Performed by baritone Jean Bernard Cerin, soprano Michele Kennedy, and keyboardist Nicholas Mathew, LISETTE traces the three-century journey of Lisette quitté la plaine, the earliest known Haitian Creole song text, following its evolution across Haiti, France, and the United States.
Originating in colonial Saint-Domingue, the song traveled through salons, abolitionist networks, Creole homes, and concert stages, taking on new meanings in each setting. This Navona Records release on April 10 brings together multiple historical versions alongside contemporary interpretations, performed with both period and modern instruments to reflect music shaped by migration, displacement, and cultural exchange.
Learn more and listen here.
