will begin exploring the world of creating original music as well. A number of musicians in ACME also identify as composers, and an equal number identify as primarily performers. During their National Sawdust residency, ACME members will work together in making new music – individually and collaboratively, those who compose for public performance, those who compose privately, and those who have never composed. On December 20, they will present their new works and works-in-progress – a mix of composition and improvisation incorporating percussion, electric guitar, bass, and electronics – to the public for the first time.
Players include Timo Andres, piano/keys; Chris Thompson, electronics/percussion; Yuki Numata Resnick, violin; ACME artistic director Clarice Jensen, cello/bass; Aaron Roche, guitar/electronics/synths; and Grey Mcmurray, guitar. The group returns for another residency at National Sawdust from April 19-23, 2016.
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