AKA And is there something that you actually do or say to yourself? Are there tools that you have derived from meditation practice?

MM I just do a lengthy warm-up, and when I come onstage I ground myself, and basically, I am in that situation which is different than the one I was in the night before. As you know, if you perform very well and you are inspired, there is as much a problem getting caught up in the positive expectations as there is with overcoming negativity or dullness. So the discipline of performing is to return to tabula rasa as best you can, every night.

AKA How do you ground yourself?

MM I become very aware of how the energy comes from the ground into my feet, my legs, and my breasts. I try to give myself as much pause as I need before I begin singing. I try to be very simple; standing there and ready. And I have realized that an audience is so much more willing to accept that than one might expect them to be.

I think that being artists in a time like this, we have a lot to give. It is a time that does not encourage that kind of space. It’s a time that’s very restless and very noisy, and it is unable to tolerate space and silence. If that is something you need to express as an artist, it’s a wonderful thing to hold firm to, at this time. I believe that a lot of people have a longing and a hunger for the kind of work that affirms that kind of spaciousness and silence. So it almost seems like a political thing to me. -Meredith Monk