Who

Monk has been an avant-garde musical icon for decades thanks to her unusual vocal style and creative compositions.

Backstory

Monk grew up in a musical family: Her mother was a singer who recorded a handful of popular radio jingles in the 1940s, and she was born in Peru when her mother was on tour. Monk attended Sarah Lawrence before launching a dance/musical troupe, The House. She soon began experimenting with a singing technique called "extended vocal range," which incorporates various non-verbal sounds and generally avoids actual lyrics. In 1981, Monk recorded her first album, Dolmen Music; she later branched out into film and site-specific performance art. Since the 1980s, she's directed two films, staged concerts around the world, and recorded a slew of notable albums including Atlas, Volcano Songs, Our Lady of Late, Mercy, and Impermanance, which was released in 2008. She issued her first orchestral score, "Possible Sky," for the New World Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas in 2003. A year later, she completed her first string quartet, "Stringsongs," commissioned by the Kronos Quartet.

Of note

Known for her long, braided hair and Asian-style garb, Monk's music has long influenced a number of musicians across different genres. Her vocal technique has been copied by a number of artists, most notably Bjork; when Monk was honored as part of the 40th anniversary of her debut as a performer in 2005, the quirky Icelander—along with John Zorn, the Bang on a Can collective (Julia Wolfe, David Lang, and Michael Gordon) and DJ Spooky—all took part. The concerts took place in New York and LA, and featured a six-hour celebration at Carnegie Hall.

Trophy case

Monk won a MacArthur "genius" grant in 1995. She's also won two Guggenheim fellowships and three Obies.

Personal

Monk's partner of 22 years, choreographer Mieke van Hoek, died of cancer in 2002. She's lived in the same Tribeca loft since the 1960s. Located directly above the Bubble Lounge, in 1999 she publicly complained to the local community board about the cigarette smoke coming up from the lounge, saying that: "My vocal cords are getting damaged, and I literally can't breathe."

True story

Her music has been used in a number of films over the years, including Jean Luc Goddard's La Nouvelle Vague and, somewhat improbably, cult hit The Big Lebowski—her song provides the soundtrack as Julianne Moore's character produces a painting by swinging through the air nude, covered with paint.

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