Meredith Monk honored with Claire Trevor Lifetime Achievement Award during UC Irvine residency

The annual Art of Performance series welcomes the trailblazing composer and performer for a week of interdisciplinary engagement

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 19, 2026 — The UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts will welcome visionary interdisciplinary artist Meredith Monk to campus this March for a four-day residency as part of Art of Performance at UC Irvine. During her visit, she will be honored with the Claire Trevor Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her groundbreaking interdisciplinary practice and profound influence on contemporary performance and vocal composition.

“For more than six decades, Meredith Monk has expanded the possibilities of the human voice and reshaped contemporary performance,” said Tiffany López, Claire Trevor Dean of the Arts. “Her fearless, boundary-defying practice reflects the spirit of artistic research and innovation we champion at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts. It is an honor to present her with the Claire Trevor Lifetime Achievement Award and to welcome her to campus for this extraordinary residency.”

Presented by the Department of Art and curated and produced by Associate Professor Deborah Oliver, the 11th edition of Art of Performance brings Monk to UC Irvine for performances, workshops, a video installation, and public programs that engage students and the broader UC Irvine community. The residency takes place March 9 – 12, 2026.

“Meredith Monk’s work embodies artistic practice in its most visionary form, integrating voice, body, and movement in ways that have transformed how we understand performance,” said Oliver. “Her residency reflects the curatorial mission of Art of Performance and its commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry, engaging students directly with an artist whose groundbreaking vision has redefined the landscape of contemporary performance.”

An internationally acclaimed composer, singer, director, choreographer, and filmmaker, Monk is a pioneer of extended vocal technique and interdisciplinary performance. Her honors include the National Medal of Arts, the Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize, induction into the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships. As she recently completed her 60th performance season, Monk continues to create and perform new work while inspiring generations of artists across disciplines.

The residency begins with Meredith Monk’s Rotation Shrine (2021), on view March 10–12 in the Experimental Media and Performance Lab (xMPL). The large-scale, single-channel video installation, presented in black and white with stereo sound on a continuous loop, offers a contemplative encounter with Monk’s visual and sonic language and is free to the public during limited viewing hours.

On March 10, Monk’s company will engage directly with the campus community through a student workshop, offering undergraduate artists a rare opportunity to explore her creative process and vocal techniques. Later that afternoon, she will participate in an Artist Talk with writer and literary curator Louise Steinman, author of The Knowing Body, from 3:30–4:30 p.m. in Humanities Instructional Building 100. The event is free and open to the public.

The residency culminates in an evening-length concert on Thursday, March 12, at 8 p.m. in Winifred Smith Hall. Monk will perform alongside longtime members of her Vocal Ensemble, Katie Geissinger and Allison Sniffin, celebrating a lifetime of vocal exploration through music, movement and visionary performance. The evening will feature a Q&A and the presentation of the Claire Trevor Lifetime Achievement Award by Dean López.

Co-founded in 2015 by Deborah Oliver and the late Professor Emeritus Ulysses Jenkins, Art of Performance situates live art within an academic context that links theory and practice through experimentation and collaboration. This residency also honors the legacy of writer, performer, and educator Jacki Apple and Jenkins, whose vision and mentorship have shaped generations of experimental artists.

Generous support for Art of Performance at UC Irvine is provided by the Jacki Apple Fund, the UCI Department of Art, and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts.

For full event details and viewing times, visit www.arts.uci.edu/events. Please note that all tickets have been issued for the March 12 event. Non-ticketed audience members are welcome to join the standby line at Winifred Smith Hall beginning one hour prior to the performance.

For additional information about Meredith Monk, visit meredithmonk.org.

About the Claire Trevor School of the Arts: The UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts is where scholarly research and creative activity converge. As the only comprehensive arts school in the University of California system, it includes four departments: art, dance, drama and music. The school offers 15 undergraduate and graduate degree programs and two minors that combine rigorous artistic training with a world-class liberal arts education. Named for Academy Award-winning actress Claire Trevor, the school presents more than 200 public performances, exhibitions and lectures each year. Students and faculty engage in studio practice, performance, academic study and interdisciplinary research, often collaborating across campus and within the community. Recognized nationally for its excellence, access and affordability, the school prepares the next generation of creative leaders who shape culture, drive innovation and make a difference in the world. For more information, visit arts.uci.edu

About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced five Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit uci.edu.