Monk in Pieces with Stories & Songs from Bohemia

Monk in Pieces with Stories & Songs from Bohemia

Monk in Pieces

Songs from Bohemia 20 mins

Monk in Pieces 95 minutes 

Meredith Monk – composer, performer, and interdisciplinary artist – is one of the great artistic pioneers of our time, yet her profound cultural influence is largely unrecognized. With Monk’s music at its center, and featuring interviews with Björk and David Byrne, Monk in Pieces is a mosaic that mirrors the structure of Monk’s own work, and illuminates her wildly original vocabulary of sound and imagery.

As a female artist in the male-dominated downtown arts scene of the 1960s and ‘70s, Monk had to fight for recognition and resources. Early reviews in the New York Times were vicious and sexist: “A disgrace to the name of dancing,” wrote one critic,, and “so earnestly strange in a talented little-girl way,” wrote another. Yet as her celebrated contemporary, Philip Glass, says, "she, among all of us, was – and still is – the uniquely gifted one."

In the film’s final chapters, Monk faces mortality. We see her warily entrust her masterpiece, ATLAS, to director Yuval Sharon and singer Joanna Lynn-Jacobs for a new production at the Los Angeles Philharmonic. For 60 years, Monk has directed and performed in all of her music theater works; now she must learn to let go. What will happen to such singular work after she is gone?

Monk in Pieces

Meredith Monk

Meredith Monk is a composer, singer, director, choreographer, and creator of new opera,
music-theater works, films and installations. Recognized as one of the most unique and
influential artists of our time, she is a pioneer of what are now called “extended vocal
technique” and “interdisciplinary performance.” 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 there are no words. Over the last six decades Monk has
received numerous awards and honors including a MacArthur Fellowship, Officer of the
Order of Arts and Letters from the Republic of France, induction into the American
Academy of Arts and Letters, a GRAMMY nomination, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize,
and a National Medal of Arts. Celebrated internationally, her work has been presented at
major venues throughout the world.

Monk has recorded with the ECM New Series label since 1981, and her music has been
featured in films by Terrence Malick, Jean-Luc Godard, David Byrne and the Coen
Brothers. She has also created vital new repertoire for orchestra, chamber ensembles
and solo instruments, with selected scores published by Boosey & Hawkes. From Fall
2023 to Spring 2024, Meredith Monk: Calling, her first European exhibition, was realized
as a collaboration between Oude Kerk Amsterdam with Hartwig Art Foundation, and
Haus der Kunst München. Currently celebrating her 60th Performance Season, Monk
offered sold-out performances in September 2024 at the Park Avenue Armory in New
York of her newest work, Indra’s Net. At the Venice Biennale in October 2025 she was
awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in Music.

Meredith Monk’s website: https://www.meredithmonk.org/
Monk’s complete works: https://www.meredithmonk.org/repertory

Billy Shebar

Billy Shebar

Billy Shebar (director) is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker known for High Noon on the
Waterfront (2022), with John Turturro and Edward Norton, which premiered at the
Telluride Film Festival and was broadcast on TCM and HBO; and Dark Matter (2007),
starring Meryl Streep, which won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at Sundance. He collaborated
with animator Bill Plympton on The New York Times viral web series Trump Bites
(2018-2020) and with animator Yoni Goodman on the three-part crime series Doctor’s
Orders (2021), which continues to stream on Max, Hulu, Amazon, and other platforms.

David C. Roberts
David C. Roberts (producer), a former diplomat and academic physicist, is now a
filmmaker and writer based in New York. His articles have appeared in The New York
Times, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal.

Susan Margolin
Susan Margolin (producer) is a pioneer of digital distribution and a producer of
award-winning documentaries including Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of
Midnight Cowboy, The Rape of Recy Taylor (Starz), Paper Children (YouTube Originals), A
Crime on the Bayou (Starz), A Tree of Life (HBO), and Generation Startup (Netflix).

Sabine Krayenbühl
Sabine Krayenbühl (editor) is known for her work on the Oscar-nominated My Architect
(HBO), The Price of Everything (HBO), Letters from Baghdad (PBS), Obsessed with Light,
and Mad Hot Ballroom, one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time.

Jeff Hutchens
Jeff Hutchens (cinematographer) has received an Emmy Award and an ASC nomination
for his extensive work in film and television. He recently directed his first narrative
feature Remember This (2023), starring David Strathairn.

Paul Barritt
Paul Barritt (animator) has created animation for theater, opera (including the acclaimed
Komische Opera Berlin production of The Magic Flute), television (AMC's 2022 Interview
with the Vampire), and film, garnering AFI and Sundance nominations for White Morning.

Stories & Songs from Bohemia

20 minute film

“Stories and Songs from Bohemia” is a celebration of the uniquely supportive and left of centre artistic environment of Ramsgate. It is a film of a special event that took place at Ramsgate Music Hall on 22 Oct 2024: a live interview featuring some amazing local performers including Gabriel Moreno, Andreas S. Jensen, Ty and Ayesha Watling, and Alex Gillings and Joni Belaruski founding members of gypsy-folk-punk group The Great Malarkey. The interview and performances form part of an ongoing live interview video series which originated in Melbourne, Australia created by local singer-songwriter Mandy Connell produced by film maker and musician Clare Bligh in 2017. In 2024 Clare decided to take the concept to Ramsgate. This film is what ensued. It is celebration of independent artists and areas that actively foster creativity, and the importance of independent voices and visions. A story that will continue…

Gabriel Moreno

Gabriel Moreno

A singer songwriter, performer and lyricist with strong links to the London alternative Americana, Folk and singer songwriter scene. Influenced by the likes of Cohen, Callahan, Cave and other poetical singers Moreno is known for powerful performances and endless streams of passion. Gabriel Moreno has been performing for the last 20 years in Gibraltar, Peru, Italy, Spain and The United Kingdom. After a successful debut EP in 2017. "Love & Decadence" (Amber Records) he released three albums, "Farewell Belief" in 2019, "Whiskey with Angels" in 2020 and "The Year Of The Rat" February 2022. Acclaimed by Cerys Mathews and other BBC presenters, Moreno is touring the UK in 2022. He has played the main stage of The Great British Folk Festival, ELY Folk Festival, Costa Del Folk, Rochester Festival, Purbeck Valley Folk Festival, Wilderness, When The Light Gets In and other UK and Europe Festivals during 2022. He performs with marvellous musicians from the London and Barcelona Alternative Folk scene called The Quivering Poets.

Andreas S. Jensen

Andreas S. Jensen

Andreas is a Danish born, Ramsgate, United Kingdom based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with an impressive musical bio working with the likes of Armand Van Helden and the Dub Pistols, and an even more interesting back story since starting his career early in a hit Danish teen rock band.

Three singles from Andreas’ debut album Disturbed where supported by British BBC6 Radio and received good radio play in the UK and abroad. He has since then released 4 singles (more info below).

Andreas has a background as a pop writer/producer for people like: Kevin Lyttle (Atlantic US), Stephanie Heinzmann (Universal Germany), Vybez Kartel and Delirium/Nerina Pallot. As a part of The Funktuary he was responsible for putting together Armand Van Helden's "My My My” a big hit in the United Kingdom and a club cult classic worldwide. Andreas is also a busy live musician having toured extensively, worldwide with bands like Drum’n’Bass/Reggae festival favourites the Dub Pistols.

Live on-stage Andreas bares his soul and speaks his truth in song, giving his audiences a heartfelt intimate experience -an acoustic solo show that is not to be missed. Andreas has played solo tours in US, a sold out, Auckland, New Zealand gig, a tour of northern Germany, and a number of gigs in the UK and in his native Denmark. In January-February 2023 Andreas played a 6-week tour in Australia. The tour was made possible by tour support from HelpMusicians. He returned in July-August of the same year for a run of further dates.

Ty and Ayesha Watling

Ty Watling

Ty Watling is a guitarist and songwriter from Kent, UK. Whilst promoting his first album was fortunate enough to open for many great artists including Richard Thompson, Julie Felix, Emily Barker, and many more. In recent years he has move to Ramsgate on the Kent coast and has had the opportunity to write a lot more. His latest Album 'The satisfaction of knowing' was released Feb 2023.

Ty is a dynamic performer who writes powerful songs in a folk vein, touching on aspects of social history. Accompanied by his wife Ayesha on stomp box and vocals – also a talented and original songwriter – they are a compelling presence on and off stage.

Joni Belaruski & Alex Gillings – The Great Malarkey

And representing The Great Malarkey…founding members charismatic vocalist and storyteller Alex Gillings and brilliant drummer Joni Belaruski…

BIO

“Rambunctious and right on the edge of control... one of the freshest sounds I’ve picked up this year” - Music-news.com

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is The Great Malarkey.

Releasing their second album in early 2017 on Batov Records, ‘Doghouse’ delivers not only the continued raucous energy of their live shows, as showcased in their first album ‘Badly Stuffed Animals’, but the eventual bruising, vulnerability of the morning after the night before.

Influenced by the likes of Tom Waits, The Pixies, The Pogues, Beirut, Nick Cave, Fanfare Ciocarlia, Manu Chao, The Dead Brothers and Toots and the Maytals (the latter of whom they supported with only their third gig), The Great Malarkey are riotous mix of musical styles and genres delivered in a “multicultural train of fast beats and trembling slams of punk-folk spirit”. (rhythmpassport.com)

Drawing on their experience of over six years of extensive touring, with shows at Bestival (UK), the London Olympics, Boomtown (UK), Colours of Ostrava (CZ), Tønder Festival (DK), to name but a few, and mainstream airplay in both the UK and Denmark, The Great Malarkey continue to delight audiences across the UK and Europe with their explosive, “balls to the wall”, high energy live shows. In February 2019, "Gimme Sugar" from "Doghouse" was chosen by Tom Robinson as BBC 6 Music recommends track of the week, getting played by day time DJs Lauren Laverne, Steve Lamaq and Mary-Anne Hobbs.

INTERVIEWER/MC

John Whitaker

Self-described as “down from London”, local man about town, passionate supporter of local cultural events, humble promoter of artists. He is also, General Deputy/Board Director for Ramsgate International Film Festival which most recently had its most successive outing to date in March 2026

Nigel Askew

Celebrated local film maker and publican for the wonderful historic Queen Charlotte hotel Nigel kindly filmed some separate interviews which feature in the wonderful surroundings of The Queen Charlotte.

Clare Bligh

Australian film maker, tour booker., writer and musician, Clare is the founder of Dark Horse Touring which is dedicated to supporting underrecognized independent artists.

Accessibility

Venue Accessibility

Please contact ramsgatefestivalofsound@gmail.com for any specific access requirements, and we will do our best to accommodate.

- Community Cinema Paragon Works is step-free access into the venue. 

- Please call ahead to reserve an accessible seat once you have booked your ticket.

- A small drinks and snack bar will be open to purchase refreshments. Free drinking water is available. 

- There will be an accessible toilet available.

Transport Links

- The nearest car park is on Leopold Street.

- Bus: the cinema is a 2 minute walk from Addington Street bus stop. 

- The closest train station is Ramsgate, with a 15 minute walk.