YPC™ will travel to Melodia! South American Music Festival 2011

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

On July 21, 2011, Young People’s Chorus of New York City will travel to South America for the "Melodia!" South American Music Festival this summer, performing throughout Brazil and Argentina. This festival is conducted by YPC Founder and Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, and will include rehearsals and concerts all over Argentina and Brazil, as well as opportunities to sight-see and experience the culture of these amazing countries. YPC will sing alone and as part of a mass choir in concerts which will take place at the famous Candelária Church, La Plata Cathedral and Luján Metropolis with full orchestra.

Stay tuned to the YPC Blog for daily updates on the choristers' travels and experiences!

Young People's Chorus of New York City™ attends the Choral Music Experience 2011

Photograph by Sophia Miller | Ithaca College, NY

On June 26 -July 2, 2011 Young People’s Chorus of New York City and ICC (Ithaca Children's Choir) combine to create the resident chorus for 15 participants who are taking lessons and master classes in conducting from Dr. Janet Galvan with composer-in-residence, Jim Papoulis.

To read more about the chorister's experiences, visit the YPC Blog!

Young People's Chorus of New York City™ Performs at the Apple Store June 21

YPC Performing Apple Store Event | Fall 2010

Join YPC at the Apple Store on the Upper West Side located on Broadway and 67th Street as part of their Live at the Apple Store music series.

This concert is free and open to the public.

Young People's Chorus of New York City™ Joins Bang on a Can Marathon

YPC Performing at the Bang on a Can Marathon in 2007

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ will perform at the Bang on a Can Marathon on Sunday, June 19 at the World Financial Center's Winter Garden in Manhattan. Bang on a Can returns this summer with their 13-hour marathon of live performances and its incomparable super-mix of genre-defying music featuring over 150 astounding musicians and composers from throughout the world!

Composers Michael Gordon, David Lang and Julie Wolfe created the first Bang on a Can Marathon concert in 1987, and the Marathon is over 12 hours of uninterrupted live music. The Bang on a Can Marathon has become one of the most diverse, most open and most exciting music events in the world, and YPC is returning for the third time this June.

YPC will perform Michael Harrison's "Hijaz," which was commissioned for Transient Glory® X, and will feature composer Michael Harrison on just-intonation piano, Maya Beiser on cello, and Payton MacDonald on percussion. YPC will also join the JACK Quartet to perform Michael Gordon's "Exalted," which was co-commissioned by Kronos Quartet and YPC for Radio Radiance™.

The performance is scheduled for 4pm on Sunday, June 19, and the concert is free and open to the public.

YPC Performs June 5 at La Sociedad Coral Latinoamericana's Annual Festival

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ returns for its second consecutive year to the La Sociedad Coral Latinoamericana's annual choral festival. YPC will join four Latino choruses, including Coral Ecumenica Cantico Nuevo and Coro De Camara San Pablo in a free concert at Santa Rosa of Lima Church (510 West 165th Street) in Washington Heights. This performance is the fourth annual choral concert presented by La Sociedad Coral Latinoamericana, which honored YPC's Founder/Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez as its Man of the Year in 2009.

The concert is free and open to the public. 

More information is available from 646-418-4016 or by emailing frederydl@hotmail.com

YPC presents its 14th Annual Spring Celebration Concert June 4

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

YPC presents its 14th annual “Spring Celebration: A Family Concert” this Saturday at the 92nd Street Y at 7 pm.  The Spring Celebration provides a preview of several pieces that the chorus will sing in its upcoming South American debut tour of Brazil and Argentina this summer.   From jazz and Broadway show tunes to classical and the contemporary sounds of today’s leading composers, all five YPC divisions—the Prelude, Intermezzo, Cantare, Concert Chorus, and Young Men’s Divisions—will light up the stage individually before coming together, 325 voices strong, to close the program with a rousing finale.

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

Conducting the June 4 spring celebration are Francisco Núñez, Elizabeth Núñez, Amy Kotsonis and Sophia Miller, with pianists Jon Holden and Fabio Gardenal accompanying the chorus.

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

Remaining tickets are available by calling Shirley Delgado at YPC office at 212-289-7779, Ext. 10.

YPC Performs on "Positively Ernie" this Friday, May 20 at 10:30 p.M.

Photograph by Nicole Arbes

Tune in to Fox 5 this Friday, May 20, 2011 to watch the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ perform on "Positively Ernie" at 10:30 p.m.

YPC joins Sesame Street's Bob McGrath to perform "Sing" with fellow Sesame Street residents Abby Cadabby and Telly Monster. "Positively Ernie" is a special hosted by Fox 5's Ernie Anastos, and YPC is on its premiere episode.

Choristers shared their experiences of filming on the YPC Blog:

...It was such a new experience to be taped for a T.V. show with all the lights, cameras, and learning where to look when the camera is filming.  Everyone was so helpful in getting us settled and making us feel comfortable. Singing with Bob McGrath was a lot of fun and a huge honor. He was so nice to all of us! - Sarah, Intermezzo

...it was a breathtaking experience! I met the host of the show Ernie Anastos, one of the TV reporters. I also got to meet Dr. Oz, Abby Cadabby and Telly Monster from Sesame Street!  I am proud and overjoyed to have had all of these experiences.  And as Abby Cadabby would say, "Twinkle Out! Glitter!" - Thalia, Intermezzo

Read all the experiences on the YPC Blog!

Tune in to Fox 5 Friday, May 20, 2011 at 10:30 p.m. to see YPC on "Positively Ernie!"

YPC presents Sing Together Children on May 26, 2011

Photograph by Stefan Cohen

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ presents Sing Together Children, their 8th Annual Satellite Schools Concert on May 26. This performance features the public school children who participate in YPC’s Satellite Schools program in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, and Queens, as well as children from YPC’s affiliate in Tenafly, New Jersey.

The enthusiastic choristers, who also perform at school functions throughout the year and also participate in performances with the choristers in YPC’s core after-school program, are eagerly anticipating this annual event. The concert will be led by the children’s YPC instructors Elizabeth Núñez, Sophia Miller, Amy Kotsonis, and Emma Brondolo, with accompaniment by YPC pianists Jon Holden and Michael DiGiacinto.

Photograph by Stefan Cohen

The concert opens with more than 500 children joining together in singing André Thomas’ high energy spiritual, "I Hear America Singing" and closes in the time-honored YPC tradition with the YPC anthem, "Give Us Hope." In between, the spotlight will shine on each choir individually as each school performs sets on stage.

The Satellite School choristers come from P.S. 1 (Lower East Side), P.S. 64 (Ozone Park, Queens), P.S. 69 (Clason Point, Bronx), P.S. 75 (Upper West Side), P.S. 130 (Chinatown), P.S./I.S. 178Q (Jamaica Estates, Queens), P.S. 268 (Crown Heights, Brooklyn), as well as from the YPC national affiliate in Tenafly, New Jersey-- the Young People’s Chorus at Thurnauer—conducted by its music director, Emma Brondolo.

YPC Artistic Director and Founder Francisco J. Núñez created the Satellite Schools program in 2003 when, because of limited rehearsal space, YPC was not able to admit additional children into its core after-school program, as well as in response to severe budget cuts in arts programs in the city’s schools. The decision was made to provide its National Standards-based music education program to individual public schools, expanding YPC’s mission of providing children of all backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance, while maintaining a model of artistic excellence and harmony that enriches the community.

This concert is free and open to the public.

YPC Celebrates a decade of Groundbreaking Commissions with Transient Glory® X May 6, 2011

Ethical Culture Society of New York, April 25, 2004

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ is celebrating 10 Years of Radical New Music for Daring Young Minds with Transient Glory® X, a concert which includes a world premiere by Michael Harrison and Transient Glory® favorites from over the last ten years of the groundbreaking commissioning program.

The performance takes place on Friday, May 6, at 8 p.m. at the 92nd Street Y with the world premiere of "Hijaz," a Transient Glory® commission from Michael Harrison for youth chorus, cello, and just intonation piano. The concert also includes a retrospective of some of Transient Glory®’s most significant and influential compositions by John Corigliano ("One Sweet Morning"), Paquito D’Rivera ("Tembandumba"), David Del Tredici ("Four Heartfelt Anthems"), Meredith Monk ("Things Heaven and Hell") and Michael Torke ("Song of Ezekiel"). Joining YPC for "Hijaz" are renowned cellist Maya Beiser and  percussionist Payton MacDonald, and returning to host the May 6 Transient Glory® concert is WNYC’s John Schaefer.

Alice Tully Hall, April 13, 2009

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

Not only has the Transient Glory® series greatly expanded the repertoire for children’s chorus, but it has also convinced many composers of the importance and value of composing for this instrument. Transient Glory® was initially created in 2001 to spotlight the children’s chorus as a serious, and indeed glorious, instrument for making music during that fleeting period of time when a child’s voice endows music with a particular poignancy and innocence and to demonstrate that young performers are capable of music-making of the highest quality. Now, a decade later with almost 60 YPC premieres of music commissioned from many of the most visionary composers of our time, including Pulitzer Prize, Oscar, and MacArthur “genius” grant recipients, YPC’s Transient Glory® is playing a huge role in the ever-evolving fabric of music in the 21st century

YPC is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Transient Glory® with a series of concerts, recordings, and other events culminating in February 2012 with a three-day Transient Glory Symposium presented in collaboration with Carnegie Hall and in association with Chorus America.

Tickets are $10 and available at the 92nd Street Y box office or by calling 212-415-5440.

Tune in to hear YPC on the Radio on WQXR

Photograph by Nicole Arbes

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ will be featured twice this month on WQXR - New York Public Radio. WQXR's online radio station, Q2, broadcast YPC's performance from October 8, 2010 with the Kronos Quartet at (Le) Poisson Rouge on April 10, and on April 20 you can tune in to listen to YPC on the program "Young Artists Showcase" with host Bob Sherman.

This past October The New York Times raved about YPC's performances with the legendary Kronos Quartet of YPC/Kronos co-commissions "Exalted" by Michael Gordon and "Another Secret eQuation" by Terry Riley at (Le) Poisson Rouge, New York City's trendiest new music venue. The performance space was standing-room-only, while a line of people snaking around the block had to be turned away. If you missed this concert, you can hear it in full on WQXR.

Click to Listen to the Full Broadcast from April 10, 2011

On Wednesday, April 20 YPC performed on the "Young Artists Showcase" hosted by Bob Sherman. For more than three decades WQXR radio personality Bob Sherman has showcased today's best young classical musicians on his "Young Artists Showcase" program, and the YPC, conducted by Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Núñez, was featured on April 20.

Click to Listen to the Full Broadcast from April 20, 2011

The program includes a performance and an interview with special guest, composer David Del Tredici, Mr. Núñez, and YPC alumnus Monica Soyemi. YPC sings a selection of works that display the chorus's incredible range of repertoire, from Brahms's "Ave Maria" and the spiritual "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down" to Mr. Del Tredici's "Sabbath's Child," the first movement of "Four Heartfelt Anthems," which YPC commissioned in 2003 for its Transient Glory® series.

YPC's Performance at the Guggenheim featured in the New York Times

This past weekend, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™had a "marvelous" performance at the Guggenheim Museum's Works & Process series celebrating composer David Del Tredici. Their performance of "Four Heartfelt Anthems," commissioned by YPC for its Transient Glory® series in 2003, was celebrated in the New York Times review by Claudia La Rocco:

...What do you get a decorated elder of the American music scene for his birthday?

How about a performance by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City? This marvelous group, conducted by its founding artistic director, Francisco J. Núñez, and augmented by the soprano Courtenay Budd and the pianist Jon Holden, sang Mr. Del Tredici’s “Four Heartfelt Anthems” (2003), which incorporates texts by Robert Louis Stevenson and Robert Burns.

The chorus members dived into the work’s translucent lines as if Mr. Del Tredici had written the music just for this group, which in fact he had. On Monday he described the performance by the young singers as “inhuman,” meaning it as praise for their technical virtuosity. And yet they were deeply human, their voices mischievous and winning and coursing with strong emotion."

Click here to read the full New York Times article

YPC Performs at the Guggenheim's "Works & Process" celebrating David Del Tredeci

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

On March 27 and 28, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ conducted by Artistic Director and Founder Francisco J. Núñez will join in the Works & Process at the Guggenheim celebration of David Del Tredici, one of America’s foremost living composers, in the Guggenheim’s Peter B. Lewis Theater. The chorus will sing Del Tredici’s "Four Heartfelt Anthems," which YPC commissioned from him as part of its Transient Glory® series in 2003. "Four Heartfelt Anthems" is included on YPC’s acclaimed Transient Glory II recording on the Vital Records label.

Mr. Núñez calls the 20-minute piece in four movements “a tour de force.  "Four Heartfelt Anthems" is one of the most beautiful pieces of music for young voices which provides the choristers with the opportunity to learn and perform mature music,” said Mr. Núñez. “It’s clear that David truly put his heart into it.”

The Works & Process at the Guggenheim celebration of the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer will also feature a brand-new dance work commissioned from choreographer Lynne Taylor-Corbett set to Mr. Del Tredici’s Grosse Tarantella. Following the concert, Mr. Del Tredici will participate in a moderated discussion.

Tickets are available from the Guggenheim’s Web site or by calling 212-423-3575.

YPC Performs at the National ACDA Convention in Chicago!

photograph by Emma Brondolo

The Young People's Chorus of New York City™was one of only four youth choirs that were selected to perform at the 2011 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Conference in Chicago, Illinois this past weekend. ACDA brings together conductors, teachers and singers from across the country and around the world to promote excellence in choral music. YPC had two performances at this biennial conference on Saturday, March 12, 2011, and was one of only 29 choirs that were selected to perform in Chicago.

The choristers arrived in Chicago on Thursday afternoon ready to rehearse and see the sights of Chicago and the convention. Over the span of the past two weeks, YPC had performed at Carnegie Hall's first ever Family Sing, followed by the YPC Gala March 7, and now on to ACDA to perform for 5,000 choral directors. Their hard work, spirit and energy brought them to a new level of excellence, and both performances concluded with resounding applause and standing ovations, and the second performance even included an encore.

Some quotes about YPC's performance:

"Loved YPC. Every performer was fully engaged on every song. You sang with energy, intention and integrity."

"YPC you rocked!! THE best thing all week. Engaging, inspirational, gorgeous!"

"Young people's chorus was best thing all week! Here's to empowering the next generation! Every kid fully present and engaging us!"

YPC's Gala "Dreamer: Shaping Lives Through Music"

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

All five divisions of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ with Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Núñez will be featured in this year's fundraising gala "Dreamer: YPC Shaping Lives Through Music" this Monday, March 7. They will be joined by exciting guest artists: Bob McGrath, marking his 42nd season as Bob on "Sesame Street;" Janet Dacal, soon to open on Broadway in "Wonderland;" Hugh Panaro, the star of "Phantom of the Opera;" 24-year-old jazz piano phenomenon Eldar; the brilliant, 22-year-old violinist Ryu Goto; and The New York Pops conducted by Mr. Núñez.  The concert begins at 7 p.m. at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, where the chorus is in residence.

The performance will be a showcase for the talents of YPC with these extraordinary artists. Bob McGrath gets the program off to the perfect start with “Sing” with YPC and The New York Pops. Other program highlights include Eldar’s performance of “Rhapsody in Blue” and Ryu Goto playing “Last Rose of Summer.” Hugh Panaro sings “The Impossible Dream,” and Janet Dacal provides a teaser from Wonderland with a performance of Frank Wildhorn’s “Once More I Can See.”

The gala evening will pay tribute to three remarkable individuals whose extraordinary support have been so important to the success of the chorus. YPC will honor board member David Weild III, Esq., of Edwards, Angell, Palmer & Dodge with its Humanitarian Award; David Lai, A & R producer at Sony Masterworks with its Artistic Award; and James Anderson, regional vice president at Travelers, will be presented the YPC’s Corporate Award.

Prior to the concert there will be a silent auction beginning at 5:30 PM. The items include a brand-new LX150i.e. Vespa scooter, which boasts mileage to 70 miles per gallon, raffled off at $100 per ticket with proceeds going to the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™.

To purchase concert only tickets to this event, please visit the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office. For all other tickets please contact the YPC at 212-289-7779, ext. 31.

YPC Returns to Carnegie Hall for First-Ever Family Sing!

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

What is it like to sing with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™?  On Sunday, February 27, children and their families will become honorary members when Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute presents YPC, conducted by artistic director and founder Francisco J. Núñez, in Carnegie’s first-ever “Family Sing” at Zankel Hall at 1 p.m.  The concert includes lots of audience participation, such as call and response in "Tshotsholoza," a traditional Zulu folk song, and singing and dancing in the up-tempo Spanish song "Oye."  Throughout the the concert, members of YPC will be on hand to offer help and encouragement, and be fully integrated into the audience. The performance is hosted by Thomas Cabaniss, and is sure to be a memorable event for everyone!

There is a special pre-concert program that begins at 12 noon where audience members can meet the choristers, warm-up their voices, and learn some of the pieces that will be performed in the concert. Children can practice beforehand by checking the Carnegie Hall Web site for sheet music and video clips.

Tickets are available through the Carnegie Hall Box Office.

YPC Chairman a Mann About Town Personality

Arthur "Jerry" Kremer, YPC's intrepid chairman, is featured in the January issue of Mann About Town in an article about his life, his work, his family, and his joy in working with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™.

In speaking about the YPC, Kremer describes the impact the chorus has on children:

"You can't imagine the joy that these programs bring to hundreds and hundreds of city school children who, were it not for the chorus, would have no appreciation of the wonder of music."

To read the complete Mann About Town article click here.

Young People's Chorus of New York City™ featured in Playbill

Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ will perform at Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute's Family Sing on February 27, 2011 as part of the Carnegie Hall Family Concert series. Playbill's article on the YPC can be found throughout the month of December at Carnegie Hall, and composer and teaching artist Thomas Cabaniss describes the experience of attending and singing along with the "remarkable" Young People’s Chorus of New York City™.

Carnegie Hall's Family Sing is a "sing-in" for the whole family, and invites the audience to become a member of the YPC for an afternoon. The concert includes moments of participation for the audience, a chance to learn about the YPC and its members, and opportunities to simply listen to their performance. The YPC will not only be on stage, but interspersed within the audience, and it's a wonderful opportunity to experience the chorus from many perspectives.

In Cabaniss' words, "The singing that you do as an audience member is simple to learn, but because of the arrangements and repertoire, your part joins others in creating big, gorgeous harmonies. You'll sing songs you know and some you don't. You'll learn what it's like to be a chorister in the world-famous YPC, a real New York treasure."

To learn more about Carnegie Hall's Family Sing and purchase tickets, visit Carnegie Hall's website.

To read the full Playbill article click here.

YPC Continues to Share the Joy throughout December

Photograph by Stephanie Berger

YPC held its annual Winter Family Concert on Friday, December 10, with all five divisions performing in Kaufmann Hall at the 92nd Street Y. More than 300 YPC choristers wowed the sold-out audience performing a diverse repertoire including holiday favorites, songs from around the globe, and the world premiere of a new work by composer Thomas Cabaniss.

Photograph by Lindsay Bogaty

That same morning 23 members of the YPC Chorale taped a special holiday edition of Good Morning America, which aired nationally on ABC News Now on December 13. If you missed it, you can watch the entire show here!

On December 13, the Upper West Side Apple Store presented YPC in a special holiday edition of its Live from the Apple Store concerts. While the chorus sang, iPads and iPhones were no match for the attention of the store's patrons. The strains of Winter Wonderland, Let It Snow, and Jingle Bells had everyone in the store tapping their feet and singing along.

Photograph by Lindsay Bogaty

Then, on December 16, St. Patrick's Cathedral was filled to overflowing when YPC joined the New York City Master Chorale and the Cathedral of St. Patrick Choir in the cathedral's annual "A City Singing at Christmas" concert. Not only was every space in every pew filled, but even standing room was hard to find.

The St. Patrick's Cathedral concert will broadcast on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in segments between the broadcasts of Masses from New York, Washington, D.C., and Rome on the Catholic channels of Sirius Satellite Radio (Channel 159) and XM Satellite Radio (Channel 117).

And if you happen to be in Japan on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, tune in to NHK-TV to see portions of the concert in a segment NHK produced on holiday goings-on on Fifth Avenue!

While YPC's after-school program has had a busy season, YPC conductors have been bringing YPC's music program to hundreds more children in YPC's in-school Satellite program in New York City schools all over New York City. Many of these children gave their own holiday concerts and will all come together for their own Satellite Schools concert at the 92nd Street Y this spring!

We kicked off December in Ozone Park, Queens, with PS 64, brand new to the YPC Satellite Schools program. After auditions, 75 children began rehearsing on December 1. On December 15, PS 69 in the lower Bronx performed Christmas carols for members throughout the afternoon in front of the beautiful tree at the University Club in midtown Manhattan. December 16 was a busy day, starting early in the morning with PS 130 in Chinatown giving two performances of its annual Holiday Show, and moving forward with an afternoon open house at the Third Street Music School Settlement in Greenwich Village, inviting families to come and watch a rehearsal and listen to some works-in-progress. That same evening, a winter concert took place at PS/IS 178Q in Jamaica, Queens. To wrap up the December performances, PS 130 gave two more performances of their Holiday Show on the morning of December 17.

PS 1 on the Lower East Side and PS 75 on the Upper West Side continue preparations for performances in January and early February. PS 198 on the Upper East Side and PS 268 in Crown Heights are looking forward to starting next semester. Also beginning in January 2011 is YPC's newest school - PS 151Q in Astoria, Queens.

YPC wishes you all a joyful holiday and a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!

YPC Creates a Winter Wonderland in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®

YPC was awake early on Thanksgiving morning in New York City as they arrived to their post outside the Museum of Natural History in preparation for the morning's festivities for the 84th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade®. YPC was featured on the Winter Wonderland float with Tony-nominated actress Ann Hampton Callaway, performing "Yes Virginia, there’s a Santa Claus,” and their float was just before the grand finale of the parade: Santa Claus!

The choristers had a truly memorable experience being part of the long-standing New York City tradition:

"My dad and mom take me to the parade every year. I watch the floats and the balloons pass us by and wonder how it would feel to be on a float. This year my dream came true. It was better than what I imagined. I did not only ride the float and wave to millions of people (my arm still hurts from all the waving) - my friends and I sang for 65 million people on TV! I felt like a King..." - Howell John, Prelude

To read more about the chorister's experiences, visit the YPC Blog!

“Yes Virginia, there’s a Santa Claus” is a new arrangement written by Emmy-nominated composer Wesley Whatley with lyrics by Macy’s Creative Director and Emmy-nominated lyricist William Schermerhorn. “Yes Virginia, there’s a Santa Clause” is based on the well-known 1897 editorial from The Sun by Francis Pharcellus Church.

"Share the Joy" with YPC This Season!

YPC Performs with Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth at Lord & Taylor's Holiday Window Unveiling at the 5th Avenue Flagship Store November 15, 2010.

YPC's newest single, "Share the Joy," is now available on iTunes and Cdbaby just in time for the holidays! "Share the Joy" was premiered by over 2,000 choristers at most of Lord & Taylor's 46 locations in nine states November 15, written by Artistic Director and Founder of YPC, Francisco J. Núñez and composer Jim Papoulis for Lord & Taylor's The Gift of Sharing.

The single features all five divisions of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ and over 40 choruses who shared in the premiere at local Lord & Taylor stores. Find out more about "Share the Joy" on YPC's Coolside of Yuletide, which features exciting new arrangements of traditional carols including Rosanne Cash's "How Many Christmases."

“Share the Joy” was written with words inspired by YPC chorus members, and in the spirit of the season, YPC invited almost 2,000 choristers to sing with them to demonstrate how the power of song can bring people of all kinds together through music.

Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenoweth, currently starring in Broadway’s “Promises, Promises,” joined YPC and performed a song from her new album, A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas.  YPC and Ms. Chenoweth joined the Fifth Avenue revelers in singing “Let it Snow” to close the program, complete with snow outside the doors of Lord & Taylor

In addition, performances from all stores were recorded and can be seen on Lord & Taylor’s website through the rest of the holiday season.

Featuring the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ Conducted by Francisco J. Núñez and Participating Choruses in Nine States Including:

All Children Chorus of Annapolis - Annapolis, MD         
Amadeus Chorale - Victor, NY            
Arts YOUniversity Junior Choir - Freehold, NJ
Bridgewater High School Women’s Chorus - Bridgewater, NJ
Bryant High School Women’s Chorus - Garden  City, NY               
Burlington High School Select Singers - Burlington, MA
Buffalo Niagara Youth Chorus - Buffalo, NY      
Campanella Children’s Choir - Northbrook, IL 
Celebration Singers - Westfield, NJ   
Central Bucks High School-West Chamber Choir - Bala Cynwyd, PA           
Children’s Chorus of Sussex County - Rockaway, NJ     
Children’s Chorus of Washington - Washington, DC     
ChildrenSong of New Jersey - Morristown, NJ
Christ Church Chapel Choir - Manhasset, NY  
Clarksburg High School Madrigal Singers - Gaithersburg, MD      
Concordia College New York Tour Choir - Scarsdale, NY    
Connetquot High School Women’s Chorus - Bay Shore, NY         
Delaware Valley Regional High School Choir - Paramus, NJ         
Detroit Children’s Choir - Sterling Heights, MI 
Encords-Fairfield Preparatory High School - Danbury, CT                             
Fairfax Choral Society Concert Choir - Fairfax, VA
Fairfield Woods Middle School - Stamford, CT
Haddam-Killingworth High School Chorus - Farmington, CT
Handel & Haydn Youth Chorus - Boston, MA
Huntington High School Chamber Choir - Huntington Station, NY
Joseph A. Foran High School Concert Choir - Trumbull, CT
& Advanced Vocal Ensemble          
Lehigh Valley Performing Arts - King of Prussia, PA
Upperclassmen Choir       
Lower Hudson Valley Youth Chorus - West Nyack, NY
Newark Boys Chorus - Newark, NJ
Northville High School Chorus - Novi, MI
Ocean Township High School Chamber Choir - Eatontown, NJ
Palatine Children’s Chorus - Schaumburg, IL
Red Rose Children’s Choir - Skokie, IL
Rutgers Children’s Choir - Woodbridge, NJ
Sweet Harmony-Bayonne High School - Bayonne, NJ
Trenton Children’s Chorus & Cantus Choir - Lawrenceville, NJ
of Westminster Conservatory          
Washington Youth Choir - Dulles, VA
World Children’s Choir - McLean, VA
Young People’s Chorus at Thurnauer -  Paramus, NJ
Youth Pro Musica - Natick, MA
-The Greater Boston Youth Chorus

Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ featured in the New York Times

Photograph by Jennifer Taylor for the New York Times

YPC was featured in the New York Times on Monday, October 11 for their performance with the Kronos Quartet at (Le) Poisson Rouge:

...The voices were live in Terry Riley’s “Another Secret eQuation”: members of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City brightly yelped and sang Mr. Riley’s puckish cosmology. In Michael Gordon’s “Exalted,” another premiere, the young singers brought admirable spirit and assurance to a taut, urgent and tonally sophisticated setting of the first line from the Kaddish."

Read the complete review here.

On Friday, October 8, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ performed two works with the Kronos Quartet at(Le) Poisson Rouge in the heart of Greenwich Village in New York City.  The concert included the world premiere of “Exalted,” a new work by Bang On A Can co-founder and Transient Glory® composer Michael Gordon that was co-commissioned by the Kronos Quartet and YPC.  It is also the second commission for YPC from composer Michael Gordon, who wrote "Every Stop on the F Train" for YPC's Transient Glory® VI in 2007.

Listen to Francisco J. Núñez and choristers discuss Gordon's work in the "Exalted" Podcast

Gordon’s work marks the second co-commission between YPC and the Kronos Quartet, the first of which was Terry Riley's “Another Secret eQuation” and was premiered at Carnegie Hall in March 2010.  Riley’s work is also on the program for October 8, and The New York Times described it piece as moving from "a sort of playground chaos...through antique, liturgical harmonies to passages rooted in vibrant, Latin rhythms."

These two works have been commissioned as part of YPC’s Radio Radiance™ program for this season.  Radio Radiance™, YPC’s radio and internet program, expands the influence of YPC’s Transient Glory® commissioning series by combining live performance, recording and digital media to attract new listeners to new and innovative choral music. Radio Radiance™ made its broadcast premiere in 2009 with a live performance at WNYC’s Jerome Greene Performance Space of newly commissioned works by Eve Beglarian, Gabriela Lena Frank, Meredith Monk, and Robert Kapilow and Fred Newman. YPC’s performances of these premieres were later aired nationally on American Public Media’s "Performance Today."  Through partnerships with American Public Media and several youth choruses across the country, Radio Radiance™ takes YPC’s music education and performance program on a national scale, reaching millions of young people and new audiences.

Out of the boX: Transient Glory®

10 Years of Radical New Music for Daring Young Minds

This concert with YPC and the Kronos Quartet is the first in the YPC's year-long celebration of its Transient Glory® commissioning program, which was created by YPC Founder and Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez. The series comprises 10 exciting concerts, publications, and recordings through fall 2011.

Young People's Chorus of New York City™ featured in the New York Times

Photograph by Kate Glicksberg for the New York Times

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ was featured in the New York Times on September 13, 2010 following their performance at St. Patrick’s Cathedral as part of the September Concert on September 11, 2010.

...The highlight of the evening was a performance by the admirable Young People’s Chorus of New York City, conducted by Francisco Núñez. The group sang Michael Torke's “Song of Ezekiel”; Tomás Luis de Victoria’s “Vere Languores Nostros”; Stephen Foster’s “Beautiful Dreamer,” with 12-year-old Monica Soyemi as the talented soloist; and an arrangement by Irwin Fisch of Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me In Your Heart.” Some audience members also sang along with the rousing rendition of Simon and Garfunkle’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which concluded the young ensemble’s lively segment.”

Read the complete review here