Nathalie Joachim To Perform Grammy-Nominated Fanm D'ayiti At Big Ears Festival March 26 

Haitian-American flutist, composer, and "powerful, unpretentious" vocalist (The New York Times) Nathalie Joachim will continue her tremendous year with a special performance at Big Ears, showcasing her lauded solo debut, Fanm d'Ayiti (New Amsterdam Records). This is Joachim's second time performing at the festival: her set will be on March 26, with additional pop-up performances, panel discussions and more planned throughout the weekend.  

Fanm d'Ayiti was recently acknowledged with a GRAMMY nomination for Best World Music Album and Joachim was a presenter this year during the GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony. With the LP title translating to "Women of Haiti," the entire "exuberant, expressive song cycle" (The New Yorker) celebrates the undersung legacy of the country's most influential and important female artists. Learn more about Fanm d'Ayiti via recent interviews and performances on NPR's Here & Now, The World and Paste.  

In addition to Big Ears, Joachim has a number of performances, world premieres, keynotes and master classes slated for 2020 - that showcase just how interdisciplinary her work is as a cutting edge composer, performer and educator.  

*April 2 and 3 - World Premiere of "Discourse" @ Carolina Performing Arts - Current Art Space - Chapel Hill, NC: Commissioned by Carolina Performing Arts, the first-ever staged evening-length musical production by Nathalie's group Flutronix is a community-centered social change initiative rooted in connectivity. In response to the fear, uncertainty, and frustration now dividing America, Discourse uses oral history, music, and immersive performance to honor individuals' stories, foster collectivity and create a sonic picture of community. The site-adaptable project - co-written by Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull for an expanded Flutronix ensemble - aims to initiate necessary conversation and spur sociopolitical action.

The research process for Discourse yielded a depth and breadth of material that exceeded the confines of an evening-length musical work, and so Loggins-Hull and Joachim partnered with the University Libraries to create a companion installation. The resulting audio-visual exhibition pairs two galleries in the North Carolina Collection with oral histories collected by Flutronix. 

*April 18 - she is called - Brooklyn Youth Chorus Blood Sister World Premiere @ UNC Chapel Hill Memorial Hall - Chapel Hill, NC: A remarkable musical portrait of women's experiences from biblical times to the present day, she is called traces a path from early texts by men about women to explorations of current themes through the work of contemporary women composers, including Nathalie, Shara Nova, and Toshi Reagon. The evening's program will feature eight world premiere pieces.

Brought to life by the acclaimed Brooklyn Youth Chorus, this concert program illuminates the musical and spiritual lives of women today in radiant form. This performance is conceived and conducted by Dianne Berkun Menaker, founder and artistic director of Brooklyn Youth Chorus, and was developed with Helga Davis, who is also a Creative Futures fellow at Carolina Performing Arts.

Nathalie Joachim Performances

Mar 26 - Knoxville, TN - Big Ears Festival - Fanm d'Ayiti 

April 2-3 - Chapel Hill, NC - CURRENT ArtSpace + Studio - "Discourse" World Premiere at Carolina Performing Arts

April 18 - Chapel Hill, NC - UNC Chapel Hill's Memorial Hall - Brooklyn Youth Chorus: she is called, featuring Blood Sister World Premiere

April 25 - Oberlin, OH - Oberlin College - Oberlin Flute Association Masterclass

June 10 - Sarasota, FL - David Cohen Hall - Women Composer's Panel at Sarasota Music Festival (w/Caroline Shaw, Joan Tower and Maya Miro Johnson)

June 11 - Sarasota, FL - Sarasota Opera House - Chamber Music Performance at Sarasota Music Festival (playing Amy Beach's Theme and Variations for Flute and String Quartet)

June 14 - Sarasota, FL - Holley Hall - Performing Fanm d'Ayiti with Calidore String Quartet at Sarasota Music Festival

June 18-20 - Portland, OR - The New Music Gathering - Keynote Address and Headlining Performance

July 2-18 - Shelter Island, NY - The Perlman Music Program - Director of Contemporary Chamber Music a the Perlman Music Program

July 19-August 3 - North Adams, MA - Mass MoCA - Faculty at the Bang On A Can Summer Music Institute / performing Fanm d'Ayiti at Mass MoCa

Dec 2 - Chicago, IL - Harris Theatre - Fanm d'Ayiti at Mix at Six