Meredith Jane Monk (born November 20, 1942)[1] is an American composer, performer, director, vocalist, filmmaker, and choreographer.

Trip hop musician DJ Shadow sampled Monk's "Dolmen Music" on the song "Midnight in a Perfect World".

[4] Monk has a bachelor's degree from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied composition with then-graduate student and Alwin Nikolais dancer Beverly Schmidt Blossom.

At the age of three, Monk was diagnosed with strabismus and her mother signed her up to a Dalcroze eurhythmics programme, a technique which integrates music with movement.

"[5] Meredith Monk is primarily known for her vocal innovations, including a wide range of extended techniques, which she first developed in her solo performances prior to forming her own ensemble.

[6] In 1964, Monk graduated from Sarah Lawrence College after studying with Beverly Schmidt Blossom, and in 1968 she founded The House, a company dedicated to an interdisciplinary approach to performance.

In 2005, events were held all over the world in celebration of the 40th anniversary of her career, including a concert in Carnegie Hall featuring Björk, Terry Riley, DJ Spooky (who sampled Monk on his album Drums of Death), Ursula Oppens, Bruce Brubaker, John Zorn, and the new music ensembles Alarm Will Sound and Bang on a Can All-Stars, along with the Pacific Mozart Ensemble.

[17] Her music was used in films by David Byrne (True Stories, 1986), the Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski, 1998), Jean-Luc Godard (Nouvelle Vague, 1990 and Notre musique, 2004), and in The Rapture (1991).

[18] Hip hop artist DJ Shadow sampled "Dolmen Music" on the song "Midnight in a Perfect World" (Endtroducing....., 1995).