On Wednesday 1 May at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza, exclusively for Italy, Meredith Monk, singer, composer, director, playwright, choreographer and visual artist, will perform in concert. Alongside her, jazz percussionist John Hollenbeck. The concert, entitled Duet Behaviorconstitutes the prologue to the 77th cycle of classical shows which, for the two-year period 2024-2025, sees the artistic direction of two leading personalities of contemporary creation, a couple of art and life, founders of the Teatro delle Albe and Ravenna Theatre: Ermanna Montanari and Marco Martinelli.
The program of the festival, which will take place in autumn, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Pioneer of extended vocal technique, of the use of the voice as a true musical instrument and of the interdisciplinary approach to artistic expression, Meredith Monk is an artist in the broadest sense of the term, of undisputed world fame. Between musical compositions, theatrical works, installations, performances and films, over the course of his long career he has created absolutely original visual and sound worlds, located at the intersection between music and movement, light and sound, in a continuous and precious research aimed at renew the ways of listening and perception. An artistic history studded with countless honors, including inclusion in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Medal of Arts received by President Barak Obama and the John Cage Award, to name just a few.
On the occasion of the great preview of the prestigious international festival of classical performances in the Palladian theatre, the New York artist will retrace his most famous compositions in a new light, touching in particular on works such as Songs from the Hill (1975-1976), Light Songs (1988), Book of Days (1988), Cellular Songs (2017), as well as featuring more recent creations. The vocal magic of Meredith Monk will meet the articulated percussive textures of her long-time friend and colleague John Hollenbeck – award-winning American drummer and composer among the most versatile in the world, absolute protagonist of the international jazz and world panorama, appreciated for his language steeped in cosmopolitan rhythms, lyricism and spirituality – in a highly emotional performance, marked by deep empathy and a masterful sense of improvisation.
The 77th Cycle of Classical Shows at the Teatro Olimpico in Vicenza with the artistic direction of Ermanna Montanari and Marco Martinelli, is a project of the Municipality of Vicenza, in collaboration with the Accademia Olimpica and the Bertoliana Civic Library, with the support of the Region of Veneto, the artistic coordination of the La Piccionaia Theater Production Center and the organization of the Fondazione Teatro Comunale Città di Vicenza.
