After its West Coast premiere on June 1, Muehleisen’s “Borders” will an encore performance on June 2 in Bremerton, WA, conducted by Matthew Melendez. Muehleisen’s cantata draws from many of the constituent cultures that make up the American tapestry. Scored for soprano solo, adult choir, children’s chorus, strings, piano, and percussion, the work explores the question, “How should we treat the stranger—the foreigner—amongst us?” Beginning with a Salish song of welcome, Muehleisen weaves together European, African, Asian, Middle Eastern, and Latin American folk songs with his own settings of the poetry of Emma Lazarus, Brian Bilston, and Alberto Ríos in a powerful and moving musical journey that explores the historical roots of immigration and the modern relevance of America’s identity as the great melting pot.