NEA Grant supports upcoming recording

Cedille is pleased to share that the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded a grant in support of Black Being, an upcoming recording project featuring a recently co-composed work by acclaimed duo Flutronix (Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull). Joining Flutronix is Chicago’s leading chamber orchestra, the Chicago Sinfonietta (Mei-Ann Chen, Music Director). Black Being explores the black female experience in an evening-length music performance. For this immersive electroacoustic presentation the Flutronix duo set newly commissioned text by North Carolina poet laureate Jaki Shelton Green. Through themes of strength, sacrifice, beauty, fear, and survival, Black Being gives voice to the complexities of Black womanhood and provides a musical lens into black female cultural realities and conditions.

On the importance of recording this work, Joachim says:

“This project is a revolutionary opportunity and serves as a bold statement, by using the symphony orchestra, which is the pinnacle of western classical music … to elevate and celebrate Black women.”

Flutronix’s concert premiere of Black Being was lauded by the Chicago Tribune as “the most stunning live performance” and listed among Chicago’s Top 10 Classical Music shows of 2021. In 2022, the duo premiered the large-scale adaptation of the work (the version to be featured on this recording) with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mei-Ann Chen. Cedille looks forward to recording and releasing this project next year. Stay tuned for more updates!