Last week, the 36th Annual Tibet House US Benefit Concert returned to Carnegie Hall in New York City for a memorable evening filled with extraordinary performances. This year’s eclectic lineup included boygenius, Allison Russell, Arooj Aftab, Gogol Bordello, Marc Anthony Thompson, Zsela, Bernard Sumner & Tom Chapman of New Order, Saori Tsukada, Tenzin Choegyal, The Patti Smith Band, Scorchio Quartet, and The Philip Glass Ensemble along with the artistic director and curator Philip Glass who made the night possible.
The evening had countless standout moments as the artists celebrated the Year of the Water Rabbit. Saori Tsukada and Tenzin Choegyal, along with Alex Gray and Philip Glass, kicked off the night with a powerful version of “Be The Sky.” Laurie Anderson took to the stage to lead concertgoers through a “Sonic Meditation” after leading the concertgoers through an interactive tuning meditation followed by an otherworldly “Lullabies” accompanied by Martha Mooke. GRAMMY-Award winning Pakistani singer, composer and producer Arooj Aftab entranced the audience with her performance of “Saans Lo.”
Next up, acclaimed 3x GRAMMY-nominated Americana singer-songwriter and activist Allison Russell showed off her soulful vocals and infectious energy with a “4th Day Prayer”/“Larissa’s Overture” mashup and “Nightflyer.” Tibetan artist Tenzin Choegyal performed the hauntingly beautiful “Snow Lion,” and Zsela joined her father Marc Anthony Thompson of Chocolate Genius, Inc. with their moving rendition of “She Smiles” and “Place,” and boygenius played their first public live performance since 2018 with “Not Strong Enough” and “Cool About It.” The renowned Philip Glass Ensemble captivated the audience with “Spaceship,” and New Order’s Bernard Sumner & Tom Chapman delivered a spectacular “Bizarre Love Triangle” with Zsela and “Sex Object” with Laurie Anderson followed by “Shadow Play.” Bringing the night to a close and the crowd to their feet, Gogol Bordello correlated the cause of Tibet to the “senseless war” in their home country of Ukraine and performed “Era of the End of Eras,” “Universes Collide” and “Forces of Victory” before the entire company returned to the stage to perform Tibet House alumnus’ Patti Smith’s famed anthem “People Have the Power.” Uma Thurman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, and Arden Wohl served as the evening’s honorary chairs.
The festivities continued late into the night as the performing artists, VIPs, and Tibet House supporters including Penn Badgley, Domino Kirke, Jill Stuart, and more enjoyed the elegant post-concert gala at Ziegfeld Ballroom -- a perfect end to one of the longest-running and most acclaimed live cultural events in New York City. Proceeds support the work of Tibet House US as they forge ahead with their mission to protect, preserve, and empower the unique Tibetan culture.
Throughout its rich history, the one-of-a-kind Tibet House US Benefit Concert has had hundreds of world-class artists participate, including Alabama Shakes, Carly Simon, David Bowie, Stephen Colbert, Lou Reed, Sharon Jones, FKA twigs, The Roots, Jim James, Vampire Weekend, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Blood Orange, Sigur Ros, R.E.M, Emmylou Harris, Jon Batiste, Nathaniel Rateliff, Jason Isbell, Iggy Pop, The Flaming Lips, Keanu Reeves, Eddie Vedder, Annie Lennox, Brittany Howard, Black Pumas, Cage The Elephant, Cyndi Lauper, Trey Anastasio and many, many more.
