MetLife Foundation Renews its Commitment to Americas Society's Concert Series

New York, May 21, 2013 — A grant from MetLife Foundation will support Americas Society's 2013-2014 MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas Concert Series. The $75,000 grant represents the MetLife Foundation's sixth consecutive year of support to Americas Society's annual concert series, which showcases the region's diverse musical expressions.

"Since 2008, the generous support of MetLife Foundation has been pivotal for the success of the Music of the Americas Concert Series," said Americas Society President and CEO Susan Segal. "We are extremely proud to partner again with MetLife Foundation for our 2013-2014 season."

To date, MetLife Foundation has provided $450,000 in funding for Americas Society's music program and has strengthened the organization's unique role as the premier presenter of diverse music from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada in New York. The annual concert series engages a wide audience and collaborates with local and international cultural organizations as well as academic institutions. For the first time in 2012, Americas Society partnered with Carnegie Hall's Voices from Latin America, a citywide festival that showcased Latin America's musical wealth.

"With MetLife Foundation's renewed support, we will again be able to offer New York City audiences a season of exciting and diverse programming," said Americas Society Music Director Sebastián Zubieta. Highlights of the 2013-14 season include three major series:

• A "Latin Swing" series in Fall 2013 will include jazz and fusion, featuring acclaimed Nuyorican percussionist and bandleader Bobby Sanabria, a tribute to Brazilian legend Paulo Moura, and pianist Guillermo Zarba from Argentina;
• In Spring 2014, "Early Music from New Spain" will present music from pre-independence Mexico; and
• Our third series, dedicated to contemporary and new music, will include the U.S. premiere of Argentine composer Pablo Ortiz's Gallos y Huesos; a concert of Latin American contemporary music by the Ithaca College Contemporary Ensemble; and the world premiere of a new work by Mario Davidovsky, performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble.

Americas Society's Music program increases awareness and appreciation for quality and diversity of styles, and genres of music from the Americas. The program organizes approximately 20 concerts a year in New York City featuring both established and emerging musicians and composers from the region.

View upcoming events in the MetLife Foundation Music of the Americas Concert Series. For regular concert updates, follow "Music of the Americas" on Facebook and Twitter.

Press Inquiries: Please contact Adriana La Rotta at alarotta@as-coa.org or 1-212-277-8384.

Americas Society is the premier organization dedicated to education, debate and dialogue in the Americas. Established by David Rockefeller in 1965, our mission is to foster an understanding of the contemporary political, social and economic issues confronting Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada, and to increase public awareness and appreciation of the diverse cultural heritage of the Americas and the importance of the inter-American relationship.