Patrick Belaga

American cellist and composer

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

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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

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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

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

## References

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1. ^ a b c "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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b Chan, Tim. "cellist patrick belaga scored lady gaga's documentary, and models too". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-01-13.
6. ^ a b "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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