The New York Festival of Song (NYFOS), led by Artistic Director Steven Blier, opens its 38th Mainstage season with South America, North America: A Love Story, on Thursday, November 20, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center. The four-concert Mainstage series is co-presented with the Kaufman Music Center.
The season opener features Bolivian soprano Shelén Hughes and American baritone Joseph Parrish, partners both on and off stage, with pianists Steven Blier and Amir Farid. The program celebrates the musical and cultural dialogue between the two continents through an evocative mix of milongas, tangos, blues, and art songs that showcase the shared rhythms and emotional depth of the Americas.
“North America/South America: A Love Story brings together some of the things—and people—I cherish most in my life,” said Blier. “South American music has held a special place in my heart ever since NYFOS’s first season, and so does the music of my own country. They form my artistic home base. Cherished, too, are the artists with whom I am sharing the stage—Shelén Hughes, Joseph Parrish, and Amir Farid, three irreplaceable colleagues and friends. The music ranges freely from folklore to blues, Bernstein to Ginastera—a feast for the ears to open our 38th season.”
The concert offers an intimate evening of connection and cultural exchange, as the performers bring to life songs that transcend borders and blend the traditions of two hemispheres. Audience members are invited to join the artists for a post-concert reception in the lobby, continuing the spirit of warmth and community that defines NYFOS’s programming.
Following South America, North America: A Love Story, NYFOS’s Mainstage season continues on Thursday, February 12, 2026, with Fugitives, featuring baritone Justin Austin and a guest co-star to be announced. Conducted by Steven Blier and Bénédicte Jourdois on piano, Fugitives revives NYFOS’s acclaimed 2008 program tracing the stories of composers displaced during the rise of Hitler—among them Kurt Weill, Franz Schreker, Alexander Zemlinsky, Erich Korngold, and Hanns Eisler—through songs from concert stages, cabarets, and Hollywood.
NYFOS’s 2025–26 season is made possible with support from the New York State Council on the Arts with the assistance of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature, as well as funding from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
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