In 2006, Elena Durán began a program of concerts on both sides of the US-Mexico border as part of a lifelong project to overcome barriers and foster mutual understanding through music. As a part of this out-reach project, Elena brought music to young, old, disabled and disadvantaged people who seldom have the opportunity to hear live music. In October 2006 she made a tour along the US-Mexican border and in May 2008 completed a second tour along the Texas-Mexico Border covering 3,000 km and including thirty ‘encuentros’ in the course of four weeks. Elena has made regular visits to jails in Mexico City and a tour of Jails in the State of Puebla; she has also given performances in jails from many other states from Oaxaca to Baja California.
Each year, Elena makes a tour of the jails of Mexico City and she has also played in the jails of many other States. TV-UNAM has recently completed a TV profile of Elena, documenting her work in Mexico and her career and also screened a series of six TV Programs which they have recorded with her over the past five years. In 2009 Elena was named as Mexico City’s Ambassador in recognition of her exceptional career and her out-reach work and last year in the USA she received two humanitarian awards, one for her work with homeless women and the other for her work along the Border. In September 2015, Elena was appointed Cultural Ambassador of Amistad Británico-Mexicana.
You can read more about Flautas sin Fronteras in the June 2008 edition of “Inside Mexico,” or watch “Flautas sin Fronteras, a video documentary produced by Teveunam below.
As a part of Elena Durán´s ongoing commitment to community outreach, she performed a series of concerts at corrections facilities in California in December 2015. This performance was at the Los Colinas Detention & Reentry Facility in Santee, California on December 15, 2015. A special thanks is owed to the San Diego Country Sherrif´s Department for making this video available.
