North/South Consonance, Inc to Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month

On Sunday evening October 6 North/South Consonance, Inc will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with a concert featuring the beauty, magic and diversity of the Latin American Art Song.

Latinx vocalists Maria Brea, Eugenia Forteza, Edgar Migel Abreu and Mario Arevalo will join pianist Max Lifchitz in performances of a fascinating array of art songs from throughout the Americas. To be heard are vocal works by, among others, Daniel Catan, Maria Grever, Jaime Leon, Odaline de la Martinez, Astor Piazzolla and Heitor Villa-Lobos.

Receiving its first performance as part of this concert is a new work by Max Lifchitz written in to honor the memory of Oscar Arnulfo Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador, who spoke against social injustice and violence. An unofficial patron saint of the Americas, Romero was murdered while delivering a sermon in church in 1980. Costa Rican-American Alan Smith-Soto provided the text for the new work.

The event will be held at the National Opera Center's Scorca Hall (330 7th Avenue in Manhattan). It will start at 7 PM and conclude around 8:30 PM.

Admission to the event is free. No tickets required.

The concert will be livestreamed via the National Opera Center's YouTube channel

https://www.youtube.com/user/NatOperaCenterLIVE

MEET THE PERFORMERS

María Brea, soprano, is a native of Caracas, Venezuela. A "very classy and versatile soprano" is how The Arts Desk described her. The Tampa Bay praised her as a "luxurious soprano with a voice that mixes brilliance and richness." She began her musical education in her native Venezuela under the tutelage of her father, a highly regarded pedagogue and cuatro performer. Upon completing her training at The Juilliard School, Ms. Brea earned awards in competitions held under the auspices of the Metropolitan Opera, the Paris Opera, and the BBC. Her increasingly busy schedule includes upcoming appearances as oratorio and orchestra soloist as well as several productions of opera companies across the US and Europe.

Mezzo-soprano Eugenia Forteza has been praised by the international press for her "vibrant performances, supported by her powerful voice...her captivating acting and her exquisite phrasing as well as great diction and musicality." An invited speaker at the inaugural Operatic Feminisms Symposium at Columbia University, Forteza has taught masterclasses and offered workshops at Florida State University, Eastern Illinois University, Vincerò Academy, Premiere Vocal Arts Institute, Teatro Grattacielo, Camerata Bardi Vocal Academy, and New York Dramatic Voices. Born in Paris, Forteza grew up in Buenos Aires and relocated to this country where she attended Temple and Rutgers Universities. Active also as a film actress, Forteza is the founder, host and lead editor of the social media platform 360˚ of Opera.

Dominican American tenor Edgar Miguel Abréu has consistently captivated audiences with his vibrant vocal prowess and compelling dramatic presence. He recently appeared as soloist in the Latin American Chorale Festival sponsored by Florida International University and was featured in the revival of the zarzuela La Ruta de Don Quijote. by Rafael Rodríguez Alberts. A graduate of Florida Atlantic University and Florida International University, Abréu is on the University of Miami music theater faculty and serves as music director and vocal coach at the BARCLAY Performing Arts Center in West Palm Beach.

Mario Arévalo, tenor, has been described by the press as possessing "a beautiful instrument, an effortless tone, and a warm Latin sound that helps to put a song across ". He trained at SUNY Purchase and Boston University before making his international operatic debut performing with the Canadian company Opera Theater. He has also performed with, among others, The New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Hawaii Opera Theater, Virginia Opera and Florida Grand Opera. Arévalo won first place in the 2017 Mario Lanza/Elaine Malbico Competition and in 2009 was honored with the Legacy Award from the Narional Opera Association Young Artists Competition. Originally from El Salvador, Arévalo serves as the Ambassador of Fine Arts and Culture for The United Nations Association of El Salvador and is also the Founder/Artistic Director of Una Voz Un Mundo Arts. Currently residing in Miami, FL, Arévalo is on the voice faculty of The New World School for the Arts.

Active as pianist and composer, Max Lifchitz has appeared as soloist with among others, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, the Sheboygan Symphony, México's National Symphony Orchestra, and the Neuchatel Orchestra in Switzerland. The San Francisco Chronicle described him as "a composer of brilliant imagination and a stunning, ultra-sensitive pianist" while the New York praised commented on his "clean, measured and sensitive performances." His numerous recordings are widely available through AppleMusic, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube, Naxos and most other music streaming services.

The event is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. Additional support from the BMI Foundation, the Zethus Fund and many generous individual donors is gratefully acknowledged.

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