Our TEAM
Border CrosSing is an award-winning choral music nonprofit based in Minnesota.
Our Mission
Our mission is to integrate historically-segregated audiences and musicians through the performance of choral music. We envision a landscape where singers and audiences more closely reflect the racial and cultural composition of the Twin Cities.
Founded in 2017, Border CrosSing envisions a fundamental change in classical music culture, so that every concert, every audience, and the artists on stage truly reflect the cultural reality in which we live. Our work provides opportunities for people from different communities to understand each other in new ways through our multi-lingual Puentes concert series, educational programs in schools, and collaborations with Minnesota’s most important cultural organizations, including Schubert Club, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Staff
Matthew Valverde
Executive Director
Mexican-American tenor Matthew Valverde is Executive Director with Border CrosSing. He joined our leadership team in January 2023, is a member inaugural cohort of Chorus America's Choral Executive Leadership Academy, and a graduate of the 2022 Latino Leadership Institute’s Ignite program.
Dr. Valverde was formerly a tenured Associate Professor of Music and Project Director for a U. S. Department of Education Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Title V Grant at Adams State University in Alamosa, Colorado. There he was appointed Inclusive Excellence Liaison (lead ADEI coordinator) to the university’s President, chaired the Equity Board, served on the President’s Cabinet and Faculty Senate, and championed equity and inclusion efforts across campus.
As a performer, Matthew has been heard as soloist in recitals, concerts, and operas in New York, Minnesota, Michigan, Colorado, Indiana, New Mexico, and Texas. He has served on the voice faculty of the Interlochen Arts Camp, Nazareth University, Eastman Community Music School, and the University of Rochester. Valverde was awarded a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a Master of Music degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music, and holds degrees in music, biology, and choral conducting from Texas Christian University.
You can reach Matthew at mvalverde@bordercrossingmn.org.
Alyssa Anderson
Operations Coordinator
Mezzo-soprano Alyssa Anderson’s vocal repertoire spans the ages from Baroque masterpieces to contemporary experimental music, with a focus on American and twentieth/twenty-first-century artsong and chamber music.
A native of Falconer, NY, Alyssa received her BM in Vocal Performance summa cum laude from the State University of New York, College at Fredonia, and she completed her MM in Performance summa cum laude at the University of Minnesota. She was recently awarded the Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Minnesota for her thesis on the solo vocal music of American composer Henry Cowell and a recital performance of a number of his unpublished, and virtually unknown, songs for voice and piano.
In 2010, Alyssa and guitarist Joseph Spoelstra formed a classical voice/guitar duo, the dream songs project. They can be heard in a number of venues in Madison, WI, the Twin Cities, and a variety of other areas in the Upper Midwest. Their debut CD of songs by Mauro Giuliani was released in 2012. Through generous grants from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and their many donors, TDSP has commissioned and premiered ten major works for the ensemble.
Alyssa can be found singing with Border CrosSing and has been an integral part of our organization since she joined our administrative team in 2019.
You can reach ALYSSA at alyssa@bordercrossingmn.org.
Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa El Samkary
Artistic Director
Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa El Samkary is a Mexican conductor and pianist of Egyptian descent. Early in his career, he was the awarded the first prize at the Maria Clara Cullel International Piano Competition. He’s since then avoided participating in competitions in favor of championing the works of new composers and exploring his musical heritage.
Ahmed is a recognized authority in Latin American and Spanish music, particularly the compositions of Federico Mompou and Miguel Bernal Jiménez. He regularly collaborates with composers to premiere new works, including Helmut Lachenmann, Paul Lansky, and Arturo Marquez. His most recent recordings include Carteles, recorded for FMM, and Contemplating Weather, on Bridge Records.
Ahmed holds Master’s degrees in Piano Performance and Choral Conducting from Western Michigan University, where he taught before moving to Minnesota, and carried out postgraduate work at the Queen Sofia College of Music in Madrid, Spain. He received a doctorate in Music Conducting at the University of Minnesota, under the mentorship of Kathy Romey. Apart from his work with Border CrosSing, he is co-editor of the Justice Choir Songbook and is Director of Music Ministries at Unity Church – Unitarian in St. Paul, Minnesota.
You can reach AHMED at info@bordercrossingmn.org.
Natalia Romero Arbeláez
Education and Community Engagement Director
Originally from Colombia, Natalia Romero Arbeláez is an experienced performer, educator and musician. As an educator, she thrives in the intersection of academic and applied music making. She is passionate about access, and student voice & ownership in her classroom and performing practices. Natalia's strength lies in her ability to connect and engage learners across all settings, although she is particularly fond of working with (and learning from) teenagers.
Natalia works as the Upper School choir director at The Blake School (Minneapolis), where she leads the high school choral program and serves as music director for the Upper School musical.
In addition to teaching, Natalia is an active performer and vocal coach. She was last seen as the host of STAGE on Twin Cities Public Television, for which she received an Emmy Nomination, and on the stage of Orchestra Hall hosting Young People’s Concerts. As a vocal coach, she has worked with the Guthrie Theater, Teatro del Pueblo, and the Ordway Center for Performing Arts where she is part of the founding faculty for the GreenRoom fellowship.
Natalia holds a Bachelor of Music from Saint Olaf College and a Master of Music Education from the University of Saint Thomas.
You can reach Natalia at natalia@bordercrossingmn.org.
Board of Directors
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Lia Rivamonte
President
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Lia Rivamonte was born and raised in the S.F. Bay Area and studied art at U.C. Berkeley before moving to the Twin Cities to work as an actor and where she pursued a Master of Fine Arts in Painting at the University of Minnesota.
Lia has 15 years of nonprofit arts administration including:
Development and Fundraising, Strategic Planning, Communications, Program and event planning, Recruiting and working with boards, volunteers, and interns.
It is writing, however, that has best served her need to explore her Filipino roots, the stories of her immigrant grandparents, and life, generally. She lives with her husband in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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Jon Lewis
Vice President
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Jon Lewis recently retired after eleven years as the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, a community orchestra based in Minneapolis in which he also plays percussion. After 25 years of law practice, Jon went into arts administration, serving as Executive Director of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus prior to his time with the MSO.
Jon’s board service includes One Voice Mixed Chorus, Source Song Festival, the Hennepin History Museum, and the MSO.
A native of Ames, Iowa, Jon graduated from St. Olaf College, where he met his wife Lisa and played percussion with the St. Olaf Orchestra. Jon obtained his law degree at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. He and Lisa reside in South Minneapolis in the Lyndale neighborhood with their cat.
Jon’s introduction to Border CrosSing came in August of 2019, attending their transformational performance of Golijov’s La Pasión según San Marcos with the Minnesota Orchestra. This concert represented many of the things that brought Jon into music and arts administration, including creativity, brilliant performances, and bringing together different art forms and cultures. Jon is delighted to have the opportunity to help Border CrosSing further its mission by serving on its Board of Directors.
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Dan Digre
Treasurer
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Dan Digre, with a BA in music education from Augustana University, Dan began his professional career as a choral conductor teaching high school choral music in New Ulm, MN. His interest in business and entrepreneurship led him to pursue his current career in audio and loudspeaker engineering and manufacturing. He is currently CEO of MISCO Speakers and Warkwyn Audio Labs of St. Paul.
He is a past president of ALTI, (Audio & Loudspeaker Technology International). While audio is his vocation, his passion remains in choral music. He was a founding member of Karle Erickson’s World Voices in 1997. In 2009 he and several singers from World Voices created new choral ensemble, Singers in Accord, which organized around the idea of being singer-led and the ensemble collaborating as equal partners with different conductors for each concert project. In the spring of 2019, SIA worked with Ahmed Anzaldua as its guest conductor. He is currently Chair of the Board of SIA as it begins its 11th season. Dan is also a board member of the FM Christiansen Scholarship Committee and a Lifetime Member of American Choral Directors Association.
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Adán Fernández
Secretary
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Adan Fernandez is the director of music and organist at Holy Family Catholic Church. He has performed at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, the Hour of Power, Biola University, Chapman University, and as a sponsored performer for the Orange County chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
His articles on worship and music education have been published in Reformed Worship, ChorTeach, and Sacred Music. Adan also serves on the boards of the Kodaly Association of Southern California and the Los Angeles chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
Adan is also the Kodaly instructor for the National Children's Chorus in Los Angeles and is a doctoral candidate at the University of Southern California in Sacred Music. -
Natalia Romero Arbeláez
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Originally from Colombia Natalia Romero Arbeláez is an experienced performer, educator and musician. As an educator, she thrives in the intersection of contemporary music education and culturally relevant teaching.
She is passionate about equity and musical citizenship in her classroom and performing practices. Natalia works full time as the Upper School Choir Director at The Blake School in Minneapolis and can be found singing with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, and Border CrosSing.
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Lisa Sass Zaragoza
#fhtogglels/Read Bio/Close/ibLisa Sass Zaragoza has worked in the educational arena in both rural and urban settings as a youth worker, teacher, community organizer, school administrator and consultant. Her past work as a union organizer with migrant farmworkers, student home placement coordinator for US students studying abroad and former director of the U-Migrant Project guide and inform her current work as the Programs and Outreach Coordinator of the Department of Chicano and Latino Studies at the University of Minnesota.
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Ada Tzab
#fhtogglels/Read Bio/Close/ibAda Tzab is the first classical harpist from Yucatán, Mexico. She is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Harp Performance degree at the University of Minnesota under the guidance of Professor Kathy Kienzle. She has performed solo and chamber music recitals, as well as participated in symphony orchestras in Mexico, Belize, France and the United States.
Another important aspect in her musical endeavors is pedagogy. She is a Suzuki Harp trained teacher and has extensive experience in teaching music to young children. One of her main life goals is to bring music to marginalized communities, and she has done so through the organization of different educational concerts and activities for kids and young people among Mayan communities.
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Jack Vishneski
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Jack Vishneski has been with Border CrosSing from the very beginning, when Ahmed came to his house with the first ideas for the ensemble and Jack said “yeah man, let’s do it.”
Jack leads multiple ventures that connect his twin crafts of data and music. He ran an audio engineering business, earned a Master’s in Musicology from the University of Minnesota, built a corporate analytics consulting practice, and now heads data and analytics for Cargill’s global bioindustrial business.
In the Twin Cities choral scene, Jack has held executive leadership positions with MPLS (imPulse), the Kaleidoscope Quartet, and Border CrosSing, while making the groups sound bright and shiny with his distinctive (counter)tenor vocals.
Outside of “work”, Jack enjoys simple things: cooking, gardening, biking, grinding his own coffee beans, and reading until he really should go to bed.
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Shekela Wanyama
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Shekela Wanyama (she/her/hers) builds community through crafting innovative and meaningful choral experiences. She is passionate about building a 21st century practice of art music that is inclusive, engaging, honest, and brave. A freelance conductor-educator based in Minneapolis, Dr. Wanyama serves on the faculty of the University of Minnesota, Hamline University, and the music staff at Unity Church-Unitarian.
Recent conducting engagements have included programs with the Minnesota Chorale, Singers in Accord, and Vocalpoint. She currently sings with Border CrosSing and the Minnesota Chorale, and has previously performed with choirs in the United States and Germany. Dr. Wanyama taught middle and high school choir for over ten years in public, charter, and independent schools. She is on the faculty of the Seattle Kodály Levels Program.
Former Board Members
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Bethany Battafarano
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Bethany Battafarano, soprano, finds her niche in early, choral, and contemporary classical music. She has sung with The Rose Ensemble, The Mirandola Ensemble, Minnesota Chorale, Apollo Master Chorale, Oratory Bach Ensemble, and First Readings Project.
With The Rose Ensemble, Battafarano celebrated the release of her first CD, “Christmas in Baroque Malta.”
Battafarano is a co-founder of Border CrosSing and the treble ensemble Artemis, which performs contemporary classical music and experimental improvisation. Battafarano holds a BA in Music, Anthropology, and Psychology from Macalester College. She is currently pursuing MA Musicology and MM Voice degrees at the University of Oregon.
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Zobeida Bonilla
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Zobeida Bonilla, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology & Community Health
My work in maternal and child health focuses specifically on issues related to global health, pregnancy health education among Latinos, program evaluation, and health disparities. Globally, my work focuses on the Caribbean region and Latino/a health.
I have held several program management positions including Program Manager of the Latina Health Initiative of the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, Program Coordinator of Eduquemos a Nuestras Mujeres of Wake County Human Services in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Program Evaluator with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the West Virginia Prevention Resource Center.
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Jake Endres
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Jake Endres lives in St. Paul and freelances as a singer, actor, music director, and composer.
He has appeared with many regional groups, including The Minnesota Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Flying Foot Forum/Guthrie Theater, Children’s Theatre Company, History Theatre, Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Park Square Theatre, Frank Theatre, Skylark Opera, Nautilus Music-Theater, Ten Thousand Things, Mu Performing Arts, Northern Sky Theatre, MPLS, Paul Bunyan Playhouse, and Minnesota Dance Theatre. Jake is also the proud papa of Annabelle and Gavia.
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Clara Osowski
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Mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, who sings “from inside the music with unaffected purity and sincerity” (UK Telegraph), is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. Recognized for her excellence in Minnesota, Clara was a recipient of the prestigious 2018-2019 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.
In international competition with pianist Tyler Wottrich, in March of 2017, Clara became the first-ever American prize winner when she placed second at Thomas Quasthoff’s International Das Lied Competition in Heidelberg, Germany. In September, the duo was also one of four to reach the finals in the prestigious Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation Song Competition in London, and Clara was awarded the Richard Tauber Prize for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder. She recently won the Radio-Canada People’s Choice Award and third place in the song division at the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal.
Recent recital appearances include debuts at Wigmore Hall and Tanglewood, and performance debuts with Minnesota Opera, Handel and Haydn Society, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the Mobile Symphony Orchestra. In addition to performing, Clara serves as the Artistic Director of Source Song Festival, a week-long art song festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This festival strives to create and perform new art song, and cultivate an educational environment for students of song, including composers, vocalists, and collaborative pianists. Please see www.claraosowski.com for more information.
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Gilberto Vazquez Valle
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Gilberto originated from Michoacan, Mexico. He studied Chemical Engineering at the Universidad de Guadalajara and, as a graduate student, at the University of Minnesota, where he also served as the Faculty/Technical advisor of La Raza Student Cultural Center. There, working with Chicano and Latinx students, he designed and organized hundreds of cultural and educational programs and events.
Gilberto had a deep interest in Latin American history and literature and has a passion for Latin American folk music traditions. For twelve years he shared this passion and interests through his program “Encuentro“, aired by KFAI, a local community radio station.
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Kristina Butler
#fhtogglels/Read Bio/Close/ibKristina Butler is a multi-genre soprano invested in storytelling through music. She has worked as a vocalist with the Minnesota Source Song Festival, Journey North Opera Company, the Fulbright Research Fellowship, Dakota Valley Symphony, St. Olaf Band, Minnesota Symphonic Winds, Opera Reading Project, and the Sepia Jazz Trio and Sinfónica de Guayaquil in Ecuador. Kristina is a 2021 recipient of the Fulbright Research Grant.
In fulfillment of this fellowship, she partnered with Universidad de las Artes in Guayaquil, Ecuador, to research, produce, and record a new music album titled Sueños de Zazá. During this partnership, Kristina also gave lectures to students at the university on vocal anatomy and the history of jazz. Kristina holds a BA in Music and Spanish from St. Olaf College and is currently pursuing MM in Vocal Performance at University of Colorado, Boulder.