Nicole Mitchell
"Niki Mitchell"

"One of Chicago's more inspiring jazz visionaries, " (Chicago Tribune), Nicole Mitchell is a creative instrumentalist, composer, bandleader and an educator. With her ensembles, and as a featured flutist, Mitchell been a highlight at festivals in international cities including Milan, Rome, Verona, Paris, Montreal, Beirut, Moscow, Chicago and Munich. Co-president and of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), Nicole Mitchell explores new sounds and creative techniques as a flutist and as a composer. Mitchell was honored to be charted #1 in Downbeat magazine Critic’s Poll for Rising Star Flutist 2005.

Bandleader

Black Earth Ensemble (BEE), founded by Mitchell in 1997, is a forum for her compositions and creative vision. BEE is a multi-genre, multi-generational celebration of the African American cultural legacy. Black Earth Ensemble has performed at international festivals including the Sons d'hiver Festival (Paris), Guelph Festival (Canada), Kerava Jazz Festival (Finland) and Nouve Forme Festival (Verona). With Black Earth Ensemble, Mitchell has recorded three critically acclaimed CDs: Vision Quest, Afrika Rising and Hope, Future and Destiny.

Flute Soloist

In December 2005, Nicole Mitchell performed a special duo concert with pianist Muhal Richard Abrams in celebration of the AACM's 40th Anniversary in Chicago. Ms. Mitchell performed as a soloist with composer George E. Lewis and the International Composer's and Improvisers Ensemble (2003) in Munich, Germany. In Chicago, Mitchell has also been a featured soloist with Chicago's CUBE Ensemble, University of Chicago's Jazz X-Tet, the New Black Repertory Ensemble of Columbia College and the Orbert Davis' Chicago Jazz Philharmonic.

Composer

As a composer, Nicole Mitchell recently won the Illinois Arts Council grant for music composition (2005, 2002). In November 2003, Mitchell unveiled Vision Quest: Hope, Future and Destiny (VQ), a multi-dimensional community project featuring Black Earth Ensemble and a cast of over fifty people in dance, video, acting with live music. This major project was sponsored by the Jazz Institute of Chicago through the support of the Illinois Arts Council.

Additional Projects

Mitchell currently directs other projects which include: Black Earth Strings (acoustic string quartet), Tindanga Mama (an multi-generational, all-woman ensemble) and the Aaya Sensation (a group showcasing the talents of Mitchell's 12-year old daughter). In addition to her own projects, she performs with the Mitchell/Wilkerson Quartet (with Ed Wilkerson Jr., Arveeayl Ra and Harrison Bankhead), the Indigo Trio (with Hamid Drake and Harrison Bankhead), the Exploding Star Orchestra (project of Rob Mazurek), the Orbert Davis Jazz Philharmonic, the New Black Reperatory Ensemble (of Columbia College), the Great Black Music Ensemble (of the Chicago AACM) and the David Boykin Expanse (with David Boykin, Josh Abrams, Jim Baker and Mike Reed). Mitchell is looking forward to performing in Anthony Braxton's 12tet at the Iridium in New York this spring.

Educator

Mitchell has also done a variety of residencies, workshops and panel discussions in Europe and the U.S. with a focus on creative music. In 2005, she was on faculty for the Vancouver Creative Music Institute (Canada) and the Sherwood Flute Institute (Chicago). Mitchell will return to Vancouver in June 2006 to work with a large ensemble of talented high school musicians and lead their performance at the Vancouver Jazz Festival. Mitchell is an adjunct professor of flute at Chicago State University, and part-time music faculty for Northeastern Illinois University at the Center for Inner City Studies and Northern Illinois University. Mitchell enjoys sharing music with children in the Chicago Public Schools through support of Ravinia Festival Organization. Nicole Mitchell is currently Co-President of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM).