BIO
Carol Lipnik's music does more than evoke a shadow-world of mysterious, often misunderstood creatures, from sideshow freaks and b-movie monsters to love's obsessive victims. It creates that world, bringing it into audible being through her stunningly versatile four-octave voice and expressive, impeccably crafted songs. Her live shows draw audiences in with an intimacy and intensity that is both theatrical and deeply musical. Whether performing with pianist Gordon Beeferman or with a full-band, her repertoire - ranging from mad, carnival-ride tangos and waltzes to dramatic Bowie-esque rock and intricate, semi-acoustic art songs - is unified by the singer's visionary commitment to the beauty of strangeness and the strangeness of beauty. Carol Lipnik's songs and performances are, in the truest sense, enchantments.
Carol grew up in Coney Island in the midst of its long decline. Her earliest memories are of shyly pedaling a blue banana-seat bicycle around the abandoned amusement park (especially off season) and staring up at the totem-like, decaying rides. After studying fine arts at Pratt Institute and The Art Students League, Carol opted for the immediate, emotional gratification of singing, and found that she had a knack for it -- as well as a seemingly limitless vocal range. She drew from her visual arts training to create a singular cinematic style rooted in Blues, Pre-War Berlin Cabaret, Folk, Opera, etc., as filtered through her very own carnival and psychedelic sensibilities.
Her popular performance residency with Gordon Beeferman on piano at the East Village Boîte Pangea has repeatedly been a featured top cabaret critic’s pick in Time Out Magazine. She has built a dedicated following also through performances at Joe’s Pub, The Rose Theater at Lincoln Center, The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Teatro Bar El Vicio as part of The Festival International De Cabaret in Mexico City, Cabaret Silencio at Central Grenada 67 in Mexico City, The Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, The Abrons Arts Center, the Hudson Opera House, the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art, The Ancram Opera House, and The Spiegeltent at Bard. She has released seven albums on her Mermaid Alley Music label. “Almost Back To Normal" was funded by a grant from the Peter S. Reed Foundation. She has collaborated with and composed music for multi-award winning performance artist John Kelly's one man show “The Escape Artist” and his debut album “Beauty Kills Me”. She also composed the score “Mythologies” (with Scott Killian and Jacob Lawson) for the Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance Co., Shayan Lofti's “What Became of Us” (with Scott Killian) directed by Laiona Michelle at the George Street Playhouse, and was a recipient of the Kimmel Center Theater SEI Residency Program with Mexican composer Tareke Ortiz (in collaboration with Joe's Pub and the Public Theater). Carol was also awarded a Global Initiatives Foundation Grant in 2020 and 2024, and was the winner of the 2015 Broadway World New York Cabaret Awards for Best Alternative Cabaret Show. She is a five-time artist-in-residence at the Yaddo Art Colony in Saratoga Springs, NY..
Pinhole photos by Stefan Killen, Costume by Machine Dazzle