The Crossing is a Philadelphia-based professional chamber choir conducted by Donald Nally that sings and records only new music...works for choir that look at the world and our place in it. Many of its nearly two hundred commissioned premieres address social, environmental, and political issues. The Crossing has recorded thirty-eight albums, receiving four Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance and eleven Grammy nominations in ten consecutive years.
In their first visit back to the Big Ears Festival since 2017, The Crossing will perform David Lang's song cycle, Poor Hymnal, which originally premiered in late 2023. This thought-provoking work sets text from the Bible, Ghandi, political leaders, and Tolstoy, reworked by Lang to take out any identifiable context. While this work is open to interpretation by the listener, the overall message is one of love and compassion for others in need.
More information about The Crossing and their performance at Big Ears 2026 can be found here: https://bigearsfestival.org/event/the-crossing-presents-david-langs-poor-hymnal/
