Charlotte Moorman was an American avant-garde cellist and performance artist who was at the forefront of the development of the Fluxus art movement. Moorman was born in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1933. She began playing the cello at an early age, and studied with well-known cellists including Janos Starker, Pierre Fournier, and Leonard Rose.
Moorman received her Bachelor of Music degree from the Juilliard School of Music in 1958, and her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in 1961. During her time at Juilliard, she was a member of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra and the New York City Ballet Orchestra.
In the early 1960s, Moorman began to explore experimental music and performance art. She was a member of the Fluxus movement, along with other influential avant-garde artists such as Yoko Ono, Nam June Paik, and George Maciunas. She organized and performed in numerous Fluxus concerts throughout the 1960s and 1970s, often playing on a “cello-top” - a cello with an electric guitar body.
Moorman was best known for her performance of “Opera Sextronique”. This piece was written by Nam June Paik for Moorman and involved her playing the cello while wearing a costume made out of television sets and other electronic components. The performance was an instant hit with audiences and received critical acclaim.
In addition to her performances, Moorman also wrote several books, including “Cello-Top: A Performance Guide” and “Cello-Top and Beyond”. She also wrote extensively about the Fluxus movement and her own experiences as a performer.
Moorman passed away in 1991 from cancer. She was 58 years old. Moorman’s contributions to the Fluxus movement and her exploration of avant-garde music and performance art were highly influential and continue to inspire artists today. Her legacy lives on in the music and performances she created, and in the many books and articles she wrote.
