Marc Monnet, while never denying the influence of Mauricio Kagel (with whom he studied at the Cologne Musikhochschule), nonetheless succeeded in avoiding becoming a mere disciple of the Argentinian composer. Under his tutelage, Monnet adopted the notions that any “work of art” is deeply impure, and that the History (of music) is too weighty to be taken seriously. While his contemporaries composed with music and criticized with their pen, Monnet adopted an attitude in his works that was as pointedly critical as it was ironic (as can be seen in the titles of his “pieces”).

It is futile to attempt to find a thread which unifies the roughly 80 works which comprise Monnet’s catalogue to date. Perhaps the composer’s attitude towards the “pre-compositional” phase of his process can serve as a lowest common denominator: “Each work comes into existence in its own manner, and is therefore singular, irreplicable. Its material organises itself around me, more often than not in fits and starts. At each moment, the question presents itself: What to do with what, incongruous, emerges?”

Austere or exuberant, tragic or ironic, each of his works establishes a distinct dialectic between its sonic identity and the space (acoustic, human, social) in which it exists. Scenic works make up only a small part of Monnet’s oeuvre; nonetheless, each of his pieces has its own unique fingerprint, distinguished by its material and the forces required for its realisation, by its gestural and theatrical spatiality; each one establishes its own distinct relationship with the performers and the audience. One may perhaps observe a certain predilection for the use of low registers.

Despite refusing to teach, Marc Monnet frequently engages with audience members and enthusiasts, mostly within the setting of residencies in cultural institutions. However, this “civilian” life does little to provide a clear picture of a composer who abhors anything which might be construed as autobiographical, and who is always careful to do away with residual distractions that may prevent the listener - who never has it easy with Monnet - from experiencing the poetry and meaning of each work […].

In 1986, Monnet founded the theatre company Caput mortuum in response to his need to rethink musical theatre. For the stage, he composed Inventions (1986), Commentaire d’inventions (1987), a setting of his own writings, Probe for voice and MIDI system (1989), and Fragments for five actors/speakers/gesticulators, two sopranos, ensemble and real-time electronics (1993), as well as the choreographic works Ballets roses (1982) and Épaule cousue, bouche ouverte, cœur fendu for countertenor, violin, two pianos and ensemble (2009-10; a ballet version of the piece of the same name for ensemble and electronics, composed in 2008). From 2000 to 2004, he worked on Pan!, an opera for singers, actors, choir, orchestra and electronics.

His catalogue also contains dozens of solo and chamber works, including numerous works for piano, such as La joie du gaz devant les croisées (1980), En pièces (2007) and En pièces, Book II (2009-2010), a series of Fantasies for solo string instruments, several trios and seven string quartets, of which the String Quartet No. 7 was premiered in January 2010. His cello concerto, Sans mouvement, sans monde, was premiered by Marc Coppey in September of the same year.

Marc Monnet has served as Director of the Monte Carlo Spring Arts Festival from 2003 to 2021.