The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony showcases patchwork of music from diverse cultures. (photo courtesy of LAJS)

The Los Angeles Jewish Symphony presents “A Patchwork of Cultures: Exploring the Sephardic-Latino Connection” on Sunday, March 19, at 4 p.m. at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

The symphony is presenting the free, expanded 90-minute concert thanks to a generous grant from the California Arts Council. The concert shines a spotlight on the shared cultural links between Sephardic Jews and the people of Latin America. It is being held in partnership with Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

“I am thrilled to be able to present music of Sephardic, Latino and Mizrachi cultures as a free public concert,” said Maestra Noreen Green, founding artistic director and conductor of the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony. “Students who are participating in our workshops, along with their parents and community members, will have a chance to experience the similarities of our cultures. Our education program is a vehicle to create bridges of understanding through music. In our divisive society, it is sharing commonalities that will break down barriers. How wonderful to have a mix of cultures and traditions together, singing and dancing our shared love of music.”

The program will also highlight Mizrahi-Persian music in celebration of Nowruz, the Persian New Year. The concert will be presented in the historic sanctuary of Wilshire Boulevard Temple, home to the oldest Jewish congregation in Los Angeles.

The mixing of cultures will be represented in the concert’s guest artists: Argentinian-born cantor and Rabbi Marcelo Gindlin, and Jewish, Persian-American musician Chloe Pourmorady. spiritual leader of the Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue and a longtime collaborator with the LAJS. Gindlin will be featured in the Sephardic and Latino sections of the program. Pourmorady will join the LAJS in performing her original music based on the Mizrachi-Persian Jewish music tradition.

“I love singing these songs with passion and love, connecting the different cultures that live in me and that I have lived in, with heartfelt music,” Gindlin said.

The LAJS, founded in 1994 by Green, serves as a professional resource for aspiring Jewish and non-Jewish musicians, and is an educational medium for a diverse population of children. A true community orchestra of professionals, students, and local community members, the LAJS has conducted music education programs for over 20 years, reaching more than 20,000 students. The concert is part of the symphony’s popular education outreach program of the same name.

Wilshire Boulevard Temple is located at 3663 Wilshire Blvd. All attendees must register in advance by visiting eventbrite.com/e/a-patchwork-of-cultures-tickets-536567587097.

For information, call (818)646-2844 or email info@lajs.org.