SAN DIEGO — Diamanda Galás has been hailed around the world for her groundbreaking music and the sonic power and emotional intensity of her singing, not as a scientist or author.
But this San Diego-born vocal wizard of awes has devoted extended periods to researching the often-grim topics she chronicles in her harrowing but ultimately transformative art. She gives an incandescent voice to the victims of intolerance and isolation, creating gripping soundscapes by digging into the depths of their despair and shining a ray of light on those with little or no hope.
"I have to work on dark subject matter. It's not that I choose to — I'm inhabited by dark subject matter. It's part of my flesh," Galás said.
