Diamanda Galás embodies everything that a true artist is and should be. And you’ve basically never heard anyone like her. Her art is multifaceted. She’s dark and mysterious, and when you listen to her or watch her perform perhaps you might even be a little confused by her approach since it’s so avant-garde and twisted, and in some ways make you feel like hell has something to do with it. And she’s also an activist, tackling topics like AIDS and genocide, and she’s also a renowned composer and pianist who’s been sharing her art with the world for over 40 years.
Diamanda has released two albums this year–one called All the Way (a mix of both studio and live recordings) and the other called Saint Thomas the Apostle Harlem, which documents her live multi-lingual performance at the church which she refers to as “death songs.” Listen to these records and you’ll really begin to understand the creative depths of her mind–or maybe you won’t understand it at all, but that’s totally OK, too. There’s a fascinating beauty to her art that’s mind-bending and compelling at the same time, and as long as you can appreciate it for what it is–whether you get it or not–that’s all that matters.
Diamanda Galás will be performing two shows in Harlem (of course one of them just so happens to be on Halloween). But whichever show you end up at, prepare for something brilliant and unexpected and unhinged. All around it will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen or heard or experienced before when it comes to art and music.
Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph
10/29 + 10/31
8 p.m.
$45
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