Leyla McCalla’s Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever

Few artists can claim a heritage that is as diverse and richly layered as Haitian American musician Leyla McCalla. In Breaking the Thermometer to Hide the Fever McCalla finds inspiration from her past and present as she debuts a new multidisciplinary performance exploring the legacy of Radio Haiti-Inter, Haiti’s first privately owned Creole-speaking radio station.

The work weaves together arrangements of Haitian songs, traditional dances, audio and video recordings and Leyla’s own personal storytelling. Through this juxtaposition of voices — the personal and political, the anecdotal and the journalistic — Leyla gives expression to the enduring spirit of Haiti’s people.