Crossing Borders Music

Cambodian Music of Life and Healing - UIC performance and masterclass
2019-10-18 14:00 - 15:50 (America/Chicago) | The Illinois Room, Floor 3 of Student Center East, University of Illinois at Chicago, 750 S. Halsted St., Chicago, 60607, United States
University of Illinois-Chicago presents music from the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial and Crossing Borders Music collaboration, “Cambodian Music of Life and Healing!” This short performance will feature music celebrating the living tradition of Cambodian arts, and the event will also include a masterclass for UIC students.
This program is sponsored by the University of Illinois-Chicago.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Cambodian Music of Life and Healing
2019-10-06 14:00 - 15:30 | Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
With the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, Crossing Borders Music presents Cambodian Music of Life and Healing, with music celebrating the living tradition of Cambodian arts. Under the Khmer Rouge, most Cambodian artists were killed. After, Cambodians made heroic efforts to find living artists to pass along the traditional art forms. This life-affirming performance will showcase National Cambodian Heritage Museum resident artist Punisa Pov, who was taught by genocide survivors. Crossing Borders Music will perform Spiral X (“In Memoriam”) for amplified string quartet by Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung (b. 1942), inspired by the traditional art forms and honoring the genocide victims. The concert will conclude with an uplifting musical collaboration between Pov and the Crossing Borders Music string quartet.
The performance will take place in the Claudia Cassidy Theater at the Chicago Cultural Center and is free and open to the public.
The performance is the second in Crossing Borders Music’s six-concert series “Choosing Life and Freedom,” featuring music by composers who responded to terrible tragedies with music affirming life and to oppression with music affirming freedom. The program is a part of Inherit Chicago, the Chicago Cultural Alliance’s citywide, intercultural festival of art, ideas, and performance.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Chicago Cultural Alliance.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
This program is partially supported by a grant from Puffin Foundation West.

World Dumpling Fest!
2019-09-29 13:00 - 13:20 | Polk Brothers Park at Navy Pier, 600 East Grand Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611, United States
The National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial joins Crossing Borders Music to perform at the Chicago Cultural Alliance’s World Dumpling Fest! Find out what Cambodian percussion and European strings sound like when they play together! In addition to 1PM, there will be a 15-minute performance starting at 2:30PM.
World Dumpling Fest will feature dumplings of the world from Chicago’s best ethnic restaurants, cultural performances, and activities.
This performance will be a sneak peak of upcoming performances of “Cambodian Music of Life and Healing,” part of the month-long festival Inherit Chicago.
This all-ages event is FREE to the public, but if you want dumplings, buy your tickets today!

Music and Stories Around the World
2019-08-03 15:00 - 16:00 | Homan Square Park, 3559 W Arthington, Chicago, IL, 60624, United States
“Music and Stories Around the World” celebrates music for strings by composers from all around the world! This totally unique, brand new, family-friendly program shares music and stories from Armenia, the Chickasaw Nation, Haiti, Peru, Iran, Taiwan, Uganda, and the US!
Learn the story of legendary Armenian composer, music educator, and ethnomusicologist Komitas, and then hear his music performed by string quartet. Learn the proud tradition of the Afro-Peruvian Hatajo de Negritos dance, then hear its music. Learn the story of the Andean miners that accompanied the original version of “El Condor Pasa” by Peruvian composer Daniel Robles, then hear the piece in its original version. Learn about Chicago’s Haitian founder Jean Baptise Pointe du Sable, then hear Haitian composer Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ musical tribute to him. Learn how Chicago south-sider Florence Price became the first African-American woman to have a work performed by a major symphony, then hear her contrapuntal arrangements African-American and other American folk songs. Hear how Taiwanese used music to keep their spirits strong after World War II, then hear the resilient song they sang. Don’t miss this unique, uplifting, and inspiring performance!
“Music and Stories Around the World” is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan. Now in its 7th year, the 2019 Night Out in the Parks series will host over 2,000 cultural events and programs at more than 250 neighborhood parks throughout the city, making community parks a safe haven and hubs of activity. Projects vary from traditional performances and concerts, to peace rallies, community workshops, nature-based programs, dance performances, festivals, site specific projects, and more. The Chicago Park District has partnered with more than 140 arts and community organizations to expand and produce this citywide initiative.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Music and Stories Around the World
2019-07-27 15:00 - 16:00 | Roberts Square Park, 5200 W Argyle, Chicago, IL, 60630, United States
“Music and Stories Around the World” celebrates music for strings by composers from all around the world! This totally unique, brand new, family-friendly program shares music and stories from Armenia, the Chickasaw Nation, Haiti, Peru, Iran, Taiwan, Uganda, and the US!
Learn the story of legendary Armenian composer, music educator, and ethnomusicologist Komitas, and then hear his music performed by string quartet. Learn the proud tradition of the Afro-Peruvian Hatajo de Negritos dance, then hear its music. Learn the story of the Andean miners that accompanied the original version of “El Condor Pasa” by Peruvian composer Daniel Robles, then hear the piece in its original version. Learn about Chicago’s Haitian founder Jean Baptise Pointe du Sable, then hear Haitian composer Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ musical tribute to him. Learn how Chicago south-sider Florence Price became the first African-American woman to have a work performed by a major symphony, then hear her contrapuntal arrangements African-American and other American folk songs. Hear how Taiwanese used music to keep their spirits strong after World War II, then hear the resilient song they sang. Don’t miss this unique, uplifting, and inspiring performance!
This event will also take place at:
August 3, 3-4PM Homan Square Park
3559 W Arthington, Chicago 60624
“Music and Stories Around the World” is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan. Now in its 7th year, the 2019 Night Out in the Parks series will host over 2,000 cultural events and programs at more than 250 neighborhood parks throughout the city, making community parks a safe haven and hubs of activity. Projects vary from traditional performances and concerts, to peace rallies, community workshops, nature-based programs, dance performances, festivals, site specific projects, and more. The Chicago Park District has partnered with more than 140 arts and community organizations to expand and produce this citywide initiative.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Pages intimes: A Concert of Haitian Piano Music
2019-07-21 14:00 - 15:15 | Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
Hear music lost for over a century, and a world premiere performance, in this ground-breaking program of Haitian piano music by Crossing Borders Music pianist Marianne Parker! This event marks the official release of Marianne’s new CD of Haitian piano music! The performance launches Crossing Borders Music’s “Choosing Life and Freedom” series and the Chicago Cultural Center, featuring music by composers who responded to terrible tragedies with music affirming life and to oppression with music affirming freedom.
Repertoire:
Pages intimes by Edmond Saintonge
Elegie-Meringue by Edmond Saintonge
Quatre Danses by Ludovic Lamothe
Nocturne No. 1 by Carmen Brouard
Sonate folklorique by Emile Desamours
Arôme musical (Musical Fragrance) by Gifrants [WORLD PREMIERE ]
Free and open to the public
About the Music: Audiences will hear music lost for over a century, and a world premiere performance, in Pages intimes, a ground-breaking program of Haitian piano music performed by Crossing Borders Music pianist Marianne Parker. Founded on the largest and most successful revolution of enslaved people in history, Haiti’s independence was not recognized by other countries for decades. After, Haiti was still often not treated as an equal partner of other countries in the international community. In response, generations of Haitian composers wrote music to show Haitians were just as capable and talented as anyone else and, later, that African and Haitian themes were worthy of being celebrated in art music.
The program‘s namesake composition is the finely crafted, intensely emotional Page intimes by composer Edmond Saintonge. A prolific composer in his lifetime, Saintonge’s music became shrouded in obscurity after his death in 1907. The recent work of scholars Claude Dauphin and Robert Grenier, rediscovering and recreating Saintonge’s scores, makes this performance possible, bringing to life Saintonge’s music for the first time in over a century. Haitian composer Ludovic Lamothe (1882-1953), known as “Black Chopin” and “The Last of the Romantics,” infused the same lively Haitian méringue rhythms into his Quatre Danses (Four Dances). Carmen Brouard (1908-2005) was a well-regarded Haitian-Canadian composer, pianist, and music educator. She dedicated her impressionistic, colorful Nocturne No. 1 to one of her students. Emile Desamours‘ (b. 1941) Sonate folklorique celebrates women through the Haitian folk songs that are the basis of the work’s three movements. Finally, this concert includes the world premiere of Arôme musical (Musical Fragrance) by Haitian-American composer Gifrants. The piece uses the compositional technique Gifrants describes as “natif,” drawing extensively on the rhythms, melodies, and harmonies of Haitian musical traditions. The work testifies to a tradition that is not lost but growing still today.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Cello Around the World
2019-07-17 14:30 - 16:00 | Lake Forest Place, 1100 Pembridge Dr, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Crossing Borders Music founder, Tom Clowes, will perform solo cello music by composers from Haiti, Cambodia, Germany, Egypt, and Colombia.
The program will include Solace by Haitian-Canadian composer Gifrants, a transcription of the traditional Haitian melody Erzulie Malade (“Erzulie Is Sick”) by Haitian composer Werner Jaegerhuber, Khse Buon (“Four Strings”) by Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung, Variations on a Peddler’s Tune by Egyptian composer Gamal Abdel-Rahim, and music for solo cello by German composer JS Bach.
Free & Open to the Public

Music and Stories Around the World
2019-06-23 15:30 - 16:30 | Buttercup Park, 4901 N Sheridan, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
“Music and Stories Around the World” celebrates music for strings by composers from all around the world! This totally unique, brand new, family-friendly program shares music and stories from Armenia, the Chickasaw Nation, Haiti, Peru, Iran, Taiwan, Uganda, and the US!
Learn the story of legendary Armenian composer, music educator, and ethnomusicologist Komitas, and then hear his music performed by string quartet. Learn the proud tradition of the Afro-Peruvian Hatajo de Negritos dance, then hear its music. Learn the story of the Andean miners that accompanied the original version of “El Condor Pasa” by Peruvian composer Daniel Robles, then hear the piece in its original version. Learn about Chicago’s Haitian founder Jean Baptise Pointe du Sable, then hear Haitian composer Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ musical tribute to him. Learn how Chicago south-sider Florence Price became the first African-American woman to have a work performed by a major symphony, then hear her contrapuntal arrangements African-American and other American folk songs. Hear how Taiwanese used music to keep their spirits strong after World War II, then hear the resilient song they sang. Don’t miss this unique, uplifting, and inspiring performance!
This event will also take place at the following dates and locations:
July 27, 3-4PM Roberts Square Park
5200 W Argyle, Chicago 60630
August 3, 3-4PM Homan Square Park
3559 W Arthington, Chicago 60624
“Music and Stories Around the World” is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan. Now in its 7th year, the 2019 Night Out in the Parks series will host over 2,000 cultural events and programs at more than 250 neighborhood parks throughout the city, making community parks a safe haven and hubs of activity. Projects vary from traditional performances and concerts, to peace rallies, community workshops, nature-based programs, dance performances, festivals, site specific projects, and more. The Chicago Park District has partnered with more than 140 arts and community organizations to expand and produce this citywide initiative.
This event is supported in part by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Cello Around the World
2019-05-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Haitian American Museum of Chicago – HAMOC, 4654 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
In celebration of Haitian Flag Day, Crossing Borders Music founder Tom Clowes performs solo cello music by composers from Haiti, Cambodia, Germany, Egypt, and Colombia at the Haitian American Museum of Chicago. Said Clowes, “I wanted to volunteer my talents at the Haitian American Museum of Chicago to promote the great work they do exposing people to Haitian culture and beyond.”
The program will include Solace by Haitian-Canadian composer Gifrants, a transcription of the traditional Haitian melody Erzulie Malade (“Erzulie Is Sick”) by Haitian composer Werner Jaegerhuber, Khse Buon (“Four Strings”) by Cambodian-American composer Chinary Ung, Variations on a Peddler’s Tune by Egyptian composer Gamal Abdel-Rahim, and music for solo cello by German composer JS Bach.
Free-will donations for the Haitian American Museum of Chicago will be accepted.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

A Meeting of Two Seas: Migration Stories
2019-04-28 15:00 - 17:30 | 5850 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, Illinois 60637, 5850 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL, 60637
Following the groundbreaking performances of South Asian music, dance, and poetry offered these past two years at Rockefeller Chapel by a coalition of Hindu and Muslim students working to create a “meeting of two seas,” this year’s concert takes a new direction: celebrating the performance traditions that emerged from the movement and migration of diverse spiritual communities across South Asia, the Middle East, and Andalusia.
Join us for performances of Indian Jewish music alongside Hindu abhangs, compositions of Iranian Baha’i refugees, music of Jewish and Muslim composers from Andalusia, and more! Some of these pieces will be performed in the United States for the very first time.
Refreshments will be provided afterward. Free admission, open to all.
With Rasa Mahmoudian, violin, and Tom Clowes, cello
Presented by University of Chicago Spiritual Life, with the Hindu Student Sangam and Muslim Students Association.

African-American Women Composers: Looking Back and Looking Forward
2019-04-14 15:00 - 16:20 | Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St, Skokie, IL, 60077, United States
Honor the past and celebrate the future of African-American women composers as we share their unique perspectives and beautiful music in this concert for string quartet and piano. Florence Price was a trailblazing composer who lived on Chicago’s South Side. Her Five Folksongs in Counterpoint draw on both traditional spirituals and academic musical training from the New England Conservatory, which she managed to attend only by overcoming a ban on African-American admissions. The granddaughter of slaves and a graduate of Juilliard, Undine Smith-Moore’s Afro-American Suite similarly draws on spirituals as well as the composer’s formal music training to create unique settings of popular melodies. Elizabeth Baker’s Rain on the Cotton Fields explores the juxtaposition of African spiritual traditions emphasizing connection with the land with enslaved African Americans’ forced participation in worship services as performing musicians. Each movement of Brittany J Green’s Portraits draws inspiration from a different poem by the composer’s grandmother, exploring themes of longing, realization, uneasiness, reassurance, solemnity, exposure, bleakness, and beauty. Jordyn Davis’ What Have You Done (Who Are You?) rounds out a captivating program.
With Marianne Parker, piano; Rasa Mahmoudian and Kyle Dickson, violins; Sixto Franco, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello.
This event is free and open to the public.
This program is made possible in part by a grant from the American Music Project (americanmusicproject.net).

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Of Folk, Faith, and Fellowship: Exploring Chicago's African-American Women Composers
2019-04-07 14:00 - 15:30 | Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
Join pianist and scholar Samantha Ege in exploring the music and lives of four great composers! Florence Price and Margaret Bonds lived and composed on Chicago’s South Side during the remarkable artistic period of the Chicago Black Renaissance in the 1930s. Supported in their friendship in the midst of a thriving arts environment, these trail-blazing women created historic and ground-breaking compositions influenced by African-American folk melodies – especially spirituals. Ege also explores the remarkable music of contemporary composers Dolores White and Regina Harris Baiocchi, and how their friendship has supported them to become strong voices within a community of contemporary composers.
Samantha Ege has written detailed program notes for this program; read them here to learn about the music before you hear it!
The event will take place at Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center, and is free and open to the public.
The program includes:
Fantasie Negre by Florence Price
Azuretta by Regina Harris Baiocchi
Toccata by Dolores White
Sonata in E minor by Florence Price
Troubled Water by Margaret Bonds

This program is partially supported by a grant from Illinois Humanties.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

African-American Women Composers: Looking Back & Looking Forward | New Music Chicago Impromptu Fest!
2019-03-31 15:00 - 16:30 | Guarneri Hall, 11 E. Adams St., #350a, Chicago, IL, 60603, United States
Crossing Borders Music participates in the New Music Chicago Impromptu Fest 2019!
Honor the past and celebrate the future of African-American women composers as we share their unique perspectives and beautiful music in this concert for string quartet and piano.
Florence Price was a trailblazing composer who lived on Chicago’s South Side. Her Five Folksongs in Counterpoint draw on both traditional spirituals and academic musical training from the New England Conservatory, which she managed to attend only by overcoming a ban on African-American admissions. The granddaughter of slaves and a graduate of Juilliard, Undine Smith-Moore’s Afro-American Suite similarly draws on spirituals as well as the composer’s formal music training to create unique settings of popular melodies. Elizabeth Baker’s Rain on the Cotton Fields explores the juxtaposition of African spiritual traditions emphasizing connection with the land with enslaved African Americans’ forced participation in worship services as performing musicians. Each movement of Brittany J Green’s Portraits draws inspiration from a different poem by the composer’s grandmother, exploring themes of longing, realization, uneasiness, reassurance, solemnity, exposure, bleakness, and beauty. Jordyn Davis’ What Have You Done (Who Are You?) rounds out a captivating program.
With Marianne Parker, piano; Rasa Mahmoudian and Kyle Dickson, violins; Sixto Franco, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello.
Tickets are available online. $10 student tickets available.
This program made possible in part by a grant from the American Music Project (americanmusicproject.net).

This program is partially supported by a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Exploring Peru through Song and Dance
2019-03-17 15:00 - 16:15 | Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St, Skokie, IL, 60077, United States
Explore Peru’s rich history and culture through its songs, dances, and chamber music in this concert for string quartet and voice! Hear the yearning of oppressed miners seeking freedom as Peruvian tenor Luis Galvez sings the original version of “El condor pasa” by Daniel Alomía Robles. Learn how Chabuca Granda combined European, Andean, and – controversially – African influences and hear her vals criollo, or “Creole waltz,” titled “La flor de la canela” (“The Cinnamon Flower”), a beautiful and timeless classic. Hear the longing of Peruvians abroad yearning for their homeland in César Míro’s “Todos vuelven” “Everybody Returns”). Learn about the Afro-Peruvian song and dance Hatajo de Negritos, a Christian spiritual tradition that sustained spirits and fostered hope and resistance to slavery. Works by Armando Guevara Ochoa, Sadiel Cuentas, Kike Pinto Cárdenas, and more round out an exciting and uplifting program!
With Luis Galvez, voice; Caitlin Edwards and Rasa Mahmoudian, violins; Jay Pike, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello.
This event is free and open to the public.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Exploring Haitian Spirituality through Music
2019-02-23 13:00 - 13:30 | Milwaukee Art Museum, 700 N Art Museum Dr, Milwaukee, WI, 53202, United States
Explore the amazing and deep spirituality of Haiti in this unique performance of chamber music for string trio by Haitian composers! Learn how the spiritual beliefs of Haitian Vodou led to the founding of the world’s first black republic. Then hear how Haitian spirituality and Vodou music inspired Haitian composer Werner Jaegerhuber’s captivating Trio. Be stirred by Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ heart-felt testament of her deep Christian faith in her piece “Allo Seigneur” (“Hello Lord”). Then hear Fritz Bernardin’s arrangement of the timeless Haitian classic “Choucounne”!
The performance will take place in the Milwaukee Art Museum’s Haitian art collection, one of the largest collections in the region, and will help to interpret the artwork.
Performers are Caitlin Edwards, violin; Jay Pike, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello.
The performance is free after museum general admission.

First Blacks Chicago
2019-02-10 14:00 - 15:15 | Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
Hear the ground-breaking world premiere of music honoring the legacies of three black Chicago trailblazers: Chicago’s Haitian founder, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable; Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington; and the first black president, Barack Obama! The program includes the epic world premiere performances of music commissioned by Crossing Borders Music for the event, including the reflective “Nostalgia” by Jean “Rudy” Perrault, honoring DuSable; the incredible excitement of Gifrants’s “Fraternitas! Fraternitas! Dei Patris Nomine,” a musical tribute to Washington; and the elegance and beauty of Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ “La Cité,” a tribute to the legacy of DuSable. Hear too Perrault’s “Brother Malcolm” as he imagines, through music, a conversation between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King on the eve of the inauguration of Obama.
In addition to the world premiere performances honoring these towering historical figures, the event will showcase artwork by Chicago-based artists Amanda Sexton and Julio Cesar Montano Montenegro celebrating the three black pioneers, provided by the Haitian American Museum of Chicago.
This event will take place in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center and is free and open to the public.
Performers are Marianne Parker, piano; Caitlin Edwards and Kyle Dickson, violins; Jay Pike, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello.
First Blacks Chicago is a collaboration between Crossing Borders Music and the Haitian American Museum of Chicago.
The event is generously supported by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

First Blacks Chicago
2019-02-07 14:00 - 15:15 | Olive Harvey College – Bruce Cherry Theater, 10001 S Woodlawn Ave, Chicago, IL, 60628, United States
Hear the ground-breaking world premiere of music honoring the legacies of three black Chicago trailblazers: Chicago’s Haitian founder, Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable; Chicago’s first black mayor, Harold Washington; and the first black president, Barack Obama! The program includes the epic world premiere performances of music commissioned by Crossing Borders Music for the event, including the reflective “Nostalgia” by Rudy Perrault, honoring DuSable; the incredible excitement of Gi Frants’ “Fraternitas! Fraternitas! Dei Patris Nomine,” a musical tribute to Washington; and the elegance and beauty of Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ “La Cité,” a tribute to the legacy of DuSable. Hear too Perrault’s “Brother Malcolm” as he imagines, through music, a conversation between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King on the eve of the inauguration of Obama.

The event is free and open to the public.

First Blacks Chicago is a collaboration between Crossing Borders Music and the Haitian American Museum of Chicago-HAMOC.

The event is generously supported by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust.

This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency

This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Exploring Peru through Song and Dance
2019-01-11 19:00 - 20:15 | Global Citizenship Experience Lab School, 9 W Washington St, 4th Floor, Chicago, IL, 60602, United States
Explore Peru through its songs, dances, and chamber music in this concert for string quartet and voice!
Peruvian tenor Luis Galvez will sing favorite Peruvian songs including the original version of “El condor pasa” by Daniel Alomía Robles and “La flor de la canela” (“The Cinnamon Flower”) by Chabuca Granda.
Hear also “Manaña cuando me vaya” (“When I Leave Tomorrow”), the Afro-Peruvian Christmas dance Hatajo de Negritos, the Andean Passacalle “El Huascarán,” the Danza Peruana No. 8 by Armando Guevara Ochoa, and more!
With Carolina Gomez, voice; Caitlin Edwards and Rasa Mahmoudian, violin; Jay Pike, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello.
Suggested donation: $10 at the door
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Honoring Refugee Composers
2018-12-16 15:00 - 16:30 | Skokie Public Library, 5215 Oakton St, Skokie, IL, 60077, United States
Crossing Borders Music honors refugees around the world in this performance of music written by or about refugees! The program includes the “Refugees Anthem” by the composer Arian, who is a Syrian refugee currently living in China. Also presented will be string quartet arrangements of the beautiful Al Ayloughs and Shogher Jan by the famous Armenian composer Komitas, followed by Armenian composer Tatev Amiryan’s “Tristesse,” a homage to Komitas. In Amiryan’s piece she expresses Komitas’ pain and sorrow as the Armenian Genocide forced him from his home and caused him to suffer a mental breakdown as he lived in exile for the rest of his life. The program will also Ruth Schonthal’s String Quartet “In Memoriam Holocaust.” As an American Holocaust refugee, Schonthal spent much of her life avoiding writing music about the Holocaust so as not to trivialize it. Late in her life, she finally decided to write this piece to encourage its remembrance and memorialize its victims. Zvonimir Nagy’s exquisite “Fall, Leaves, Fall” and Miguel del Aguila’s exciting Presto II round out an intensely stirring program.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Music Sustains Us: Haitian and African-American Spiritual Music
2018-12-12 19:15 - 20:15 | Glacier Hills Senior Living, 1200 Earhart Rd, Ann Arbor, MI, 48105, United States
With Glacier Hills Senior Living, Crossing Borders Music shares Music Sustains Us: Haitian and African-American Spiritual Songs! Hear spiritual songs of Haitians and African-Americans provided solace, resilience, and strength in the face of oppression. These powerful traditional melodies have been arranged by keyboard, violin, and cello by composers Julio Racine and Samuel Coleridge Taylor.

Celebrating Resilience: Music by Iranian Bahá'ís
2018-11-11 15:00 - 16:15 | Presbyterian-Congregational Church, 214 Vaughn Ave, Ashland, WI, 54806, United States
With the Ashland Chamber Music Society, Crossing Borders Music shares this special concert shares music and stories of resilience of Bahá’í composers from Iran in the face of their government’s systematic persecution of members of the Bahá’í religion. Officially barred from attending college or university because of their religion, Iranian Bahá’ís and their Muslim supporters founded the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education, a grassroots school that holds classes in living rooms and basements. At this school, in the face of government raids and faculty imprisonment and disappearance, these brave musicians learned and taught music. This concert shares their stories and their music.
The Crossing Borders Music piano trio will perform works by composers including Nikan Milani, Badie Khaleghian, and Farid Javidan.
Read more about The Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education and hear Badie Khaleghian’s music here.

Crossing Borders Music at the Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade!
2018-10-20 18:00 - 20:00 | on State St. heading south from Lake to Van Buren, State and Lake, Chicago, IL, United States
Crossing Borders Music is excited to announce its participation with the Haitian American Museum of Chicago-HAMOC in Chicago’s Arts in the Dark Halloween Parade! Hear rara-inspired Haitian string quartets accompany Haitian dancers! See scores of Chicago artists exploring the magic of Halloween in this iconic annual Chicago event!
The parade will start on State Street heading south from Lake to Van Buren.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Celebrating Music from Syria and Egypt
2018-10-05 19:30 - 21:00 | Mount Prospect Public Library, 10 S Emerson St, Mount Prospect, IL, 60056, United States
Syrian and American musicians come together to celebrate music by composers from Syria and Egypt for the Mount Prospect Public Library’s Festival Night! The ensemble will present original works composed by Issam Rafea, Sufi-inspired violin solos by Abdo Dagher, and the violin-cello duo of Gamal Abdel-Rahim, whose music combines Egyptian modal scales, rhythms, and melodies with European-inspired harmonies.
Registration required!

Music Sustains Us: Haitian and African-American Spiritual Music
2018-09-30 14:00 - 15:00 | Buttercup Park, 4901 N Sheridan, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
With the Buttercup Park Advisory Council, Crossing Borders Music shares Music Sustains Us: Haitian and African-American Spiritual Songs! Hear spiritual songs of Haitians and African-Americans provided solace, resilience, and strength in the face of oppression. These powerful traditional melodies have been arranged by keyboard, violin, and cello by composers Julio Racine and Samuel Coleridge Taylor.

Residency at United World College of South East Asia
2018-09-17 08:00 - 2018-09-21 16:00 | United World College of Southeast Asia, 1 Tampines Street 73, 528704, Singapore
Crossing Borders Music will share its “Stories and Music of Resilience” in-school performances, work with K-12 students exploring music and its links to other important subjects and ideas, and perform “Music Sustains Us: Haitian and African-American Spiritual Music,” a concert for all ages featuring arrangements of Haitian and African-American spiritual music by composers Julio Racine and Samuel Coleridge Taylor for keyboard, violin, and cello.

Night Out in the Parks: Music and Stories of Resilience
2018-07-21 15:00 - 16:00 | Jesse White Community Center, 412 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
Crossing Borders Music, in association with the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks initiative, presents “Stories and Music of Resilience,” a program of string quartet music by composers from around the world! This family-friendly program features music by composers from Uganda, Argentina, the Soviet Union, the Chickasaw Nation, Iran, Taiwan, and the US. Each piece shares a unique story of resilience, whether in the face of personal loss, political oppression, or other people’s incorrect assumptions!

Night Out in the Parks: Music and Stories of Resilience
2018-07-20 18:30 - 19:30 | Chicago Park District Smith Park, 2526 W Grand Ave, Chicago

Night Out in the Parks: Music and Stories of Resilience
2018-07-13 18:30 - 19:30 | Buttercup Park, 4901 N Sheridan, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States

Honoring Refugee Composers
2018-06-21 19:15 - 20:30 | Plymouth Place Senior Living, 315 N La Grange Rd, La Grange Park, IL, 60526, United States
Crossing Borders Music honors refugees around the world in this performance of music written by or about refugees!
Hear the proud “Refugees Anthem” by Moutaz Arian. Be stirred by Tatev Amiryan’s “Tristesse,” a homage to the famous Armenian musician Komitas. The piece expresses Komitas’ pain and sorrow as the Armenian Genocide forced him from his home and caused him to suffer a mental breakdown as he lived in exile for the rest of his life. Hear Ruth Schonthal’s String Quartet “In Memoriam Holocaust.” As an American Holocaust refugee, Schonthal spent much of her life avoiding writing music about the Holocaust so as not to trivialize it. Late in her life, she finally decided to write this piece to encourage its remembrance and memorialize its victims. Mahdis Kashani’s “And the Moses Drowned” is written in memory of Aylan Kurdi and all children who have died in war. Mahdis says, “These children are innocent like Moses, but without any savior.” Zvonimir Nagy’s exquisite “Fall, Leaves, Fall” and Miguel del Aguila’s exciting Presto II round out an intensely stirring program.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

Artists of the Wall Festival 2018!
2018-06-17 12:00 - 13:00 | Tobey Prinz Beach Park, 1050 W. Pratt Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60626, United States
Crossing Borders Music plays at the Artists of the Wall Festival 2018! Join us as we celebrate musical stories of resilience in a performance of string quartet music by composers from around the world! The hour-long program features music by composers from Uganda, Argentina, the Soviet Union, the Chickasaw Nation, Iran, Taiwan, and the US. Each piece shares a unique story of resilience, whether in the face of personal loss, political oppression, or other people’s incorrect assumptions!
