Moorman, Charlotte

Dates

• Existence: 1933 - 1991

Biography

Charlotte Moorman was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on November 18, 1933. She attended Centenary College (Shreveport, Louisiana; B.A., 1955), the University of Texas at Austin (M.A., 1957), and the Juilliard School. Moorman performed with a number of musical groups, and worked various part-time jobs. In her work with the concert organizer Norman Seaman she helped organize concerts for Kenji Kobayashi, Yoko Ono, Joseph Byrd, Jacob Glick, and others.

Moorman's exposure to new music led her to organize "Six concerts of the avant garde" (also known as "6 concerts '63"), which became the first of 15 nearly-annual events known collectively as the Avant Garde Festivals. (The last was held in 1980). These increasingly-elaborate festivals featured art in all forms and media; they were held in a variety of locations, chiefly in New York (such as Grand Central Station, the Staten Island Ferry, Floyd Bennett Field, the World Trade Central, and Central Park); the 14th festival was held in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Moorman met the Korean artist Nam June Paik while organizing a performance of "Originale" by Karlheinz Stockhausen for the second festival. This led to a collaboration which lasted for the remainder of her life. Paik created a number of works for her, including "Concerto for TV cello and video tapes" (Moorman performed with a 'cello' constructed from 3 television screens in plastic boxes), "TV bra for living sculpture" (Moorman performed while wearing two small television screens as a brassiere) and "Variations on a theme by Saint-Saens" (Moorman interrupted her performance to immerse herself in a barrel of water). Her performance of Paik's "Opera sextronique" on February 9, 1967 (which called for her to perform in various stages of undress) resulted in her arrest for "willfully and lewdly exposing per person, or the private parts thereof." (She received a suspended sentence.)

Moorman's collaboration with Jim McWilliams similarly led to the creation of new works, among them "C. Moorman in drag" (Moorman performed while wearing a mask of Pablo Casals), "Ice music" (Moorman played a block of ice in the shape of a cello), "Sky kiss" (Moorman played the cello while suspended from helium balloons) and "The ultimate Easter bunny" (Moorman was covered in chocolate).

Moorman was noted for her performances of the works of many other composers, including Joseph Beuys (Infiltration - Homogen für Cello); John Cage (26'1.1499" for a string player), Giuseppe Chiari (Per arco), Takehisa Kosugi (Chamber music; Instrumental music), Yoko Ono (Cut piece; Mend piece), and Mieko Shikomi (Cello sonata). She toured throughout Europe, and Australia.

Moorman was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy in 1979. Despite a series of treatments, she eventually succumbed to cancer in 1991.

Moorman was married to Thomas Coleman in 1958; the marriage was annulled in 1963. Her 1970 marriage to Frank Pileggi lasted until her death.

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