CROSSING
by Borderlands Ensemble
FOR YOUR
GRAMMY® CONSIDERATION
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
ABOUT CROSSING
On their sophomore release CROSSING, the Borderlands Ensemble invites listeners into a musical landscape shaped by memory, place, and shared experience. Moving between introspective lyricism and expansive, cinematic gesture, the album blends strings, guitar, and the distinctive voice of the French horn to tell stories rooted in the desert. Featuring new works by Barbara White, Jorge Sosa, Nubia Jaime-Donjuan, Edwin Guevara-Gutiérrez, and Michael Leibowitz, plus three new arrangements of classic Mexican canciones, CROSSING offers an authentic and deeply felt journey from the borderlands of the American Southwest.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Hailing from Tucson, Arizona, the Borderlands Ensemble is a classical chamber group composed of horn, strings, and guitar. Their distinctive sound results from their unique instrumentation, blending of genres, relationships with composers, and collaboration with artists.
Formed in 2017, founding members Johanna Lundy, Ellen Chamberlain, Sarah Toy, Ann Weaver, and Robert Chamberlain were ready to explore new concert formats after many years working together in orchestral settings. Since that time, Sarah went on to other projects, and violinists Emily Chao and Laura Casarez joined the group, followed by guitarist José Luis Puerta, who significantly broadened the timbral and genre possibilities. The ensemble employs a modular approach to programming, exploring different sounds through rotating instrumental combinations.
The group’s experimental concert formats disrupt classical music traditions and embrace the idea that meaningful art experiences can also be fun. Their creative and impactful performances build community through contemporary chamber music and their projects explore the blended culture and history of border regions.
The group has significantly added to the classical repertoire by commissioning new music that explores a variety of themes inspired by living in a border region, including identity, place, memory, impermanence, and belonging.
Borderlands Ensemble primarily features music by American, Mexican, and Indigenous composers. Their mission is to make classical music more engaging and relevant to all people.
