BY CHRISTOPHER WAINWRIGHT
One of our nation’s leading presenters of chamber music Musica Viva is about to break new ground by touring the four-time Grammy-winning new music sextet Eighth Blackbird. As part of this tour, which runs until March, the group will combine music from its prize-winning albums Filament and Hand Eye with a world premiere by Sydney composer Holly Harrison.
In between a busy schedule of lectures, performances and travel, we had a chat with Eighth Blackbird flautist Nathalie Joachim. Nathalie regularly combines her exceptional performance skill as a flautist with her creative talents as a composer, producer and singer, navigating genres ranging from classical and jazz to indie-rock and electronic. She was recently appointed flautist of the ensemble and is also a co-founder of the critically acclaimed urban art pop duo Flutronix.
Why did you decide to join Eighth Blackbird?
At the time that I was approached to audition for the group, I was looking for a new chamber music home, so to speak. I had projects lined up for a few seasons as a composer that satiated that aspect of my creative hunger; and I also had some wonderful projects lined up with my band Flutronix, that satiated that aspect of my creative hunger. Combined with my commitment to music education (I am the Director of Contemporary Chamber Music at the Perlman Music Program), I was feeling pretty well satisfied in my career, but there was a big hole where chamber music was concerned, and I hadn’t found quite the right fit for it. Next thing I knew, an email from Lisa Kaplan, Eighth Blackbird’s pianist, appeared in my inbox, and auditioning for Eighth Blackbird was a once in a lifetime opportunity I knew I couldn’t pass up. I had been a fan of the group’s work for many years, and understood that it would be a privilege to perform with them. But nothing prepared me for how perfect of a fit it was when I finally did play with them. And I guess the feeling was mutual, because here I am!
Eighth Blackbird is renowned for breaking new ground. To help our readers who might like to increase the innovation in their own ensemble activities, I wonder if you can describe what an Eighth Blackbird rehearsal is like?
Our rehearsals are very structured and efficient. We spend a lot of time on the road performing, so we really value and plan for every moment of rehearsal time that we are afforded. We are constantly looking ahead at what repertoire we need to prepare, and often begin that work seasons in advance of the performance. I don’t think that makes us innovative, I think it just makes us good at what we do. To me, what makes us innovative is that we are always seeking new partnerships with composers and artists who have strong and unique voices, and we spend a lot of time working to make the commissioning process collaborative with them. That results in great people making meaningful work with one another, and audiences do appreciate that.
What is it like to choose repertoire and commissions via a democratic process?
It’s actually wonderful! We are six unique individuals with a very wide network of talented colleagues, and six sets of ears that are open and always searching for musical points of view that intrigue us. When any of us stumbles upon work that we think is interesting, our first step is to begin to develop relationships with the composers and artists creating that work. Those relationships are the seeds for deep collaboration, and as those relationships grow, we bring those collaborative ideas to the ensemble and it’s really very easy to get on board! We trust each other’s instincts, and we generally work with composers who are interested in writing not just for our instruments, but us as individuals. We don’t let program needs dictate our repertoire choices, instead we let our connections guide us to developing great work that we find a place for in our curatorial process.
What are the additional challenges as a performer to include theatrical elements to your performance?
To me, theatrical elements don’t add challenges as a performer. They add challenges to production schedules, timelines, budgets; logistical challenges, that aren’t present when simply putting on a recital or concert. But it makes for a deeply engaging experience as a performer.
How were the works for the Australian tour chosen?
This was a real collaboration between the presenter and the ensemble, which is not always the case. We presented a few iterations of programs that we felt could work for this tour, and after a bit of back and forth, we were able to land on a program that felt great to the ensemble and the presenter. Our pairing with composer Holly Harrison was also unusual in that we don’t have a prior relationship with her, but we’ve had a chance to dive into her piece recently, and it fits like a glove! We are really excited to premiere it during this tour!
How did you become interested as a flautist in pushing boundaries in your practice by blending diverse musical styles, electronics and voice?
This was actually a fairly natural progression for me. When I was a child, I loved three things: playing the flute, singing (particularly with my grandmother and mother) and listening to as much electronic music as I could get my hands on. The soundtrack of my childhood was Roni Size, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Jean Pierre Rampal, Marcel Moyse, Julius Baker, and the songs that my grandmother and I would write together. So, it seems pretty inevitable that I eventually combined all of those things to make what is a very happy creative space for myself.
With your artistic practice in the United States, what do you feel will be the impact on your music making of American President Donald Trump?
On the night of the inauguration, I actually performed at an event in New York City called the Anti-Inaugural Ball. It was a gathering of artists performing in support of organisations that we ultimately need to protect our civil liberties, access to health care and education, racial and religious equality, and women’s rights. It was an incredible event to take part in, and I felt compelled to speak prior to performing. I’ll paraphrase here what I said that evening, which is that some of the greatest artistic movements historically have risen from some of the most trying times in our world. And I do believe that this will be no different. It is our responsibility as artists to embrace and support our beautifully diverse community with open discussion addressing diversity and inclusion, and with work that carries messages of great meaning to the audiences that we interact with daily. It is our duty to be vocal and active and to continually work toward change, because our lives depend on it. I believe that we can effect change socially, politically and otherwise, with our artistic work if we commit ourselves to that cause. My hope is to see communities of artists across the world taking this charge. I certainly intend to.
If you were about to graduate in music, what advice would you give to a passionate new music performer?
Ask yourself one question: can you see yourself doing anything else with your life that isn’t being a musician? If the answer is yes, then this is most likely not the life for you. People often ask me how I decided to become a musician, and my answer is honestly that it never occurred to me to do anything else, because this is all my heart desired to do. To be an artist is to commit to work that is both exhausting and often thankless. To be an artist is to live and breath your work, every moment of your life, through good times and bad – and there will be bad times, many of them, among the good. But at the core of your work has to be an undying dedication and gratitude for work that, though unnoticed, means everything to you. If you feel this way about your creative work, then do go forward, and do create, and never give up the search for renewed forms of expression. This commitment will lead you to putting forth work that was created with conviction, and that is often what makes audiences experience art as good. In my experience, if it is in you to commit in this way, it really is very much worth it.
Eighth Blackbird will tour to Perth, Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle, Brisbane and Adelaide. For further information, visit www.musicaviva.com.au/eighth-blackbird. The Perth concert is presented in association with the Perth International Arts Festival, and Adelaide concert in association with the Adelaide Festival.
Images supplied. Credit: Saverio Truglia.
