MaerzMusik
Monk In Pieces
3/21/2026, 4 PM

The cultural influence of composer, performer and interdisciplinary artist Meredith Monk, who will receive the Berlin Grand Art Prize of the Akademie der Künste in 2026, cannot be overstated. She was a key figure in the New York downtown art scene of the 1960s and 1970s, but was only recognised by critics late in her career. As a pioneer of “extended vocal techniques”, she influenced artists such as Yoko Ono, Kate Bush, Björk and Rebecca Saunders. “She was the one among us all with an unmistakable talent – and still is”, said Monk's celebrated contemporary Philip Glass.

The portrait film Monk in Pieces, which premiered at the Berlinale in 2025, reflects Monk's work in its mosaic-like structure and highlights her original vocabulary of sounds and images. Towards the end of the film, Monk confronts her own mortality. We see her gently entrusting her opera Atlas to director Yuval Sharon and singer Joanna Lynn-Jacobs for a new production with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. For 60 years, Monk directed and performed in all of her works herself. The film honours her unique work and raises the question of its continued existence.