Meredith Monk / Abdullah Miniawy

Meredith Monk stands as one of the most singular and influential artists of her generation. Composer, performer and pioneer of extended vocal technique, Monk has spent six decades redefining the expressive capacities of the human voice. In this special concert to celebrate her Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, she is joined by long-time members of her Vocal Ensemble, Katie Geissinger and Allison Sniffin, collaborators central to the development of Monk’s distinctive sound world. Frequently described as “a magician of the voice” Monk continues to explore the voice as both instrument and medium of profound emotional resonance. This performance offers a concentrated encounter with her ongoing inquiry into breath, resonance, and the embodied architectures of sound, reflecting a lifetime dedicated to expanding the borders of musical and performative practice.

Egyptian composer, writer, and expressionist Abdullah Miniawy, winner of Les Victoires du Jazz 2023 for best world music album with his record Le Cri du Caire, presents a new trio performance with trombonists Robinson Khoury and Jules Boittin. Based in Paris, Miniawy is known for com- bining poetic incantation with politically charged narratives and dense sonic textures, often drawing from Upper Egypt and Gulf musical heritage and dismantling the narratives of baroque styles. Miniawy has the ability to stretch different styles smoothly, in a way that remains far from fusion, creating a distinctive and universal musical language. The music is based on Miniawy’s compositions translated and arranged for trombones by Robinson Khoury. Khoury, a rising voice in European jazz and winner of the Prix Django Reinhardt for 2024, shares a background with Miniawy in experimental approaches to brass interplay. Their conversation began in 2019, after a performance by Khoury’s group Sarāb at La Gare in Paris, led to an invitation to Miniawy’s Le Cri du Caire. When both artists started to expand the project’s scope, Miniawy invited fellow trombonist Jules Boittin to join, forming a three-part ensemble that explores baroque counterpoint, extended brass technique, and Egyptian vocal traditions within a contemporary framework. Premiered at the Musée dauphi- nois during the Détours de Babel festival in Grenoble, the project has since been presented at venues across Europe. Guest collaborators have included Erik Truffaz and Niño de Elche, with remixes by Danish-Indian producer HVAD. Rooted in the tonal and thematic residue of Miniawy’s works, the trio builds a sonically layered, emotionally charged performance. Drawing on Arabic and Coptic traditions, Sufi metaphors, and the sonic density of everyday life, the project invokes a contemporary form of musical theatre that addresses global and existential themes.