Meredith Monk and the 'fundamental joy' of singing

Meredith Monk is not simply a vocalist. She's a filmmaker, dancer, performance artist and creator of works that combine all of the above. But over the years, it's her groundbreaking work with the voice that has distinguished her.

That work will be on display Friday night at The O'Shaughnessy in St. Paul, where Monk will perform with members of her ensemble in a concert called "The Soul's Messenger." The program features selections of works she's composed over the past half-century.

Most composers use voices to sing passages of text. But early in her career, Monk began to think of her voice as a musical instrument that could be experimented with to create new and different sounds. Using the voice this way, she found, allowed her to express feelings and energies for which no words exist.

"It's a very primal instrument, it's an ancient instrument," she said of the voice. "It has a lot of power. I've always felt that the voice itself is more eloquent than words. And it is universal; we're able to go all around the world and people respond to it directly. So it's a very powerful and rich source of communication."

Monk investigated how to give her voice its own physical vocabulary — how could she make it jump, spiral or fall? While Monk's compositions are often categorized as experimental, some music writers have noted that her works sound old, like folk songs from another planet. Over the decades her pieces have developed a pronounced spiritual, ritualistic feel in how they combine music, movement and moments of stillness.

"I just feel more committed in the world that we're living in, which is so full of distraction and diversion, to make a kind of experience for people that is very direct and allows them to relax that mind that's always racing," she said.

If Monk sounds like she's describing meditation, that's with good reason. She's a practicing Buddhist, and even in her Minneapolis hotel room has set up a small meditation shrine to focus her thoughts. She sees composing as much like meditation, filled with long periods of waiting and the occasional revelation.

"It's terrifying, every time," she said. "My motto to myself is, 'Take it step by step.' And just little increments, and then you might have a moment of discovery. It's a little bit like being a detective — you might have a moment of discovery, and that leads to the next moment. And pretty soon the fear starts turning into curiosity."

At 73, Monk shows no signs of slowing down. In addition to touring "The Soul's Messenger," she's busy composing two new works. She recently completed a residency at Carnegie Hall, and last year President Obama presented Monk with the National Medal of Arts.

"But what I've been much more interested in, in the last years, is also making more complex textures with other voices and instruments," she said. "I spent many years thinking of the voice as an instrument, and then about 10 years ago I made my first orchestra piece. And then I began thinking of instruments as voices."

Monk is different from most composers in that she generally doesn't write scores to her vocal work. She prefers to teach the work face to face. To her, the pieces are as much about being in a particular state of mind as they are about singing certain notes.

"I always feel so sad when somebody says, 'When I was a kid I had to stand in the chorus and mouth the songs.' Oh, my gosh, that's awful," she said. "I mean, I understand it from the point of view of the music conductor who wants to have everything in harmony. But I would just wish that everybody would have the pleasure of singing. It's just such a fundamental joy."

Monk performs "The Soul's Messenger" Friday night with members of her vocal ensemble at The O'Shaughnessy in St. Paul.