Meredith Monk: Inner Voice (2009)

Meredith Monk 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, Monk has been acclaimed by audiences and critics as a major creative force in the performing arts. In the film Inner Voice, we follow Monk during the process of making her latest piece, Songs of Ascension, at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and at Ann Hamilton's Tower in California. We observe how Monk's productions are shaped, beginning with her initial work in solitude continuing on to the rehearsal process where she further develops her musical and choreographic forms with her Ensemble members. In Monk's work, this is an ongoing process. Even at the performance stage, Monk continues to transform the work by striving for a balance between discipline and freedom; and an openness to change. Inner Voice sets out to locate the motivation and source of Monk's creative force. There are no ready made answers.