THE WORLD'S BEST NEW MUSIC
ALBUM OF THE DAY
2 MARCH 2026
Black Being
FLUTRONIX - NATHALIE JOACHIM & ALLISON LOGGINS-HULL WITH CHICAGO SINFONIETTA, MEI-ANN CHEN
Released 13 February 2026
Cedille Records
****-
A four-movement song cycle for flutes, electronics, voice, and chamber orchestra that explores and reclaims the Black female experience.
Flutronix, the forward-thinking duo of Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull, are the creatives responsible for Black Being, a four-movement song cycle for flutes, electronics, voice, and chamber orchestra that explores and reclaims the Black female experience.
Originally introduced in a small-scale version at the Arts Club of Chicago in 2021, Black Being received its chamber orchestra premiere with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (a co-commissioner with the Chicago Sinfonietta) in April 2022.
Nathalie Joachim who is described as “a fresh and invigorating cross-cultural voice” (The Nation), and a “powerhouse” (The Washington Post) performs alongside fellow flautist Loggins-Hull, and backed by the the Chicago Sinfonietta under the direction of Mei-Ann Chen.
Praised at its premiere as “the most stunning live performance” and named among the Top 10 Classical Music Events of 2021 by the Chicago Tribune, the work incorporates evocative poetry by North Carolina Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green, revealing facets of the collaborators’ lives rarely shared within a classical-concert frame.
The opening movement, “Angels,” reflects on the terror and confusion of the American slave trade, its atmosphere shaped by looping flute textures and Joachim’s vocoder recitations. The second movement, “Water Babies,” casts harrowing light on those thrown overboard from slave ships.
A nostalgic shift arrives with “Moon Pies and Stardust,” a meditation on the comfort and memory of shared space with loved ones.
The cycle concludes with “Black Lights,” an iterative finale that rises from the weight of the journey to affirm the breadth and radiance of Black womanhood across eras.
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