Patrick Belaga (born 1991 in McLean, Virginia) is a cellist and composer.[1] His work is considered contemporary classical music. His work includes a range of influences from Western classical, Middle Eastern classical, pop, new-age, Jazz and Folk and he has performed internationally. Belaga is a frequent collaborator with performance artists Wu Tsang and Boychild, having performed "Moved by the Motion", a vocal and dance performance with a live soundtrack shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles.[2][3] He also scored Lady Gaga’s 2017 Netflix documentary, Gaga: Five Foot Two.[4]

Early life and education

Belaga's mother found the Suzuki method classical music community in northern Virginia and Washington, D.C.[1] His mother enrolled his older brother in violin training and subsequently Belaga was enrolled in cello training.[5] He later went on to attend University of North Carolina. After graduation, he briefly lived in New York and then moved to Los Angeles in 2014.

Work

Belaga often uses improvisation as the foundation of his compositions.[4] His frequent collaborators include Kandis Williams, Wu Tsang, Boychild, Jacolby Satterwhite, Moses Sumney, Kelsey Lu , Puppets and Puppets, Eckhaus Latta, amongst others.[6][7]

In 2019, Belaga released his first album, Groundswell. The album was influenced by the likes of the Greek composer Iannis Xenakis to 20th-century classical musician Benjamin Britten and geological vocabulary ranging from rocks to mountains.[5] The artist wrote, mixed, and produced all the tracks.

Later that year, Belaga along with pop artist Lafawndah, producer Nick Weiss, and Jacolby Satterwhite, released Love Will Find a Way Home.[8] The work is a remixed recording of Satterwhite's mother, Patricia, who sang haunting, soulful pop songs on cassette tapes from the 1990s. The 14-track is 1 hour and 14 minutes and was released on vinyl as well as on iTunes and Spotify.[9]

Belaga scored the Netflix documentary Lady Gaga, Gaga: Five Foot Two. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2017.[10]

In 2021, Belaga released his second studio album Blutt. The cover art was painted by visual artist Giovanni Forlino.[1] The album is influenced by Hutsul music, a traditional form of Carpathian folk music that originates from what is now Western Ukraine and Romania.[6]

Discography

  • Blutt, 2021, PAN
  • Groundswell, 2019, self-released

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Patrick Belaga | Metal Magazine". metalmagazine.eu. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  2. ↑ Hawgood, Alex (2016-10-26). "Patrick Belaga Is a Cellist Who Moonlights as a Model". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  3. ↑ "You Sad Legend—Moved by the Motion: Wu Tsang and boychild, featuring Patrick Belaga". EMPAC—Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  4. 1 2 Labayen, Evalena (2019-10-16). "How to Play the Cello for Strangers on the Street, According to Patrick Belaga". Interview Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  5. 1 2 Chan, Tim. "cellist patrick belaga scored lady gaga's documentary, and models too". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  6. 1 2 "Flaunt Premiere | Patrick Belaga "The Tunnel is a Tower"". Flaunt Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  7. ↑ "Meet Puppets and Puppets: The Coolest New Brand in New York - PAPER". www.papermag.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  8. ↑ Bullock, Michael (2019-11-04). "Jacolby Satterwhite's Celestial, Zero-Gravity Dreamscapes". Frieze. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  9. ↑ Seward, Mahoro. "Jacolby Satterwhite is the artist creating mind-bending new worlds from the queer Black experience". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
  10. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (2017-08-24). "Toronto: Lady Gaga to Perform as Netflix Doc 'Gaga: Five Foot Two' Bows". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
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