US Tibet Ho welcomes the Year of the Water Rabbit with the thirty-sixth Annual Benefit Concert Last night Tibet Ho Us (THUS) held the thirty-sixth edition of their annual benefit concert at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Throughout the evening, the concert, curated by Philip Glass, explored the beauty, culture, struggle and future of Tibet while drawing attention to confidence, breath and the parallels between Tibet and Ukraine.
The evening began with six monks decked out in ruddy and yellow, equipped with bells, cymbals and drums and their voices to draw the attention of the crowd. After their chants and a respectful hush dissipated in the crowd, the monks removed their hats and bowed. American Buddhist author and academic Bob Thurman thanked them and took the stage to deliver his opening address. He reflected on the longevity and significance of the evening before asking for appla for Ukraine’s glory. He also touched on the Buddhist practice of minimizing violence but still defending it for the sake of peace. “Glory to Tibet, which will one day rise again,” he shared, before stepping off the stage to create way for the evening’s curator, Glass. Glass was joined by Alex Grey, Saori Tsukada and Tenzin Choegyal, who all teamed up to “Be The Sky,” a meditative soundscape in which Glass and Gray played piano while Tsukada and Choegyal added their earnest and raw vocals through vocals and storytelling .
The musical introduction set a touchable tone before they shared their appreciation with the crowd and Laurie Anderson took the stage. Anderson was rewarded with grand appla, which she quickly calmed down to attain a sonic mediation that she hoped would connect the room. She challenged viewers to discover their inner melody and match it to the tone of their neighbors until a sonic collective emerged—soon the theater was buzzing slightly. She was then joined by Martha Mooke to examine lullabies. “I like the song ‘Twinkle Small Star,'” she md; She lowered her voice and focd on the lullaby’s second verse, which she called “apocalyptic” in its shifted, seemingly bottomless timbre.
“When the blazing Sunday is gone / When it’s not shining / Then you indicate your small light / Twinkle, twinkle, all the night,” she sang. Next, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter-producer Arooj Aftab took the stage and showed off some stand-up while her guitarist quickly overcame some technical difficulties. As their song ‘Saans Lo’, which translates to ‘breathe’, began, a lull overcame those in attendance as many closed their eyes and looked inward as Aftab’s exquisite and emotional rhythm washed over them.
