Crossing Borders Music presents a unique, online chamber music program of composers with disabilities from the UK, Haiti, Japan, Colombia, and the US! After the livestream, you’ll have a chance to ask questions with the composers and performers! The composers were selected from a competitive call for scores, and four of their compositions have never been performed before.

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. 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.

This program also includes 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.” We’ll also hear 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 performance 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 Kurtz, with sound by Corey Castillo. This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency.

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.