North/South Consonance's Season Kicks Off November 11

North/South Consonance, Inc. kicks off its 39th consecutive season of free-admission concerts with two exciting events part of the Latin American Cultural Week Celebration in New York City sponsored by PAMAR (Pan American Musical Art Research, Inc.)
On Sunday afternoon November 11, the North/South Chamber Orchestra will perform four compositions by Max Lifchitz - the ensemble's founder and director. A native of Mexico City, Mr. Lifchitz has resided in New York City since 1966 and has toured as composer and performer throughout the Americas, Europe and the US. This event will start at 3 PM and end approximately at 4:30 PM. It will be held at the auditorium of Christ and St. Stephen's Church (120 West 69th Street) in Manhattan.

The concert will feature Mr. Lifchitz's Expressions, written in 1983 on commission from a community orchestra in Wisconsin; Brightness Aloft inspired by a Mexican carol and written to celebrate the arrival of the New Year in 2015; Fire Within composed during the waning months of 2017 in reaction to the dismaying events that transpired in Charlottesville, VA.; and Forget Me Not, a song cycle dealing with descriptions of nature as well as feelings of loss, euphoria and gaiety based on poetry by the 19th century American writer Lillian E. Curtis.

Renowned soprano Sandra Moon will be the soloist for this work. Ms. Moon has appeared on some of the most prestigious operatic stages including the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the Metropolitan Opera in New York. With over 100 operatic roles in her repertoire, Ms. Moon has been invited to sing in the opera theaters of European cities including Cologne, Dresden, Linz, Munich, Bonn, Leipzig, Paris, and Vienna.

On Friday evening November 16, vocalists Anna Tonna and Conchi Moyano will join forces with pianist Max Lifchitz in an intimate recital featuring art songs from Spain and Mexico inspired by the mystic poetry of the Spanish writers St. Teresa de Jesus and San Juan de la Cruz as well as the Mexican colonial writer and women's rights activist Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. This event will be held at St. Peter's Church (619 Lexington Avenue at 54th Street in Manhattan). It will start at 7:30 PM and end approximately at 8:45 PM.

The program will feature music by Rodolfo Halffter, Eduardo Hernandez-Moncada, Max Lifchitz, Federic Mompou, Joaquin Rodrigo and Carlos Surinach. It will also introduce a new work written especially for the occasion by the young Spanish composer Igor Escudero

"A born star who effectively stole the show" is how the press describes mezzo-soprano Anna Tonna. Her performances have been depicted as "...full of charm and magnetism with her dark, compact lyric mezzo-soprano ideally suited for the flamenco-like vocal flourishes of Spanish music."Well known for her commitment to the music of Spain and Latin America, Ms. Tonna was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study and perform in Spain upon her graduation from the Mannes College of Music.

Appearing in New York for the very first time, Spanish soprano Conchi Moyano trained at the Escuela Superior in Madrid and participated in masterclasses offered by among others, Victoria de Los Angeles Tom Krause and Ileana Cotruba. She has performed throughout Europe and Brazil and directs the Opera Company in the Spanish city of Zamora.

For further information about all the activities scheduled to take place as part of the Latin American Cultural Week in New York City please visit

http://www.lacw.net/calendar.php#music%20&%20dance