The Crossing Announces 2021-2022 Season

Grammy-winning new-music choir The Crossing, led by conductor Donald Nally, today announces its 2021-2022 season, marking our time of isolation, grief, confusion, hope, returning, emerging, and remembering. During their 20-month exile, the singers of The Crossing could not gather conventionally indoors. Instead, The Crossing created ECHOES - amplification technology that allows outdoor, distanced performances. ECHOES was featured in a number of the ensemble's 10 live and animated films, released during the pandemic and directly addressing the social issues of the time.

The Crossing's 2021-2022 season return / emerge / remember features world premieres by Justine F. Chen, Gabriel Kahane, Leila Adu, Ambrose Akinmusire, Alex Berko, Edith Canat de Chizy, Viet Cuong, Samantha Fernando, Mary Jane Leach, Shara Nova, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Nina Shekhar, Tyshawn Sorey, LJ White, Stacy Garrop, Marcos Balter, Aaron Helgeson, Tawnie Olsen, and David Shapiro. Collaborators include the JACK Quartet, the Dublin Guitar Quartet, tenor saxophonist Matthew Levy, organist Scott Detra, and percussionist Ted Babcock.

The season opens with Returning on Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 7:00pm at The Crossing's home, The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill. On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, The Crossing will perform beloved repertoire by Ayanna Woods, Michael Gilbertson, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and James Primosch with percussionist Ted Babcock, followed by a post-concert homecoming gathering in Widener Hall.

Motion Studies on Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 5:00pm at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill digs deep into 21st-century American life, beginning with the world premiere of Justine F. Chen's Shallow Breath and Stealth. The piece is based on Jena Osman's poem Motion Studies, which follows a couple hoping to live surveillance-free in a world obsessed with data collection. Osman will do a special reading on Thursday, November 18 at 7:00pm at a location to be announced. Saxophonist Matthew Levy joins The Crossing for Nicholas Cline's Watersheds, a work fueled by the words of outspoken environmental thinkers on how our shared spaces are created not by political borders, but by the flow of water. The program ends with the world premiere of Gabriel Kahane's Choral Music, a scrapbook of his time as a high school choral singer, set against the backdrop of pre-9/11 American innocence.

The choir's annual Jeffrey Dinsmore Memorial Concerts, The Crossing @ Christmas, continues with Carols after a Plague, an evening of world premieres by Leila Adu, Ambrose Akinmusire, Alex Berko, Edith Canat de Chizy, Viet Cuong, Samantha Fernando, Mary Jane Leach, Shara Nova, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Nina Shekhar, Tyshawn Sorey, and LJ White all addressing the topic of Plague - be it a pandemic, racism, climate change, gun violence, homelessness, diasporas, isolation, or loneliness - through their idea of the brief, singable song form of a carol. Carols After a Plague premieres on Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:00pm at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in College Park, MD presented by The Clarice Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland and travels to The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia on Friday, December 17, 2021 at 7:00pm presented by the Annenberg Center, and The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill on Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 5:00pm.

The Crossing embarks on an East Coast tour with the Dublin Guitar Quartet from January 27 - February 6, 2022. The program opens with The Crossing and Dublin Guitar Quartet in Nico Muhly's inventive, probing How Little You Are, based on the diaries of two Texas pioneer women: Elinore Pruitt Stewart and Mary Alma Blankenship. The quartet then stays on stage for music by Philip Glass and Bryce Dessner before The Crossing returns for signature unaccompanied works on immigration and monuments by Ayanna Woods and Caroline Shaw. Please visit crossingchoir.org after September 1 for venues, dates, and time.

In a House Besieged features the world premiere of Stacy Garrop's piece of the same name which fuses writings of Lydia Davis into a unique libretto reflecting the fear and anxiety around the aging process. The program continues with two introspective works by Arvo Pärt and Lansing McLoskey's provocative and gloriously mystifying The Memory of Rain, on poems of Philip Levine capturing Francisco Franco's devastated Spain of the 1950s: jet fighters, tranquilizers, TVs. All four works are performed with organist Scott Dettra. In a House Besieged opens on Friday, March 25, 2022 at 7:30pm at the Cleveland Museum of Art, followed by performances on Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 3:00pm at the Shadyside Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh and Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 7:00pm at St. Mark's Church in Philadelphia.

The Crossing presents its annual new music festival, The Month Of Moderns, at The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill in June and July 2022. Month of Moderns 1 - The Book of Colors on Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 7:00pm features the world premiere of Brazilian composer Marcos Balter's Book of Colors, an evening-length piece that explores the historical, philosophical, social, and cultural ways we interact with and understand colors. The work uses texts from diverse sources and periods to create a musical kaleidoscope, based on coloristic aspects of vocal music. Month of Moderns 2 - The Book of Never on Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 5:00pm includes the world premieres of Aaron Helgeson's The Book of Never and Tawnie Olsen's Beloved of the Sky and the U.S. premiere of Chaya Czernowin's Unhistoric Acts with the JACK Quartet. The festival closes with Month of Moderns 3 - The Book of Dawkins Songs on Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 7:00pm, the world premiere of David Shapiro's evening-length Sumptuous Planet: A Dawkins Mass, an expression of belief about the nature of life, and the joy we can find in understanding it, told through Richard Dawkins' decidedly secular world view, paradoxically organized by David in the shape of a Christian Mass.

The Crossing returns to its summer home at the Warren Miller Performing Arts Center in Big Sky, Montana produced by John Zirkle in late July and early August 2022. For more information, visit warrenmillerpac.org.

Program Information

Returning

Saturday, September 11, 2021 at 7:00pm
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA 19118
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/returning

Music by Ayanna Woods, Michael Gilbertson, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and James Primosch performed by The Crossing with percussionist Ted Babcock

Motion Studies

Sunday, November 21, 2021 at 5:00pm
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA 19118
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/motion-studies

Justine F. Chen - Shallow Breath and Stealth (World Premiere)

Nicholas Cline - Watersheds
The Crossing
Matthew Levy, tenor saxophone
Gabriel Kahane - Choral Music (World Premiere)
The Crossing

Special Event: Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 7:00pm
Location TBD
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/motion-studies-reading

Jena Osman reads from Motion Studies

The Crossing @ Christmas: Carols after a Plague

Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:00pm
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church | 4512 College Ave. | College Park, MD 20740
Presented by The Clarice Performing Arts Center, University of Maryland
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/christmas-clarice

Friday, December 17, 2021 at 7:00pm
The Church of the Holy Trinity, Rittenhouse Square | 1904 Walnut St. | Philadelphia, PA 19103
Presented by Annenberg Center
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/christmas-annenberg

Sunday, December 19, 2021 at 5:00pm
Meet the Composers at the Post-Concert Reception
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA 19118
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/christmas-pcch

World Premieres by Leila Adu, Ambrose Akinmusire, Alex Berko, Edith Canat de Chizy, Viet Cuong, Samantha Fernando, Mary Jane Leach, Shara Nova, Joseph C. Phillips Jr., Nina Shekhar, Tyshawn Sorey, and LJ White performed by The Crossing

The Crossing on Tour w/ Dublin Guitar Quartet
January 27 - February 6, 2022
Dartmouth to the University of Richmond and Points in Between
More information in September 2021
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/tour

Nico Muhly - How Little You Are
The Crossing
Dublin Guitar Quartet
Music by Philip Glass and Bryce Dessner
Dublin Guitar Quartet
Music by Caroline Shaw and Ayanna Woods
The Crossing

In a House Besieged
Friday, March 25, 2022 at 7:30pm
Cleveland Museum of Art | 11150 East Blvd. | Cleveland, OH 44106
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/house-besieged-cleveland

Saturday, March 26, 2022 at 3:00pm
Shadyside Presbyterian Church | 5121 Westminster Pl. | Pittsburgh, PA 15232
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/house-besieged-pittsburgh

Sunday, March 27, 2022 at 7:00pm
Pre-concert talk with Donald Nally and Stacy Garrop at 6:00pm
St. Mark's Church | 1625 Locust St. | Philadelphia, PA 19103
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/house-besieged-philly

Stacy Garrop - In a House Besieged (World Premiere)
Lansing McLoskey - The Memory of Rain (from The Month of Moderns 2010)
Arvo Pärt - The Beatitudes
Arvo Pärt - I am the true vine
The Crossing
Scott Dettra, organ

The Month Of Moderns 2022
MoM 1 - The Book of Colors Balter
Saturday, June 11, 2022 at 7:00pm
Pre-Concert talk with Donald Nally and Marcos Balter at 6:00pm
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA 19118
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/mom1

Marcos Balter - Book of Colors (World Premiere)
The Crossing

MoM 2 - The Book of Never
Saturday, June 25, 2022 at 5:00pm
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA 19118
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/mom2

Chaya Czernowin - Unhistoric Acts (U.S. Premiere)
The Crossing
JACK Quartet
Aaron Helgeson - The Book of Never (World Premiere)
Tawnie Olsen - Beloved of the Sky (World Premiere)
The Crossing

MoM 3 - The Book of Dawkins Songs Shapiro
Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at 7:00pm
Pre-concert talk with Donald Nally and David Shapiro at 6:00pm
The Presbyterian Church of Chestnut Hill | 8855 Germantown Ave | Philadelphia, PA 19118
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/mom3

David Shapiro - Sumptuous Planet: A Dawkins Mass (World Premiere)
The Crossing

The Crossing @ Big Sky
Late July / Early August 2022
Warren Miller Performing Arts Center
Link: https://www.crossingchoir.org/events/2021-22/big-sky

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