The mission of Southwest Chamber Music is to build musical bridges between cultures in concerts, recordings, commissions, and education programs which reflect the depth of art music from around the world. Founded in 1987, Southwest is an innovative and influential cultural force in Southern California, providing programming that combines traditional European classics, contemporary work by diverse American composers, and modern music from Latin America and Asia. Southwest Chamber Music performs annual concert series each year in Los Angeles County, including the popular Summer Festival at The Huntington and the Los Angeles International New Music Festival. Our in-depth education programs – Project Muse in-school concerts and the Mentorship Program – engage middle and high school students through multiple visits by musicians and composers. They are recognized as models for the field by the NEA, Los Angeles County Arts Commission and the California Arts Council. Southwest Chamber Music has made 29 critically-acclaimed recordings for which it has received two Grammy Awards and seven nominations. The ensemble’s 30th CD will be released in 2013. Southwest is also renowned for its international activity in Europe, Mexico, and Asia. In 2010, the organization completed a major U.S. State Department-sponsored program with Vietnam – the Ascending Dragon Music Festival and Cultural Exchange – which was the largest cultural exchange in the history of the two countries.