Nicole Mitchell

Nicole M. Mitchell is an award-winning creative flutist, composer, bandleader and educator. Repeatedly awarded “Top Flutist of the Year” by Downbeat Magazine, Mitchell emerged from Chicago’s innovative music scene in the late 90s with groups like Samana and EXPANSE. She is the founder of Black Earth Ensemble and creates “visionary worlds through music that bridge the familiar with the unknown.” Mitchell has been commissioned by the French Ministry of Culture, the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art, Art Institute of Chicago, and Chamber Music America (New Works) and has performed with luminaries such as Craig Taborn, Roscoe Mitchell, Joelle Leandre, Anthony Braxton, and Hamid Drake. She is a recipient of the Herb Alpert Award (2011), Doris Duke Artist Award (2012) and United States Artist Award (2020). Mitchell is a Professor of Music at the University of Virginia, and previously taught at University of California Irvine and the University of Pittsburgh.