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The Crossing (choral ensemble)

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For other uses, seeThe Crossing (disambiguation) § Music.
The Crossing
The Crossing, 2021 (credit: John C. Hawthorne)
Background information
OriginPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania,United States
GenresChorus
Years active2005–present
LabelsInnova Recordings,Albany Records,Navona Records,Cantaloupe Music,ECM Records
MembersKaty Avery, Nathaniel Barnett,Jessica Beebe,Julie Bishop, Kelly Ann Bixby, Karen Blanchard, Steven Bradshaw,Scott Dettra,Colin Dill, Micah Dingler, Robert Eisentrout, Ryan Fleming, Joanna Gates, Dimitri German, Fiona Gillespie, John Grecia, Barbara Hill, Steven Hyder, Michael Jones, Heather Kayan, Heidi Kurtz, Chelsea Lyons, Ken Lovett,Maren Montalbano,Frank Mitchell, Rebecca Myers,Donald Nally,Dan O'Dea, Rebecca Oehlers, James Reese, Kyle Sackett, Daniel Schwartz, Rebecca Siler, Daniel Spratlan, Elisa Sutherland, Dan Taylor, Laura Ward,Jason Weisinger,Jackson Williams, Shari Alise Wilson
Websitecrossingchoir

The Crossingis an American professionalchamber choir,conducted byDonald Nallyand based inPhiladelphia,Pennsylvania.It focuses on new music, commission and premiere works, and collaborates with various venues and instrumental ensembles.

History

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Formed by a group of friends in 2005, the ensemble has since grown and according toThe New York Timesin 2014, "has made a name for itself in recent years as a champion of new music".[1]It focuses on new music, commissioning most of what it sings, and collaborates with venues and instrumental ensembles internationally.

The choir was the resident choir of theSpoleto Festival, Italy,in 2007; appeared atMiller TheatreofColumbia Universityin the American premiere ofJames Dillon'sNine Riverswith theInternational Contemporary Ensemble(ICE); joinedBang on a Can's first Philadelphia Marathon; and has appeared with theAmerican Composers Orchestra,Network for New Music,Quicksilver Baroque,Lyric Fest,Piffaro,red fish blue fish,Tempesta di Mare Baroque Chamber Orchestra,PRISM Saxophone Quartet,Toshimaru Nakamura,Dolce Suono,and in the summer of 2013,The Rolling Stones.

The ensemble has sung in venues including theWalt Disney Concert Hall,The Kennedy Center,Carnegie Hall,and theMetropolitan Museum of Art;it made itsLincoln Centerdebut in July 2014 in a world premiere of a composition byJohn Luther Adamsin a collaboration with theMostly Mozart Festival,theLincoln Center Out of Doors Festival,eighth blackbird,JACK Quartet,andTILT Brass.

The choir frequently commissions works and has presented over 70 world premieres. Projects for the 2017-18 season include commissions withMichael Gilbertson,Aaron Helgeson,Benjamin C.S. Boyle,andKile Smith.

The ensemble records extensively and has released ten recordings on various labels:Innova Recordings,Navona Records,Albany Records,ECM Records,andCantaloupe Music.Its recording ofThomas Lloyd'sBonhoefferwas nominated forBest Choral Performancefor the59th Grammy Awards.

The choir is the recipient of threeASCAP Awardsfor Adventurous Programming as well as theDale Warland SingersCommission Award fromChorus America;conductor Donald Nally also received the 2012 Louis Botto Award for Innovative Action and Entrepreneurial Zeal and the 2017 Michael Korn Founders Award for Development of the Professional Choral Art for his work with the ensemble.

In December 2014, the ensemble began a collaboration with visual artistsAllora & Calzadillain their largest U.S. exhibition to date,Intervals,at thePerelman Buildingat thePhiladelphia Museum of ArtandThe Fabric Workshop and Museum.This included over 300 performances ofDavid Lang'sLifespanas well as monthly performances ofIn the Midst of Things,a fifteen-minute unaccompanied re-imagining of moments fromFranz Joseph Haydn'sThe Creation(1798).

In June 2016, the organization launched an ambitious commissioning project calledSeven Responses,the purpose of which was to performDieterich Buxtehude'sMembra Jesu Nostri(BuxWV 75) juxtaposed with commissioned responses byCaroline Shaw,Hans Thomalla,Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen,Anna Thorvaldsdottir.David T. Little,Santa Ratniece,andLewis Spratlan,in collaboration withQuicksilver BaroqueandInternational Contemporary Ensemble.The two-day program was premiered at thePhiladelphia Episcopal Cathedraland later reprised atMerkin Concert Hallas a part of the 2016Mostly Mozart FestivalinLincoln Center.

Month of Moderns

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In 2009, the ensemble established an annual festival, held in the early summer, consisting of several new-music concerts in one month, with commissioned works based on a central theme tying the entire festival together.

The theme for Month of Moderns 2009 was The Celan Project, works based on the poetry ofPaul Celan.

Month of Moderns 2010 featured The Levine Project, works based on or inspired by the words of Pulitzer-Prize winner and U.S. Poet LaureatePhilip Levine."Seneca Sounds" was the focus for Month of Moderns 2011, with works based on the words and philosophy ofSeneca the Younger.

Month of Moderns 2012 was centered on Modern Vespers, works fashioned after the ancient evening prayer service, cast in modern themes and musical languages.

A much larger project,The Gulf (Between You and Me),based on a three-part commissioned poem byPierre Jorisinspired by theDeep Water Horizondisaster in the Gulf of Mexico, dominated Month of Moderns 2013.

Month of Moderns 2014 included five major commissioned world premieres loosely based aroundNovalis's poemAstralisquestioning our existence and eternity.

After 2014, the ensemble moved away from a theme solely surrounding the Month of Moderns alone and more towards a theme for each season. The Month of Moderns festival continues to be a signature part of the organization's season, regardless of theme, with each concert featuring at least one or more world premiere.

Death of co-founder Jeffrey Dinsmore

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In April 2014, Crossing co-founder Jeffrey Dinsmore died at age 42; he was preparing for a rehearsal with The Crossing and theLos Angeles PhilharmonicatDisney Hall.The ensemble subsequently established The Jeffrey Dinsmore Memorial Fund.

The Crossing later commissioned 15 composers who had a connection with Mr. Dinsmore to write short quartets to be published in a printed omnibus. The ensemble gave the world premiere of those works on July 8, 2016 in Philadelphia.

Big Sky Choral Initiative

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In the summer of 2015, The Crossing partnered with theWarren Miller Performing Arts CenterinBig Sky, Montana,to offer a week-long fellowship intensive for students of composition and choral singing. In 2017, the program expanded to two weeks, offering educational opportunities to conducting fellows as well. Composing, conducting, and singing fellows interact with members of The Crossing on a daily basis, exploring, writing, and singing new music throughout the week. The Big Sky Choral Initiative continued its creative journey with a new paradigm in 2018, collaborating withMichael Gordonand filmmakerBill Morrisonto create a new work specific to this unique gathering at Big Sky. The work draws on the land of Montana - its history, beauty, struggles, and expanse - as inspiration for this hour-long work for unaccompanied choir and film.[2]

Commissioned world premieres

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U.S. premieres

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Major performances

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Awards

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Grammy Nominations and Awards

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Discography

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References

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  1. ^Schweitzer, Vivian (February 21, 2014)."Crossing Choir Review"(PDF).The New York Times.
  2. ^"Choral".Bigskyconservatory.org.Retrieved2 July2021.
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