NEW YORK TIMES: Classical: A Musical Reflection on Haitian Matriarchy
NEW YORK TIMES: Classical: A Musical Reflection on Haitian Matriarchy
BY WILLIAM ROBIN
“After her grandmother passed away in 2015, the Haitian-American musician Nathalie Joachim began contemplating how to honor her legacy in music. “In what ways did our voices connect with the voices of other Haitian women?” she later wrote. “What did our songs tell us about our past, and what might they mean for the future?”
A multitalented composer, flutist, and vocalist, Joachim created ‘Fanm d’Ayiti,’ which translates to ‘Women of Haiti,’ as an evening-length artistic exploration of matriarchy, drawing Haitian folk and popular traditions into the world of contemporary classical music.
Delicately entrancing songs for string quartet, flute, and electronics — led by Joachim’s powerful and unpretentious voice — alternate with recorded spoken interludes as well as the singing of a girls choir from Joachim’s family’s village. Released in August on New Amsterdam Records, the project arrives at Merkin Hall in Manhattan on Saturday, as part of the Ecstatic Music Festival, with Joachim joined by the intrepid Spekral Quartet.”