(BOSTON- Feb. 2, 2009) The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) presents the Boston premiere of Meredith Monk: Inner Voice, on Friday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 21 at 3:30 p.m. in the Barbara Lee Family Foundation Theater. Tickets are $10 general admission or $8 for members, students, and seniors, and are on sale now at (617) 478-3103 or www.icaboston.org.

 

A “musician of boundless imagination and vision,” (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Meredith Monk is a composer, singer, director/choreographer and creator of new opera, music theater works, films, and installations. Inner Voice, a documentary by Babeth M. VanLoo, follows Monk as she creates her latest piece, Songs of Ascension, a major new work developed in collaboration with renowned artist Ann Hamilton. The film observes Monk's process from her initial, solitary work to the rehearsal process, seeking the motivation and source of her creative force.

 

A pioneer in what is now called “extended vocal technique” and “interdisciplinary performance,” Monk creates works that thrive at the intersection of music and movement, image and object, light and sound in an effort to discover and weave together new modes of perception. Her groundbreaking exploration of the voice as an instrument, as an eloquent language in and of itself, expands the boundaries of musical composition, creating landscapes of sound that unearth feelings, energies, and memories for which we have no words. She has alternately been proclaimed as a “magician of the voice” and “one of America’s coolest composers.” During a

career that spans more than 40 years she has been acclaimed by audiences and critics as a major creative force in the performing arts.

 

Babeth VanLoo is the director of the Buddhist Broadcasting Foundation in Holland and is an experienced documentary filmmaker. She gained international acclaim for her films on Joseph Beuys and the award-winning Haiti, Killing the Dream (1991). Other films include: Bhutan, Women of the Dragon Kingdom; Philip Glass' Practice; Coming Home and Gross National Happiness.

 

(Digibeta, 82 min, 2009)

 

ICA Film and Video presents an adventurous selection of the best of regional, national and international cinema, experimental and independent film, video, and digital media. In addition to programming works inspired by the museum's acclaimed exhibitions, the ICA collaborates and co-presents with several major film festivals, and presents retrospectives by important contemporary artists. The ICA has presented world, U.S. and regional premieres, including sneak previews of highly anticipated films, and conversations with filmmakers, film scholars and critics.

 

An influential forum for multi-disciplinary arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art has been at the leading edge of art in Boston for more than 70 years. Like its iconic building on Boston's waterfront, the ICA offers new ways of engaging with the world around us. Its exhibitions and programs provide access to contemporary art, artists, and the creative process, inviting audiences of all ages and backgrounds to participate in the excitement of new art and ideas. The ICA, located at 100 Northern Avenue, is open Tuesday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is $15 adults, $13 seniors and $10 students, and free for members and children 17 and under. ICA Free Admission for Youth is sponsored by State Street Foundation. Free admission on Target Free Thursday Nights, 5 - 9 p.m. Free admission for families is sponsored by Hood (2 adults + children) on last Saturday of each month. For more information, call (617) 478-3100 or visit www.icaboston.org.

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