Fanm d’Ayiti
@ Black Ensemble Theater
4450 N Clark St, Chicago, IL 60640
Opening Friday, September 13th, from 7:30PM - 10PM
On view through Friday, September 13th
We’ve been fans of flutist/singer/composer Nathalie Joachim for ages, but our first collaboration materialized for a project in which she is investigating her Haitian heritage in the most breathtaking way.
Through a network of charming in-person interviews, field recordings, and nimble new arrangements of original songs, Nathalie assembles a mesmerizing sonic exhibition of the (largely) unheralded female singers of Haiti. With her grandmother’s voice as the leaping-off point, Fanm d’Ayiti (“Women of Haiti”) celebrates powerful women – in revolution, on stage, or in the home – blending electronics, live recordings, a live string quartet, and Nathalie’s own voice in an irrepressible and captivating melange.
Following a dynamite premiere at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Liquid Music series, Nathalie began scheming to record this project, and Spektral is ecstatic to 1) be releasing this album with her on the New Amsterdam label, and 2) throwing the release party in their (joint) home city of Chicago at the eminent Black Ensemble Theater.
Looking for a way to get acquainted with this project? How about Krista Tippett’s interview with Nathalie on the NPR-syndicated On Being broadcast: https://onbeing.org/programs/nathalie-joachim-song-of-haitis-women-mar2018/
Fanm d’Ayiti is much more than a collection of fantastic tunes. It is a rare peek inside a composer’s sense of place, of self. We’ve had our eyes opened in extraordinary ways by the stories burning bright within this music, and those that manage to get their hands on tickets to this album release show are in for an unforgettable night of deeply personal, and deeply invigorating music.
*This event is recommended for ages 7 and up*
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Tags: Black Ensemble Theatre, Chicago, Fanm d'Ayiti, Nathalie Joachim, Uptown
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