Crossing Borders Music

What Crossing Borders Music does

Crossing Borders Music is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that performs and promotes chamber music by composers from suppressed and underrepresented cultural backgrounds, including African-American, Arab World, Cambodian, Haitian, Ugandan, Chickasaw, Taiwanese, and Rohingya communities. Founded in 2011 by Tom Clowes following requests from Haitians for better cultural representation after the 2010 earthquake, the organization operates a professional string quartet that delivers free public performances at Chicago parks, libraries, museums, the Chicago Cultural Center (where it holds Resident Arts Organization status), and the Symphony Center through the CSO's African American Network. Its programming portfolio spans thematic concert series (Notes of Legacy: African-American Composers, Mourning Refuge and Unity: Arab World String Quartets, Voices of the Proud: LGBT+ Composers, Songs of Peru, Stories and Music of Resilience), open calls for scores targeting refugee composers and African women composers, and the digital Rohingya Music Online Library developed through field work in Cox's Bazar refugee camps.

The organization serves multiple distinct audience segments: community members attending free performances, K-12 students receiving in-school educational programs (including Chicago Public Schools), college and university students, young composers from Chicago's North Lawndale and Garfield Park neighborhoods participating in the annual Young Composers Project, and underrepresented composers seeking performance platforms. Its core 'technology' is the string quartet ensemble combined with cross-cultural collaboration capabilities, and its proprietary digital product is the Rohingya Music Online Library, a comprehensive archive of audio recordings, video, oral histories, and musician narratives documenting Rohingya musical traditions from refugee camps, developed in partnership with the Asian Cultural Council, Illinois Humanities, and the IOM-UN Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre. Educational distribution extends virtually through a partnership with Streamable Learning for grades 4-8 students.

The revenue model is entirely donation- and grant-funded, with no ticket or program fees. Individual donor giving levels range from $50 (Friend) to $1,000+ (Founder's Circle), while institutional support comes from a broad base of arts councils and foundations including the Illinois Arts Council, CityArts Chicago, Paul M Angell Family Foundation, Sparkplug Foundation, Amphion Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, and Illinois Humanities. In 2025, founder Tom Clowes transitioned to Artistic Director, and Dr. Marschnee Strong (Vanderbilt EdD, May 2024) assumed the Executive Director role. The organization operates with 1-10 employees and is governed by a Board of Directors.

Name

Crossing Borders Music

Legal name

Crossing Borders Music

Website

https://crossingbordersmusic.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Crossing Borders Music is a Chicago-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit that performs chamber music by composers from suppressed cultural backgrounds, delivers free public concerts and K-12 educational programs, and operates the Rohingya Music Online Library documenting refugee musical traditions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual donors contribute through various giving levels including Founder's Circle ($1000+), Performer's Circle ($500+), Advocate ($100+), Friend ($50+), and other amounts. The organization is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit accepting public contributions.
2. Institutional Grants and Funded Programs: Funding from institutional funders including Evanston Arts Council, CityArts Chicago, Culture Forward Chicago, Ditson Fund, Illinois Arts Council, Paul M Angell Family Foundation, and others. Grants support specific programs and operations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Crossing Borders Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit multicultural music organization that shares the stories and music of suppressed cultures through free live concert performances by its string quartet ensemble and through educational programming for K-12 students. It also develops composers via the Young Composers Project and preserves endangered cultural music through the Rohingya Music Online Library.

Product overview

Crossing Borders Music is a multicultural organization of color that shares stories and music of suppressed cultures through free, accessible programs. The organization operates primarily as a performing string quartet ensemble with a core String Quartet that performs chamber music by composers from under-represented backgrounds. Its portfolio includes educational programs for K-12 students, the annual Young Composers Project serving youth in Chicago's West Side communities, the Rohingya Music Online Library documenting endangered musical traditions, and thematic performance programs such as Notes of Legacy (African-American composers), Mourning Refuge and Unity (Arab World), Cambodian Music: The Living Tradition, Haitian Music for Change, Voices of the Proud (LGBT+ composers), and Stories and Music of Resilience. The organization also runs open calls for scores targeting refugee composers and African women composers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• String Quartet Concert Performances Live concert performances by the Crossing Borders Music string quartet featuring music from suppressed cultures, offered free of charge to general audiences in the Chicago area.
• Young Composers Project An emerging-composer development program supporting the creation of new multicultural works, designed for aspiring composers engaged with the organization's mission.
• Rohingya Music Online Library An online digital library preserving Rohingya music and related cultural material, available as an open-access educational and archival resource.
• K-12 Educational Programs School-based educational programming that introduces K-12 students to multicultural music, the stories of suppressed cultures, and related artistic learning opportunities.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of students served annually through educational programming
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Dozan WorldminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural partner organization featured on Crossing Borders Music's website partners section.
• National Cambodian Heritage MuseumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term collaboration since 2019 with the museum's Cambodian Traditional Music Ensemble (mahori ensemble) led by Resident Artist Punisa Pov. Joint fusion performances combining Cambodian and Western classical traditions.
• MusicInc (Chicago)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago music organization partner featured in Crossing Borders Music's partner network.
• Haitian American Museum of ChicagominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization collaborating on Haitian cultural programming and community engagement.
• Chicago Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInstitutional partner providing venues and support for cultural programming.
• MOMENTA Dance!minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDance partner featured in partner logos, previously collaborated on Composers with Disabilities program.
• AWP (All Writers Program?)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization featured in Crossing Borders Music's partner network.
• Friends of the Gamelan (FROG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating organization leading the 'Many Voices, One Heart' multi-ensemble collaboration featuring Indonesian gamelan, Cambodian, Japanese taiko, and Crossing Borders Music in cross-cultural exchange.
• Kokyo Taiko ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJapanese taiko drumming ensemble partner in the 'Many Voices, One Heart' Night Out in the Parks collaborative program.
• Night Out in the Parks (Chicago Park District)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSupported by the Mayor's Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Night Out in the Parks presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout Chicago, providing venue and promotional support for Crossing Borders Music performances.
• Skokie Public LibraryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for 'Courage, Faith, and Love: Rohingya Music in Exile' performance.
• Chicago Children's MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for Stories and Music of Resilience performance at 700 E Grand Ave, Chicago.
• Genevieve RamoscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-disciplinary collaborator on 'Proud and Loud: Disability Art and Music Showcase' rooted in disability justice, multiculturalism, and community-centered art.
• Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (IOM-UN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProject of the International Organization for Migration of the UN located inside Rohingya refugee camps. Holds one of the largest English-language collections of Rohingya music information. Crossing Borders Music's library complements this with emphasis on oral history and personal musician narratives.
• Rohingya Master MusicianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup of Rohingya refugee musicians from Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh camps whose vision for documentation of Rohingya musical traditions led to the Rohingya Online Music Library. Includes musicians Sharif, Khaleda, Liyakat, Mustafa, Yousuof, Tahir, Salam, Dildar, and Osman.
• Streamable LearningminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational platform partner for streaming Crossing Borders Music educational livestream programs to students in grades 4-8.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kronos Quartet: Legendary contemporary string quartet with a long history of commissioning and performing works by underrepresented and global composers (e.g., Pieces of Africa). Highly comparable to Crossing Borders Music in artistic mission and chamber music focus, but with vastly larger scale, international touring, and broader repertoire.
• Sphinx Organization: National nonprofit dedicated to diversity in classical music through competition, performance, and education programs (including the Catalyst Quartet as an affiliated ensemble). Comparable mission around underrepresented voices in classical music, but at a much larger national scale.
• Chicago Sinfonietta: Chicago-based orchestra with a founding mission of diversity and inclusion in classical music. Comparable Chicago-rooted organization working to broaden classical audiences, but at a full-orchestra scale versus Crossing Borders Music's chamber ensemble model.

Direct peers

• D-Composed: Chicago-based Black string quartet ensemble focused on works by Black composers; Artistic Co-Director Wilfred Farquharson performs with both D-Composed and Crossing Borders Music, making it a direct artistic peer operating in the same Chicago ecosystem with overlapping mission.
• Catalyst Quartet: New York-based string quartet known for championing Black composers and performers, including via projects like 'UNCOVERED.' Directly comparable mission to Crossing Borders Music's focus on programming underrepresented composers, with similar educational programming and touring model.
• Castle of Our Skins: Boston-based concert and educational organization celebrating Black artistry through chamber music; directly comparable mission and small nonprofit operating model with educational residencies, commissions, and community engagement.
• ETHEL String Quartet: New York-based contemporary string quartet commissioning and performing works by living American composers, with strong educational outreach. Comparable as a small-to-mid sized professional string quartet ensemble programming contemporary and underrepresented voices.
• Spektral Quartet: Chicago-based contemporary string quartet known for commissioning new work and operating outside traditional classical structures. Comparable as a Chicago-rooted small professional ensemble with similar educational programming and contemporary repertoire focus.
• Fifth House Ensemble: Chicago-based chamber music ensemble performing across classical, jazz, folk, and contemporary genres with strong educational programming. Comparable as a small Chicago-rooted ensemble combining performance with community engagement and educational residencies.
• Eighth Blackbird: Chicago-based Grammy-winning contemporary chamber ensemble commissioning and performing works by living composers, with substantial educational programming. Comparable as a Chicago-rooted small ensemble working at the intersection of contemporary music and community engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCmW_9vgZ_YML2Gc6UXB7m-A
• Facebookfacebook.com/CrossingBordersMusic
• Instagraminstagram.com/crossingbordersmusic
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/crossing-borders-music

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Crossing Borders Music