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Music is a universal language, and no one knows that more than Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa El Samkary.

He is a professionally trained Mexican pianist and conductor of Egyptian descent who has used musical knowledge and heritage to transform compositions into beautifully performed masterpieces.

As the founder and artistic director of Border CrosSing, Ahmed works to diversify the choral world by creating a space where singers from various racial and cultural backgrounds can perform. In collaboration with composers, he regularly introduces Minnesotans to new multi-lingual works and arrangements from around the world.

In his role at Border CrosSing, Ahmed volunteers his time and talents to ensure audiences at classical music institutions such as Schubert Club, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Minnesota Orchestra see the best from his team of musicians.

“ We publish sheet music of all the things we do so that other people around the world can perform it. We put a lot of work into education.”

Ahmed Fernando Anzaldúa El Samkary

About the Organization

Border CrosSing is an award-winning Minnesota-based arts nonprofit whose mission is to integrate historically segregated audiences and musicians through the performance of choral music. They envision a landscape where singers and audiences more closely reflect the racial and cultural composition of the Twin Cities.

Learn More About Border Crossing

Art In This Present Moment

This project is part of Art in This Present Moment, an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. We provided grants to three Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations to fund work by BIPOC artists who are changing and challenging dominant narratives through their craft.

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