Join Haiti-based artist Renette Désir for a traditional Vodou song workshop to learn and sing heritage rhythms as part of her Haiti X New York residency.

Saturday, November 2
3-5pm
Registration required | Limited Capacity

Renette Desir’s lifelong dedication to her country and its culture has produced unique and powerful collaborations with cultural icons including her mentor Yole Dérose, Jean-Claude Martineau, and Pierre Rigaud Chery. Strongly influenced by gospel songs she grew up singing, she is similarly drawn to the Jamaican reggae her brother made resound throughout their house. Later, her traditional dance practice with Haiti Tchaka Danse introduced her to the pantheon of Haitian folk rhythms. This diversity in genres undoubtedly shaped her music to reflect a style of her own. Désir recently released her third album, a collaboration with Fiorini titled “YO ANPIL”.

Haiti X New York (HXNY) is a program of week-long residencies that brings Haiti-based artists to New York to present their work and engage with Diaspora and broader NYC audiences.

Artists participate in workshops, panel discussions, and culminating presentations. HXNY narrows the physical and cultural distance between Haitians and Haitian-Americans and lends new insights to historical and current concerns of Haitians in and out of the Diaspora. At the same time, the program introduces New York audiences to Haitian artists with whom they may not be familiar.