Crossing Borders Music

Streamable Learning: Cambodian Music: The Living Tradition
2022-05-11 12:30 - 13:30 (America/Chicago) | IL
In partnership with the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial and its Resident Artist Punisa Pov, Crossing Borders Music shares a program of newly arranged Cambodian songs, through which we’ll learn about Cambodian history, culture, and the rich, living tradition of Cambodian arts and music.
This educational livestream is for grades 6-12 students and teachers and open to all Chicago Public Schools teachers and students plus other Streamable Learning subscribers. Registration is required.
See all Crossing Borders Music Streamable Learning livestreams and register at https://www.streamablelearning.com/app/events/cbm/

First Blacks Chicago
2022-04-10 13:00 - 14:30 | Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube livestream
“First Blacks Chicago” is a celebration of Black Chicago trailblazers! “First Blacks Chicago” was created by the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC), and in 2019 HAMOC invited Crossing Borders Music’s participation in this ongoing historic project. Be among the first people to hear “Ogou Wa dè Zanj,” (“Ogou, King of Angels”), a new piece we commissioned of Jean Paul Coffy! Coffy is a former lead artist of Boukman Eksperyans, the Grammy-nominated, legendary Haitian roots music group, and he joins on piano!
Hear also the reflective “Nostalgia” by Rudy Perrault, honoring DuSable; the “natif” style of Gifrants’s “Fraternitas! Fraternitas! Dei Patris Nomine,” a musical tribute to Harold Washington; and the elegance and beauty of Sabrina C D Jean Louis’ “La Cité,” a tribute to the legacy of DuSable, and a piece prompted by the work of Chicago’s DuSable Heritage Association. Hear too Rudy Perrault’s “Brother Malcolm” as he imagines, through music, a conversation between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King in response to the inauguration of Barack Obama. Plus, hear the timeless Haitian classics “Ayiti Cheri,” “Choucoune,” and more!
We’re honored to announce that co-hosting the livestream will be Elsie Hector Hernandez, Founder and President of HAMOC! Learn more about HAMOC’s great work at https://hamoc.org/ And, DuSable Heritage Association President Etzer Cantave will join as a guest as well! Learn more about the DuSable Heritage Association at https://www.dusableheritage.com/
Featuring Marianne Parker; piano; Rasa Mahmoudian and Jennifer Leckie, violins; Seth Pae, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello; Aidan Kranz, cinematography; with special thanks to Thavary Krouch for her technical support.
This program is made possible in part by the Paul M Angell Family Foundation and City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Crossing Borders Music acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: a black and white Chicago Tribune photo of Mayor Harold Washington, the first African-American mayor of Chicago with his arms outstretched, wearing a suit and overcoat, leading a large, predominantly African-American crowd down a downtown Chicago street, with one person in the crowd holding a sign saying “Punch 9.” Washington and most people in the crowd are smiling.

Voices of the Proud: LGBT+ Composers
2022-03-27 13:00 - 14:30 | Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube livestream
On the Sunday before Transgender Day of Visibility, join us to celebrate LGBT+ culture with “Voices of the Proud: LGBT+ Composers”! The program features the beauty, love, grief, playfulness, creativity, and pride of music by LGBT+ artists chosen from a call for submissions.
This event will be broadcast live on the Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube channels.
Enjoy Xenia St. Charles Gilbert’s “How to Spot a Trans Woman According to My Neurosurgeon,” performed brilliantly by violist Seth Van Embden, along with the clever wordplay of a voiceover by the composer herself!
Tony Doubek’s “Mind Over Matter” is his own, brand new arrangement of the final movement what he calls his “3 movement piece depicting my experience living with Bipolar II” from his “collection of intensely personal pieces.” It is stunning, intensely beautiful, and hopeful.
Frida V. de la Sota’s “elegía de una pandemia” captures the stillness, mourning, and grief of the almost universal sense of loss during the pandemic.
The livestream will share the world premiere of Rylan Gleave’s “biomimicry” for piano quintet. Rylan took the idea of biomimicry, which he calls “the emulation of natural elements, for the purpose of solving complex human problems” and asks, “What if we apply this idea to music?”
Ethan Soledad’s lush and romantic “In effect it is this: that I love you” was “inspired by a love letter written by renowned WWI poet Wilfred Owen to his colonel, mentor, and fellow poet Siegfried Sassoon. Both literary legends were known for their raw depictions of the war in their poetry with Sassoon serving as a major influence to Owen’s own work. Both were also closeted homosexuals in a time and place where it was criminalized. Even so, the incredible bond the two formed during their time together is so evident in the unrelenting love and admiration that Owen exemplifies in this letter.”
Miguel del Aguila’s exciting and wild “Tamboreño” is a pandemic creation inspired by carnival parades in Miguel’s home town in Uruguay, with electric musical energy!
Leland Harris’s “In the Outside: Queer Dances” finds authentic joy in its playful rhythms!
Featuring Marianne Parker; piano; Jennifer Leckie and Rasa Mahmoudian, violins; Seth Van Embden, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello; Aidan Kranz, cinematography; with special thanks to Thavary Krouch for her technical support.
This program is made possible in part by the Paul M Angell Family Foundation and City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Crossing Borders Music acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: composer Ethan Gonzalez Soledad, sitting outside on a bench in a white button-down shirt and dark pants, posing with a hand behind his head. Photo credit Freddy Velasquez

Streamable Learning: Stories and Music of Resilience
2022-03-01 12:30 - 13:15 | IL
Crossing Borders Music celebrates musical stories of resilience in a performance of string quartet music by composers from around the world. This unique string quartet 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!
This educational livestream is for K-3 students and teachers and open to all Chicago Public Schools teachers and students plus other Streamable Learning subscribers. Registration is required.
See all Crossing Borders Music Streamable Learning livestreams and register at https://www.streamablelearning.com/app/events/cbm/

First Blacks Chicago
2022-02-07 19:30 - 21:00 | First Congregational Church of Dundee, 900 S 8th St, West Dundee, IL, 60118
Developed over three years with the Haitian American Museum of Chicago and DuSable Heritage Association, Chamber Music on the Fox presents this Crossing Borders Music program honoring Black Chicago trailblazers! The program features a brand new work commissioned of Jean Paul Coffy, a lead artist of the legendary, Grammy-nominated Boukman Eksperyans, featuring Coffy himself on piano! Plus, hear inspiring music by Haitian composers including La Cité by Sabrina C D Jean Louis, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music and the DuSable Heritage Association in honor of Chicago’s first non-native resident, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable; Fraternitas! Fraternitas! Dei Patris Nomine by Gifrants, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music in honor of Chicago’s first African-American mayor Harold Washington; and Brother Malcolm by Jean “Rudy” Perrault which imagines through music a conversation at the inauguration of Barack Obama between Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr!
Tickets available at: www.eventbrite.com/e/168277842557
Pictured: a bust of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable

Streamable Learning: What Makes Music Special? Part II: Music and Context
2022-01-26 12:30 - 13:15 | IL
What makes your favorite music “special”? Is it the music itself? The memory of when you first heard it? The context in which you hear it? How do our personal backgrounds affect how we hear music? How can music help us relate to others? This unique program, filled with “special” music from Cambodia, Taiwan, Colombia, and India, explores musical and non-musical elements that make music impactful.
This educational livestream is for grades 6-12 students and teachers and open to all Chicago Public Schools teachers and students plus other Streamable Learning subscribers. Registration is required.
See all Crossing Borders Music Streamable Learning livestreams and register at https://www.streamablelearning.com/app/events/cbm/

Streamable Learning: What Makes Music Special? Part I: Windows and Mirrors
2021-12-13 12:30 - 13:15 | IL
What makes your favorite music “special”? Is it the music itself? The memory of when you first heard it? The context in which you hear it? How do our personal backgrounds affect how we hear music? How can music help us relate to others? This unique program, filled with “special” music from Colombia, Haiti, the UK, and the U.S., explores musical and non-musical elements that make music impactful.
This educational livestream is for grades 6-12 students and teachers and open to all Chicago Public Schools teachers and students plus other Streamable Learning subscribers. Registration is required.
See all Crossing Borders Music Streamable Learning livestreams and register at https://www.streamablelearning.com/app/events/cbm/

"Reflections of the Arab World" livestream
2021-11-21 14:00 - 15:15 | Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube livestream
Watch a livestream of music for string quartet and ‘ūd from the Arab World with special guest, composer Tarek Younis! Crossing Borders Music musicians Rasa Mahmoudian and Tom Clowes will co-host the program which includes Tarek’s brand new “Journey 1” for string quartet, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music! The program also features the online premiere of Issa Boulos’s own brand new arrangements for string quartet and ‘ūd, featuring Issa himself. And, Rasa Mahmoudian’s brand new string quartet arrangement of the “International Refugees Anthem” by Syrian composer Arian Hu of Beijing, China! Works by American composer Mohammed Fairouz, Syrian-French composer Dia Succari, and the seldom-heard String Quartet op. 7 by the exceptional Lebanese composer Toufic Succar, performed off the score provided to Crossing Borders Music by his wife Nenna Bakhtanassar (épouse Succar). This is not a program to miss!
We’d like to honor the diversity of opinions regarding the term “Arab World,” or “Levant.” In particular, we honor Toufic Succar’s request to be known as a “Lebanese composer.”
Watch online on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/495686567132614/posts/4814422215259006/
or on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfnqzw2tQCU
Special thanks to Thavary Krouch for her technical support.
This program is made possible in part by the Paul M Angell Family Foundation and City of Chicago’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Crossing Borders Music acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: Issa Boulos in a white shirt before a black background, holding his ‘ūd in one hand and gesturing with his other raised hand to recognize the audience outside the picture’s frame

Reflections of the Arab World Livestream
2021-10-19 19:30 - 20:10 | YouTube livestream
New Music Chicago presents Crossing Borders Music in music for string quartet from the Arab World! The program marks the online premiere of a string quartet commissioned by Crossing Borders Music of Jordanian composer Tarek Younis! And, the online world premiere of Rasa Mahmoudian’s string quartet arrangement of the “International Refugees Anthem” by Syrian composer Arian Hu of Beijing, China! The program also includes works by American composer Mohammed Fairouz, Syrian-French composer Dia Succari, and the little-known String Quartet op. 7 by the exceptional Lebanese composer Toufic Succar, performed off the score provided to Crossing Borders Music by his wife Nenna Bakhtanassar (épouse Succar). This is not a program to miss!
We’d like to honor the diversity of opinions regarding the term “Arab World,” or “Levant.” In particular, we honor Toufic Succar’s request to be known specifically as a “Lebanese composer.”
Watch the livestream at: https://youtu.be/5EekVZww75Y
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This program is partially supported by a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Pictured: a black and white photo of Composer Tarek Younis composing indoors with a pen and paper seated at a table in front of a wall with three bright windows

We Walk: A North Lawndale Celebration of Black Community
2021-10-17 13:00 - 17:00 | Lawndale Pop-Up Spot, SW Corner of Douglas Blvd and Central Park Ave, Chicago, IL, 60623
Stroll through a cultural fair sponsored by the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC), Crossing Borders Music, the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot, and Art West!
This event features selected works from HAMOC’s traveling exhibit “We Walk” celebrating Black history and culture; music commissioned by Crossing Borders Music of Haitian composers celebrating Black Chicago trailblazers, with guest artist cellist Kailie Holliday who began her music studies at the Chicago West Community Music Center of East Garfield Park; local music artists The Book of Timothy; and activities for all led by artist Alexandra Antoine, Art West, and the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot!
Plus, free Haitian appetizers will be served!
Free and open to the public!
All CDC and Public Health Guidelines will be followed.
This event is part of Journey Chicago, a celebration of Chicago cultural heritage sponsored by 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 CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Pictured: Haitian composer Sabrina C D Jean Louis, who wrote a piece in honor of Jean-Baptiste Pointe duSable

Stories & Music for Healing
2021-10-09 16:00 - 17:30 | National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, 2831 W Lawrence Ave, Chicago, IL, 60625, United States
Please join us for an afternoon of storytelling, music and light refreshments.
The storytelling portion of this event is facilitated by Ada Cheng, who creates spaces for people to tell difficult and vulnerable stories. In addition to the healing act of storytelling, storytellers Celina Chin, Saroth Loeuk, and Pich Houy will sing traditional Cambodian songs accompanied by the voice and music of the Mahoary ensemble of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, and the Crossing Borders Music string quartet, using arrangements by Rasa Mahmoudian.
*RSVP required (limited admission: 30 guests).
*COVID-19 precautions: we request all attendees to present proof of vaccination. Photos of vaccination cards are accepted.
At the registration, we will check temperatures prior to entering the building.
Attendees are also expected to adhere to the following guidelines:
1. masks wearing
2. social distancing
3. keep hands clean with hand sanitizers
Light refreshments will be served outdoors.
Doors will open at 3:30pm.
RSVP at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/stories-music-for-healing-tickets-185558409197
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. This program is partially supported by a CityArts grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

Ear Taxi Festival: First Blacks Chicago
2021-10-04 13:00 - 13:45 | Kehrein Center of the Arts, 5628 W Washington, Chicago, IL, 60644
Crossing Borders Music is delighted to be part of the Mainstage Series of the New Music Chicago Ear Taxi Festival.
Developed over three years with the Haitian American Museum of Chicago and DuSable Heritage Association, this Crossing Borders Music program honors four Black Chicago trailblazers! The program shares music by four Haitian composers including “La Cité” by Sabrina C D Jean Louis, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music and the DuSable Heritage Association and written in honor in honor of Chicago’s first non-native resident, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable; “Fraternitas! Fraternitas! Dei Patris Nomine” by Gifrants, commissioned by Crossing Borders Music in honor of Chicago’s first African-American mayor Harold Washington; “Brother Malcolm” by Jean “Rudy” Perrault which imagines through music a conversation between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X upon the inauguration of Barack Obama; and the world premiere of a new work commissioned by Crossing Borders Music of Jean Paul Coffy, former lead artist of the legendary Haitian band Boukman Eksperyans, in honor of Lori Lightfoot as Chicago’s first African-American woman mayor!
The program looks at each figure through a historical lens rather than a political one.
Free and open to the public, but advanced registration is required: https://www.eartaxifestival.com/tickets
This event will also be livestreamed at https://youtu.be/Gh5iAIyqNVU.
This program is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
This program is partially supported by the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.
Pictured: Jean Paul Coffy in a red shirt before a white background

Reflections of the Arab World
2021-10-03 16:00 - 17:30 | First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights, 302 N Dunton Ave, Arlington Heights, IL, 60004
First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights presents Crossing Borders Music in music for string quartet and oud from the Arab World! The program features the special guest artist Palestinian/American ‘ūd player, composer, arranger, ethnomusicologist, and teacher Issa Boulos performing his own brand new arrangements for string quartet and ‘ūd! The program also marks the world premiere of a string quartet commissioned by Crossing Borders Music of Jordanian composer Tarek Younis! And, Rasa Mahmoudian’s world premiere string quartet arrangement of the “International Refugees Anthem” by Syrian composer Arian Hu of Beijing, China! Works by Egyptian composer Gamal Abdel Rahim, American composer Mohammed Fairouz, Syrian-French composer Dia Succari, and the little-known String Quartet op. 7 by the exceptional Lebanese composer Toufic Succar, performed off the score provided to Crossing Borders Music by his wife Nenna Bakhtanassar (épouse Succar). This is not a program to miss!
We’d like to honor the diversity of opinions regarding the term “Arab World,” or “Levant.” In particular, we honor Toufic Succar’s request to be known specifically as a “Lebanese composer.”
Free and open to the public! Join us!
This program is presented by the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights with support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: Issa Boulos in a white shirt before a black background, holding his ‘ūd in one hand and gesturing with his other raised hand to recognize the audience outside the picture’s frame, credit Issa Boulos

Family Concert: Stories and Music of Resilience
2021-09-29 19:00 - 19:50 | First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights, 302 N Dunton Ave, Arlington Heights, IL, 60004
Crossing Borders Music celebrates musical stories of resilience in a performance of string quartet music by composers from around the world. This unique 50-minute string quartet 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!
This program is young audience-friendly!
Free and open to the public
This program is presented by the First Presbyterian Church of Arlington Heights with support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: a cartoon drawing of children of diverse nationalities and ethnicities standing around a globe holding hands and smiling

We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community
2021-09-26 11:00 - 16:00 | Dawes Park, Dawes Park east of Sheridan Rd between Lake Street and Greenwood St (around1413 Sheridan Rd), Evanston, IL, 60201
Join the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC) and Crossing Borders Music for the one-day outdoor exhibition We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community. This community exhibition highlights the excellence and contributions of Black America in the local community and beyond. The event features exhibits curated by community partners on topics related to Black community, business, and culture.
Plus, a LIVE Crossing Borders Music concert of music by Black composers at 2PM. Featuring music by Haitian composers Sabrina C D Jean Louis and Rudy Perrault commissioned by Crossing Borders Music to honor Chicago’s Haitian founder/first non-Native settler Jean Baptiste Point DuSable!
Free and open to the public! Stroll through the exhibition with us!
Taking place at Dawes Park east of Sheridan Rd between Lake Street and Greenwood St (around1413 Sheridan Rd), Evanston, IL
All participants will follow CDC and Illinois Public Health guidelines.
This project is partially supported by a grant from the Evanston Arts Council, a city agency supported by the City of Evanston, and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency.
Pictured: Haitian composer Sabrina C D Jean Louis wearing beaded hoop earrings, a red and a black bead necklace, wearing a red top, brown bandana, sitting in a hand-carved wooden chair, smiling

Cambodian Mahori Ensemble with Crossing Borders Music
2021-09-25 11:00 - 12:00 | Morton Arboretum, 4100 IL-53, Lisle, IL, 60532
As part of the Morton Arboretum’s “Destination Asia” festival, hear traditional music of the Cambodian mahori ensemble plus new arrangements of traditional tunes with Crossing Borders Music! The mahori ensemble musicians of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial will be led by its Resident Artist Punisa Pov and joined by singers Pich Houy, Celina Chin, and Saroth Loeuk. Plus, hear a modern tribute to the centuries-old Khmer music tradition in new arrangements for mahori, singers, and Western string quartet, sensitively and beautifully arranged by Rasa Mahmoudian. A one-of-a-kind musical experience not to be missed!
The Morton Arboretum uses a timed entry system. Reservation information and purchase is available at https://buy.acmeticketing.com/events/480/list
This program is presented by the Morton Arboretum. Crossing Borders Music acknowledges the support of the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Image description: Cambodian mahori ensemble members standing with the Crossing Borders Music string quartet and the composer Dr. Chinary Ung, wearing a white scarf, following a 2019 performance

Stories and Music Around the World: Part 2
2021-06-16 11:30 - 12:30 | Online, https://streamablelearning.com/
Crossing Borders Music shares stories and chamber music by composers from around the world! Learn about the fundamentals of music, and then how hear composers from diverse backgrounds use them to tell their stories!
This event is part of a weekly series of online music programs for K-12 students and teachers with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, International Music Foundation, and Crossing Borders Music, hosted by StreamableLearning.com. The events are free and open to K-12 students and teachers. Advanced registration is required. This particular event is geared towards grades K-4.
Every weekly virtual concert in the series can be viewed at https://www.streamablelearning.com/app/events/performing-arts. The site also includes registration instructions, or you may register by e-mailing info@crossingbordersmusic.org from your school e-mail address by 9AM Central the day of the event with the subject line “Registration.”

Recovering the Art of Eustasio Rosales
2021-06-06 14:00 - 15:30 | Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube livestream
Be among the first living people to hear the rediscovered music of Eustasio Rosales, known as “Chicago’s first Hispanic composer!”
Eustasio Rosales (1875-1934) was a Colombian immigrant who came to Chicago seeking a better life. His music was celebrated in his lifetime, including in performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. After his death, though, his music has languished in storage in his grand-daughter’s basement in Oak Park, IL. So, together on a quest with Rosales’s great-grandson Arlen Parsa and Mulati Ensemble and Ortegon School of Music founder Johanna Ortegon, we dusted off the boxes of scores in the basement, and prepared to share some of the first performances of his string quartet, violin sonata, serenade for violin and piano, and two English language songs, sung by guest artist Mulati Ensemble soprano Carolina Gomez.
During the week before the event, Parsa and Crossing Borders Music will make available his “The Way to Andina,” a multi-award-winning funny documentary about Rosales and the journey to rediscover his music!
Parsa will co-host the livestream and be available to answer questions during the event.
The event will stream live on the Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube channels.
Marianne Parker, piano
Jennifer Leckie and Rasa Mahmoudian, violins
Jay Pike, viola
Tom Clowes, cello
Aidan Kranz, videography
Miyu Morita, sound engineer
This program is partially supported by a grant from Illinois Humanities.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.
Crossing Borders Music acknowledges support from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: a black and white photo of composer Eustasio Rosales

Stories and Music Around the World: Part 1
2021-05-19 11:30 - 12:30 | Online, https://streamablelearning.com/
Crossing Borders Music shares stories and chamber music by composers from around the world! Learn about the fundamentals of music, and then how hear composers from diverse backgrounds use them to tell their stories!
This event is part of a weekly series of online music programs for K-12 students and teachers with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, International Music Foundation, and Crossing Borders Music, hosted by StreamableLearning.com. The events are free and open to K-12 students and teachers. Advanced registration is required. This particular event is geared towards grades K-4.
Every weekly virtual concert in the series can be viewed at https://www.streamablelearning.com/…/performing-arts. The site also includes registration instructions, or you may register by e-mailing info@crossingbordersmusic.org from your school e-mail address by 9AM Central the day of the event with the subject line “Registration.”

Mother's Day Concert
2021-05-09 14:00 - 15:15 | IL
Join us for a Mother’s Day celebration including music by Odaline de la Martinez, Teresa Carreño, Parisa Sabet, and Florence Price! The program will be shared on the Crossing Borders Music Facebook and YouTube channels.

The program includes late 19th/early 20th century Venezuelan composer Teresa Carreño’s String Quartet, and the “Mi Teresita” waltz she wrote for her daughter. Carreño, a mother of three, was an internationally renowned soprano and concert pianist who performed with Gustav Mahler, Edvard Grieg, and other legends while touring across four continents.

We’ll also share movements 2+4 of Florence Price’s Piano Quintet. Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Price moved to Chicago, where, as a mother of three, she became an important contributor in Chicago’s Black Renaissance, and the first African-American woman to have a work performed by a major orchestra.

Hear also Odaline de la Martinez’s “Asonancias” for solo violin, performed by Crossing Borders Music violinist – and resident mother – Jennifer Leckie. Martinez, a Cuban-American composer and conductor currently living in the UK, is the first woman to have conducted a BBC Proms concert. She’s also a recipient of the Villa Lobos Medal, recognizing her championship of music by Brazilian composers.

Multi-award-winning composer Parisa Sabet’s refreshing trio “When the Roses Laugh in Full-blown Beauty” is inspired by the poet Rumi, who wrote, “That which God said to the rose, and caused it to laugh in full-blown beauty, He said to my heart, and made it a hundred times more beautiful.” Sabet shares that “her distinctive musical language springs from her Iranian roots, Western education, and passion for socially engaged arts” including efforts to “foster harmony among diverse people.”

Featuring Marianne Parker, piano; Jennifer Leckie and Rasa Mahmoudian, violins; Seth Pae, viola; and Tom Clowes, cello; with videography by Aidan Kranz and sound by Miyu Morita

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

Cover image: a black and white photo of Florence Price, a light-skinned Black woman wearing earrings and a dark dress, looking reflective in front of a background of handwritten music manuscript

Cambodian Day of Remembrance: Stories and Music for Healing
2021-04-17 16:00 - 17:15 | Crossing Borders Music and National Cambodian Heritage Museum Facebook and YouTube livestream
Cambodian Day of Remembrance commemorates those who lost their lives in the genocide while celebrating the resilience of Cambodian people.
Celena Chin, Saroth Loeuk, and Pich Houy share stories from their remarkable journeys from their childhood in Cambodia, their surviving the Cambodian Genocide, and their taking refuge and building new lives abroad, while singing songs of strength and healing. This Cambodian Day of Remembrance, we honor these women, their stories, and their voices. Please join us for this livestream event!
On April 17th, 1975, the Khmer Rouge, a notorious communist regime, took over Cambodia. During the next four years, more than two million people died from torture, hard labor, untreated illnesses and injuries, and starvation. Now, every year on April 17th, the Cambodian Day of Remembrance commemorates those who lost their lives in the genocide while celebrating the resilience of Cambodian people, whose journey is ongoing.
The storytelling is facilitated by Ada Cheng, who creates spaces for people to tell difficult and vulnerable stories.
In addition to the healing act of storytelling, Chin, Loeuk, and Houy will sing traditional Cambodian songs accompanied by the voice and roneat ak of Punisa Pov, Resident Artist of the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, and the Crossing Borders Music string quartet, using world premiere arrangements by Rasa Mahmoudian. Cambodian traditional music and arts were targeted for destruction by the Khmer Rouge; only 10% of Cambodian artists survived. In response, Arn Chorn-Pond founded the organization Cambodia Living Arts to save, revive, and promote Cambodian traditional arts by gathering surviving artists to teach younger generations. It was through these efforts that Punisa Pov learned traditional Cambodian music. In this way, the Cambodian music of the program directly reflects Cambodian resilience.
Featuring Punisa Pov, roneat ak; Rasa Mahmoudian and Jennifer Leckie, violins; Seth Pae, viola; Tom Clowes, cello; with Aidan Kranz, videography; and Miyu Morita, sound.
This collaborative program will be the subject of a short documentary by filmmaker Thavary Krouch.
Cambodian Day of Remembrance: Stories and Music for Healing is part of a collaboration between the singer/storytellers, the National Cambodian Heritage Museum and Killing Fields Memorial, Cambodian Association of Illinois, Ada Cheng, Thavary Krouch, and Crossing Borders Music. It is supported in part by the Albert Pick, Jr Fund, Illinois Humanities, the Asian Giving Circle of the Chicago Community Trust, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Image description: A lit white candle flame with black background
Photo credit: NCCo
**Event will live stream on YouTube and Facebook. Please follow our organizations on Facebook for updates to the livestream link:

https://www.facebook.com/cambodianmuseum
and
https://www.facebook.com/CrossingBordersMusic

What Makes Music Special? Part 2: Music and Context
2021-03-17 11:30 - 12:30 | IL
What makes your favorite music “special”? Is it the music itself? The memory of when you first heard it? The context in which you hear it? How do our personal backgrounds affect how we hear music? How can music help us relate to others? This unique program, filled with “special” music from Cambodia, Taiwan, Colombia, and India, explores musical and non-musical elements that make music impactful.
This event is part of a weekly series of online music programs for K-12 students and teachers with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, International Music Foundation, and Crossing Borders Music, hosted by StreamableLearning.com. The events are free and open to K-12 students and teachers. Advanced registration is required. This particular event is geared towards grades 6-12.
Every weekly virtual concert in the series can be viewed at https://www.streamablelearning.com/app/events/performing-arts/. The site also includes registration instructions, or you may register by e-mailing info@crossingbordersmusic.org from your school e-mail address by 9AM Central the day of the event with the subject line “Registration.”

SRDMH (Haitian Music Society) Roundtable Discussion
2021-02-26 01:00 - 15:00 | IL
From the Société de recherche et de diffusion de la musique haïtienne (SRDMH):
“The Observatoire interdisciplinaire de création et de recherche en musique (OICRM) and the Société de recherche et de diffusion de la musique haïtienne (SRDMH) invite you to a virtual panel on Friday, February 26th, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Time, where a series of guests will share their work related to the SRDMH’s Haitian music archival fonds. Three discussions will be held, focusing on research, composition and interpretation, each followed by short questions period.
This event is part of a project coordinated by Claude Dauphin, Professor Emeritus at the Université du Québec à Montréal, to revitalize, preserve and promote the SRDMH’s archival fonds available at the OICRM.”
The event is free of charge and open to all. Discussions will take place in both French and English. To receive the link and passcode to attend, please e-mail info@crossingbordersmusic.org by 10AM Central Time (9AM Eastern Time) on the day of the event with the subject line “Registration.”

Soulful Haiti: Beyond the Headlines
2021-02-22 16:00 - 17:00 | IL
Crossing Borders Music Cellist Tom Clowes will join Haitian-born violinist and composer Jean (Rudy) Perrault in conversations about, and performances of, solo works by Haitian composers. The event will explore the complex beauty, culture, and history of Haiti through its music and musicians. The event is sponsored by Northwoods Strings and will include interaction with the Northwoods Strings student musicians. Members of the public may audit the event. More information and registration instructions for auditors are available online here. Northwoods Strings says, “We will go beyond the headlines, hearing from Special Student Correspondents about Haiti. We will get to know each other a bit better and have a good time playing together!”
Performer, conductor and composer, Jean (Rudy) Perrault is Director of Orchestras and Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). Rudy coaches chamber music, conducts both the Symphony and Chamber Orchestras, teaches violin and viola, the Graduate literature classes and the Graduate Conducting classes.

Born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Rudy earned his Master’s degree in violin performance from Temple University. Upon graduation, he moved to the New York area and has since guest conducted numerous ensembles in Russia, France, Turkey, and Italy. He has also worked in Venezuela where he worked closely with members of “El Sistema” organization (FESNOJIV). Rudy’s performances have also taken him around the globe and his compositions are equally in demand by individuals and ensembles in all four corners of the world. The past several years he has been editing and orchestrating the piano works of Haitian Classical Composers.
Rudy is a founding member of the Kako Foundation (kakofoundation.com), a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing music to at-risk youth, and underserved communities in the US and Haiti. Rudy makes his home in Duluth, Minnesota.
Says Rudy, “I am very excited to share music from my native country. It is a country with a rich heritage and untapped potential.”

“Invocation” is one of Rudy’s favorite Haitian classical pieces for violin. Written by Haitian composer Occide Jeanty (1860-1936) for two violins and piano, “Invocation” was transcribed here for one violin and piano by Rudy. Click here to watch it
Tom Clowes is a Chicago-area cellist and Founder of Crossing Borders Music. Tom was a student of internationally acclaimed cellist Wendy Warner, former Detroit Symphony Orchestra Principal Cellist Italo Babini, and Lawrence University Conservatory of Music Professor Janet Anthony. As a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, he played under conductors Riccardo Muti, Peter Oundjian, and Cliff Colnot. Before moving to Chicago, Tom was a member of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra. He now teaches at the Chicago West Community Music Center of Garfield Park. In the summers, Tom teaches at the Ambassadors Music Institute in Croix-des-Bouquets, Haiti.
Conversations Tom had with Haitians in Haiti after the devastating 2010 earthquake helped shape the mission of Crossing Borders Music. Founded in 2011, Crossing Borders Music has become a leading interpreter of chamber music by composers from under-represented cultures including the Chickasaw Nation, Colombia, Egypt, Haiti, India, Syria, and Uganda, and a pioneering, critically acclaimed presenter of music by graduates of the Bahá’í Institute for Higher Education in Iran.
Says Clowes, “I’m really looking forward to having fun, sharing music, and sharing part of Haiti way too few Americans get to see!”
For more information, please visit the Northwoods Strings website.

What Makes Music Special? Part 1: Windows and Mirrors
2021-02-17 11:30 - 12:30 | IL
What makes your favorite music “special”? Is it the music itself? The memory of when you first heard it? The context in which you hear it? How do our personal backgrounds affect how we hear music? How can music help us relate to others? This unique program, filled with “special” music from Colombia, Haiti, Scotland, and the U.S., explores musical and non-musical elements that make music impactful.
This event is part of a weekly series of online music programs for K-12 students and teachers with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, International Music Foundation, and Crossing Borders Music, hosted by StreamableLearning.com. The events are free and open to K-12 students and teachers. Advanced registration is required. This particular event is geared towards grades 6-12.
Every weekly virtual concert in the series can be viewed at https://www.streamablelearning.com/…/performing-arts/. The site also includes registration instructions, or you may register by e-mailing info@crossingbordersmusic.org from your school e-mail address by 9AM Central the day of the event with the subject line “Registration.”

Recovering the Art of Eustasio Rosales
2020-12-06 14:00 - 15:30 | IL
“Recovering the Art of Eustasio Rosales” is unique, interactive livestream documentary and music event celebrating the life and music of Eustasio Rosales, “Chicago’s first Hispanic composer.” The event will start with a screening of “The Way to Andina” by Rosales great-grandson, filmmaker Arlen Parsa, a multi-award-winning funny documentary about Rosales and the journey to rediscover his music! Parsa will then interact live with viewers, answering questions in real time. Then, Crossing Borders Music will share performances of Rosales’ recently rediscovered chamber music found by Crossing Borders Music and Parsa in Rosales’s grand-daughter’s basement including his string quartet, violin sonata, and songs for soprano and piano, featuring guest artist Carolina Gomez.
Eustasio Rosales was a Colombian immigrant who came to Chicago seeking a better life. Now known as “Chicago’s first Hispanic composer,” his music was celebrated in his lifetime, including in performances by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. After his death, though, his music has languished in storage in his grand-daughter’s basement. The concert will premiere recently rediscovered scores from the composer’s granddaughter’s collection, unearthed and performed for one of the first times in the 84 years since his death!
The performance will be broadcast on Facebook Live and YouTube.
This is the final performance of Crossing Borders Music’s 2019-2020 six-concert series “Choosing Life and Freedom.” Its initial May performance date was canceled because of the pandemic.
This program is partially supported by a grant from Illinois Humanities.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Puffin Foundation.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: a black and white photo of composer Eustasio Rosales

Composers with Disabilities Around the World
2020-12-01 17:00 - 18:30 | IL
The Back of the Yards Chicago Public Library YOUmedia lab and Crossing Borders Music present a unique, online chamber music program of composers with disabilities from the UK, Haiti, Japan, Colombia, and the US. During the livestream, you’ll have a chance to interact with composers and performers! The composers were selected from a competitive call for scores, and four of their compositions have never been performed before.
How to Attend:
This event takes place on Zoom. Please register by the day before the event so we can email you the Zoom link with plenty of time. Only one registration per household is necessary. You’ll receive an email with a link to the secure Zoom meeting information about 30 min before the program. By registering for this event, you agree to abide by the Library Use Guidelines. Registration is limited.
Registration link: https://bit.ly/2I9KWzE
UK autistic composer Rylan Gleave’s subtle sea soundscape “in waves” was commissioned by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for the Edinburgh Quartet in collaboration with The University of Stirling, but, because of the coronavirus, will receive its premiere performance in this virtual program. The piece is inspired by three paintings by Scottish artist Kirstie Cohen and a poem by Beag Horn, with each artist depicting waves of the Atlantic lashing into rock formations on the shore. The program will also include world premiere performances of Karen Brown’s four-movement String Quartet, Anna Jo Maxwell’s Romance in E Major for viola and piano, and Haitian composer Julio Lubin’s “For the Victims of Coronavirus.” The program also includes SL Stahl’s “Moda Aní,” a piano trio whose title refers to the Jewish prayer given upon waking up, as well as Minato Sakamoto’s evocative “Nocturne for Chinese Railway.” Rounding out the program are two solo piano pieces by Luis Calvo, including his poignant “Adios a Bogota” which he wrote upon being forced to leave his home in Bogota to spend the rest of his life in a leper colony in the early 20th century, as well as María del Carmen Cordovez’s Waltz in D Minor. Calvo and Carmen Cordovez are Colombian composers; their scores were provided to Crossing Borders Music by Prof. Luis Calvo Rodriguez Alvarez, Professor of Music at the University of Antioquia.
Videography will be provided by Aidan Kranz, with sound by Corey Castillo.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: Composer Rylan Gleave smiling. Photo credit: David Mar Photography (https://www.davidmarphotography.com/)

Composers with Disabilities Around the World
2020-11-15 14:00 - 15:30 | Crossing Borders Music and National Cambodian Heritage Museum Facebook and YouTube livestream
Crossing Borders Music presents a unique, online chamber music program of composers with disabilities from the UK, Haiti, Japan, Colombia, and the US, including four world premier works! The composers were selected from a competitive call for scores. UK autistic composer Rylan Gleave’s subtle sea soundscape “in waves” was commissioned by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for the Edinburgh Quartet in collaboration with The University of Stirling, but, because of the coronavirus, will receive its premiere performance in this virtual program. The piece is inspired by three paintings by Scottish artist Kirstie Cohen and a poem by Beag Horn, with each artist depicting waves of the Atlantic lashing into rock formations on the shore. The program will also include world premiere performances of Karen Brown’s four-movement String Quartet, Anna Jo Maxwell’s Romance in E Major for viola and piano, and Haitian composer Julio Lubin’s “For the Victims of Coronavirus.” The program also includes SL Stahl’s “Moda Aní,” a piano trio whose title refers to the Jewish prayer given upon waking up, as well as Minato Sakamoto’s evocative “Nocturne for Chinese Railway.” Rounding out the program are two solo piano pieces by Luis Calvo, including his poignant “Adios a Bogota” which he wrote upon being forced to leave his home in Bogota to spend the rest of his life in a leper colony in the early 20th century, as well as María del Carmen Cordovez’s Waltz in D Minor. Calvo and Carmen Cordovez are Colombian composers; their scores were provided to Crossing Borders Music by Prof. Luis Calvo Rodriguez Alvarez, Professor of Music at the University of Antioquia.
Videography will be provided by Aidan Kranz, with sound by Corey Castillo.
This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
Pictured: Composer Rylan Gleave smiling. Photo credit: David Mar Photography (https://www.davidmarphotography.com/)

Music by Black Composers
2020-10-04 - 2020-11-01 | IL
We’re sharing music by Black composers in online performance videos!
This series is made possible in part by the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, by the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.

We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community
2020-10-03 11:00 - 16:00 | Haitian American Museum of Chicago – HAMOC, 4654 N Racine Ave, Chicago, IL, 60640, United States
“We Walk: A Celebration of Black Community” is a stroll-through exhibition highlighting the excellence of Black America. Organized by the Haitian American Museum of Chicago and Emerald City Coffee, the event features 19 exhibits celebrating Black contributions in the fields of visual art, music, science, Chicago history, US history, and more! The event will take place on Racine Avenue between Wilson and Broadway. Masks and physical distancing are required for all participants.
Crossing Borders Music will participate as an exhibitor, with violinist Rasa Mahmoudian sharing violin melodies by Black composers and the stories behind them from approximately noon to 2pm, and Crossing Borders Music cellist Tom Clowes sharing cello melodies and compositions by Black composers and the stories behind them from approximately 2PM to 4PM.
