CROSSING Digital Booklet

Borderlands ensemble

crossing

BORDERLANDS ENSEMBLE

Ellen Ensey, Laura Casarez, and Emily Chao, violins Ann Weaver, viola; Robert Chamberlain, cello Johanna Lundy, horn; José Luis Puerta, guitar 9:32 Barbara White: nothing in the cry 1 Jorge Sosa: Pequeño Concierto I. Melancolía 7:30 2 2:42 II. Blues de Cantina 3 2:51 III. Malagueña Metalera 4 6:26 Nubia Jaime-Donjuan: CROSSING 5 Edwin Guevara-Gutiérrez: Saguaro Suite 5:12 I. Garwood Trails 6 5:45 II. Cactus Forest 7 3:12 III. Ironwood 8 5:01 Nubia Jaime-Donjuan: Danza Mestiza 9 3:38 Nubia Jaime-Donjuan: "A su Merced, Don José" 10 Michael Leibowitz: Badlands I. The Desert 11 5:38 II. Antelope Canyon 12 4:26 13 6:23 III. Tumamoc Hill at Sunset 14 IV. The Desert at Night 5:25 3:17 José Ángel Espinoza Aragón: La Ley del Monte 15 3:51 Manuel Esperón/Ernesto Cortazar: Tequila con Limón 16 3:09 Alfredo D'Orsay Sotelo: La Tequilera 17 © 2026 • IMGD-0220 • imaginaryanimals.ninja • All rights reserved Unauthorized replication & distribution prohibited

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.

“Our home of Tucson, Arizona belongs to a region that has been continuously inhabited for over 4,000 years. To this day, the landscape and people continue to shape the culture of the borderlands. Join us for musical stories celebrating this beautiful, rugged, and often misunderstood place, told through the sounds of warm strings, evocative guitar, and the dynamic voice of the French horn.

Special thanks to all the composers for trusting us with your musical creations, and to our collaborator Luis Coronado Guel for adding meaning and depth to our projects.”

- Borderlands Ensemble

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Hailing from Tucson, Arizona, the Borderlands Ensemble was formed in 2017 to reach across social boundaries and bring communities together through music. Their creative and impactful performances build cultural bridges through contemporary chamber music, while disrupting classical music traditions.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Barbara White (b. 1965) is an American composer and clarinetist who lives in New Jersey and Nova Scotia. nothing in the cry, composed in memory of Alan Shockley, takes its title from a haiku by Basho and meditates on time and impermanence, imagining what it might be like for a cicada to observe the human life span.

Jorge Sosa (b. 1976) is a Mexican-born composer and sound artist currently residing in New York. Known for his lyrical style and works for voice, his music combines melody with elements of popular culture.

Pequeño Concierto explores emotions and memories through virtuosic writing for horn and guitar.

Nubia Jaime-Donjuan (b. 1984) is a composer and cellist from Hermosillo, Mexico. She is the first woman to win the Arturo Márquez Composition Contest and her works are rooted in nature and cultural identity.

CROSSING is dedicated to all those who want to cross.

Edwin Guevara-Gutiérrez (b. 1977) is a Colombian guitarist, composer, and professor at the Sergio Arboleda University in Bogotá. Saguaro Suite was inspired by Saguaro National Park and folkloric guitar traditions.

The piece uses five interwoven cryptograms, representing the group musicians and the full ensemble.

Michael Leibowitz (b. 1981) is a contemporary classical music composer, performer, and educator who lives outside of Philadelphia, PA. Badlands was written especially for the Borderlands Ensemble. It was inspired by the natural landscapes in and around Tucson, Spanish and Mexican music, and old Westerns.

Three arrangements of popular songs with shared themes of love, Mexican culture, and agave close out the album.

Each is an homage to the incredible vocal interpretations of Vicente Fernandez, Jorge Negrete, and Lucha Reyes.

To learn more about the music, please visit www.borderlandsensemble.org/crossing

© 2026 • IMGD-0220 • imaginaryanimals.ninja • All rights reserved Unauthorized replication & distribution prohibited