Leaves changing color and a chill in the air can only mean one thing in NYC -- autumn is here and winter is on the way! Embrace the upcoming wintertime with "A Winter's Welcome," the fall concert on November 20, 2022 at 4 PM where Melodia Women's Choir will take listeners through the transition from fall to winter, interweaving poetry and music for treble voices. The 34-singer ensemble, joined by professional actors and instrumental musicians, promises to evoke imagery and feelings of beauty, nostalgia and melancholy to embody the different moments of this transitory time.

"The exquisite transition from summer to fall, and then to winter is for me the most beautiful time of all….or as Friedrich Nietzsche said, 'I notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than of nature.' There's a melancholy -- 'mellow and acute' in the words of May Sarton, whose poem 'Autumn Sonnet' will be read at the concert," said artistic director Cynthia Powell.

The concert will feature poems by Maggie Dietz, May Swenson and Mary Oliver. Other highlights include Katerina Gimon's powerful piece, Fire, "Vuelie" from beloved Disney's Frozen, works by Sarah Quartel, John Rutter, Barry Manilow, and poetry by Robert Frost and William Shakespeare. A rare performance of Melanie Bonis's Suite for Flute, Violin and Piano will complete the concert.

To round out the selection of poetry and music is a cast of New York City actors and a trio of instrumentalists. Actors performing poetry readings include Christianne Greiert, Delphi Harrington and Abigail Ramsey. Instrumentalists are Allison Sniffin, piano; Emilie-Anne Gendron, violin; and Francesca Ferrara, flute, acclaimed instrumentalists who play on the nation's finest classical music stages.

Executive director Jennifer Clarke says, "Breathtaking poetry has been a constant in Melodia's concerts, set to music by many of the composers we have featured. In this concert, poetry has its own place, read by a cast of professional actors and woven together with musical treasures that offer a unique and evocative journey from autumn to winter."

Live concert: Sunday, November 20 at 4:00 PM, Holy Apostles, 296 Ninth Avenue (at 28th Street), New York City; more details at melodiawomenschoirnyc.org/melodia-womens-choir-in-concert/. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors in advance; tickets at the door are $25. Order tickets at www.eventbrite.com/e/a-winters-welcome-melodia-womens-choir-fall-concert-live-tickets-417395470087.

Virtual concert: Saturday, December 17 at 7:00 PM, broadcast via YouTube for those who cannot attend in person. Free admission; register at www.eventbrite.com/e/a-winters-welcome-melodia-womens-choir-virtual-spring-concert-tickets-432961097297?aff=ebdsoporgprofile.

For more about Melodia Women's Choir, visit melodiawomenschoirnyc.org.