AfriClassical Futures: Caitlin Edwards & John Bitoy's Modern Roots with Gabrielle Lochard

AfriClassical Futures Overview

• 💡 The event features Caitlin Edwards and John Bitoy presenting "Modern Roots," alongside a solo set by Gabrielle Lochard.
• 📌 The program explores contemporary classical music by Black composers, blending acoustic and digital sound worlds.
• 🚀 It highlights diverse aesthetic approaches, cultural perspectives, and compositional techniques within the classical landscape.

Gabrielle Lochard's Artistic Journey

• 🧠 Gabrielle Lochard's set weaves opera and classical music with jazz and folk, viewing performance as an act of spirituality and collective liberation.
• 💡 Inspired by Nina Simone's trajectory from classical pianist to powerful composer, navigating racism and artistic pivots.
• 🔬 Lochard engages with classical scores as "time machines" and "time capsules," connecting them to West African spiritual mathematics and Black free jazz traditions of liberation and time travel.
• 🌱 Challenges the concept of "mistakes" in imperial training, embracing improvisation and battling shame in classical piano performance.

Modern Roots: A Diverse Program

• 🎻 Caitlin Edwards (violinist) and John Bitoy (pianist) present "Modern Roots," bridging acoustic traditions with live electronics and groove.
• 🎶 The program showcases works by Black composers including James Sanders, Jessie Montgomery, James Lee III, Richard Smallwood, David Baker, Joy Gry, Nathalie Joachim, and Julius Eastman.
• 🌍 Pieces like James Lee III's "Lost Treasures" draw from Ethiopian tetrachords, while Nathalie Joachim's "Watch Over Us" samples an Islamic call to worship.
• ✅ Richard Smallwood's "Angels" highlights gospel as American classical music, emphasizing its inclusion alongside jazz, rock, and soul.

Roots, Collaboration, and Artistic Freedom

• 🌳 Artists discuss their "roots": Caitlin's gospel and Chicago's Black music history, John's influence from collaborators, and Gabrielle's nomadic Creole identity.
• 🤝 Collaboration is key, with artists seeking partners who offer desired qualities, good vibes, and mutual listening.
• ✊ Performing is an act of protest against preconceived notions, especially for Black musicians in classical spaces, embracing authentic self-expression.
• ⚡ The artists emphasize the liberating feeling of improvisation, moving beyond the exactness of traditional classical training.

The Evolving Role of Classical Music

• 🔍 Gabrielle views engaging with classical ancestors (including European) as a complex spiritual discussion, challenging cruel colonial purposes.
• 🧘‍♀️ The practice involves slowing down and realizing there's nothing to prove, fostering a "moving meditation" in performance.
• 🎯 John emphasizes committing to the moment and trusting the artistic process, even if it deviates from a plan.
• ✨ The ultimate goal is sharing music and fostering relationships, with improvisation seen as a magical source of discovery and connection.