Crossing Borders Music supports its communities by creating programs in direct response to their stated needs and aspirations. We were founded to address a community-identified need—better representation of Haitians in the media after the 2010 earthquake. This community-guided model continues to define our work.
Since 2011, CBM has shared stories and music of people from suppressed cultural backgrounds. We’ve particularly focused on highlighting diverse cultural identities overlooked and suppressed in Western classical music. Our performances reflect our values of inclusion, affirmation, responsibility, and diversity, telling stories that mainstream programs do not. Always, we represent people as they want to be represented. By celebrating artistic accomplishments and highlighting multi-dimensional, honest, informed, and positive representations of a culture, we challenge stereotypes and affirm and uplift our communities.
CBM’s work is rooted in community dialogue; our programs are created directly in response to what community members say they want from us. We work in long-lasting partnerships with organizations with aligned values representing diverse communities. Through ongoing dialogue, we make sure our programs remain community-driven, culturally informed, impactful, and relevant.
Our artistic programs amplify voices seeking justice, peace, and healing.
Text-only version:
We are inclusive, affirming, responsible, and value diversity in all we do.
Inclusive:
● We are community-minded.
● We support all our stakeholders: under-represented communities, composers, audiences, performers, funders, the Chicago area, and the larger world.
Affirming:
● We are bold. We focus on cultures that are poorly understood and we challenge preconceptions.
● We are kind; we support each other.
● We are respectful; we represent people as they want to be represented.
Responsible:
● We have a growth mindset: we strive for excellence and growth in all we do.
● We are transparent and sustainable.
● We measure our impact using both numbers and feelings.
Diverse:
● We welcome people of all backgrounds – any age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, class, and ability.
● We embrace diverse perspectives, even when they seem to be in conflict.
● We continue to expand and deepen our relationships with diverse communities and expand and diversify our musical repertoire.