Seeking liberation and collective well-being with nature's guidance through music/art/words/gardens.
Seeking liberation and collective well-being with nature's guidance through music/art/words/gardens.
Video of flutist Nicole Mitchell performing with friends and surrounded by nature.
Humanity’s gift is that we can nurture thought-seedlings in life’s garden and re-design our lives with positive intent. Space and time bend to co-create with us. Nicole Mitchell
The Mandorla Letters
Green Lantern Press and University of Minnesota Press 2022
in search of collective well-being
Fusing a utopian world with our, arguably, dystopian one, The Mandorla Letters examines societal problems rooted in power imbalances (racism, homophobia, climate change, limited access to food and education for a critical mass of people, limited economic opportunities, etc.) while showing how our imaginations can be tools to manifest change—actively engaging with hope-filled solutions. — Chicago Review of Books
Anyone who has actively sought out books that address our societal problems will find The Mandorla Letters goes far beyond simply naming these problems—it actively engages in solutions. And it does so more compellingly, and convincingly, because its form is so imaginative, as if illustrating what is possible if we tap into our creative potential. In this way, The Mandorla Letters reads like a guidepost for anyone feeling disillusioned by this country’s current state of affairs—which should be all of us—and offers a path to a world that shouldn’t be utopian: one where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. — Chicago Review of Books
Nicole Mitchell Gantt has penned an Afrofuturist masterwork, unearthing her musical lens and process through a multi-voiced narrative that invokes cosmic identity. a nonlinear weaving, she maps her imagination through the prism of critical thought, experience, and ancestral inspirations that brings her music to life. this is a must-read for those seeking to understand the star seeds through which Black Experimental Music and creativity at large is born. — Ytasha Womack.
Endless Possibilities
Black Earth Ensemble (BEE)
iBlack Earth Ensemble (BEE) is a musical celebration of the African American cultural legacy. Founded and directed by creative flutist/composer Nicole Mitchell since 1998, BEE has performed in festivals and art venues throughout Europe, the United States and in South Africa. BEE’s music embraces the ancient past and paints visions of a positive future. The music is the weaving of swing, blues, avante garde jazz, bebop, African rhythms, Eastern modes and Western classical sounds. The name “Black Earth” was chosen to honor the source that our lives depend on—Mother Earth, and humanity’s mother—Mama Afrika. The purpose of BEE is to inspire the human spirit with thought-provoking beauty and to be a lab for endless possibilities that speak to the complexity of our times. As a woman-directed, gender-balanced, multiplicitious group, it touches a range of emotional spaces rarely expressed in a “jazz” setting. Black Earth's message is intended for audiences of all ages and backgrounds.
Black Earth Ensemble Projects
Portraits of Sonic Freedom; Guggenheim project; Premiered Unity Church, Charlottesville, 2025; Vision Festival, New York, 2025.
Radical Transformation: For Angela Davis; Commissioned by Chicago Humanities Festival; Premiered at Hermann Hall, IIT, Chicago 2025.
Bamako Chicago Sound System w Ballake Sissoko; 2nd Commission Works by Hyde Park Jazz Festival; Premiered at Hyde Park Jazz Festival Chicago 2017; Published FPE, Chicago 2024.
EarthSeed w Lisa E. Harris; Commissioned by Art Institute of Chicago, Premiered at Art Institute of Chicago 2017; Published FPE Chicago 2020.
Spider Web w Josh Kun; Commissioned by Clockshop. Premiered at Clockshop, Los Angeles 2019; Performed at Jefferson School/University of Virginia Charlottesville 2025.
Maroon Cloud; Commissioned by John Zorn Stone Series, Premiered National Sawdust, New York 2018; Published FPE Chicago 2018.
Mandorla Awakening II; Commissioned by the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art; Premiered Chicago MCA 2015; Published FPE Chicago 2017
Black Beyond: Nicole Mitchell and Ballake Sissoko; Commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture, Premiered at Royaumont, France 2014; Performed at Pôle Sud, Strausburg 2015;
Liberation Narratives w Haki R. Madhubuti; Commissioned by Jazz Institute of Chicago; Premiered La Follette Park, Chicago 2014; Published Black Earth Music, Third World Press Chicago 2017.
JAD: Life to the Fullest; Premiered Walker West Academy, Minneapolis 2015; Performed at Roulette, New York 2025.
JBM: Images Beyond; Premiered Studio 914, Chicago 2013; Performed at Disney’s RedCat Theater, Los Angeles 2023.
Intergalactic Beings; Commissioned by Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art; Premiered MCA Chicago 2010; Published FPE Chicago 2012.
Alpine Forest Suite featuring Ballake Sissoko; Commissioned by Manzoni Theater, Milan; Premiered at Manzoni Theater 2013.
Xenogenesis Suite: For Octavia Butler; Commissioned by Chamber Music America; Premiered at Vision Festival, New York 2008; Afrofuturist Festival Elastic Arts, Chicago 2019; Carnegie Hall, New York 2022; Published Firehouse 12 New Haven, 2008.
Honoring Grace: For Michelle Obama; Commissioned by Jazz Institute of Chicago; Premiered Spertus Museum, Chicago 2009; Performed at Hyde Park Jazz Festival
Black Unstoppable; Recorded Delmark, Chicago 2008.
Many Rivers Meet the Sea: For Alice Coltrane; Premiered at Millinium Park, Chicago 2007.
Hope, Future and Destiny; Commissioned by the Jazz Institute of Chicago; Premiered at Austin Town Hall 2003; Published Dreamtime, Chicago 2004.
Afrika Rising; Published Dreamtime, Chicago 2004.
Vision Quest; Published Dreamtime, Chicago 2001.
