Young People’s Chorus of Erie

The Young People’s Chorus of Erie is the only comprehensive youth chorus organization in northwestern Pennsylvania. A regional outreach program of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College, it was founded by artistic director Dr. Jason Bishop, the college’s director of choral activities. YPC Erie is the first affiliate of the internationally acclaimed, multicultural Young People’s Chorus of New York City.™

YPC Erie is open to singers ages 7-18 who demonstrate the ability to match pitch and have a genuine passion for singing. Based on the highly successful model of YPC New York, YPC Erie offers a similarly structured curriculum of choral activities, with a commitment to serving a diverse population of young people throughout the tri-state region.

The choruses of YPC Erie began rehearsing in January 2009 with three ensembles, an elementary chorus, a middle school/junior high chorus, and a high school chorus. In a short time, YPC Erie has grown to several choruses that perform and tour in many different venues locally and regionally throughout the school year and summer. Participating young people are expected to meet standards in skills, attitude, improvement, and attendance.

The YPC Erie Concert Chorus consists of young treble singers ages 13-18 who learn advanced vocal techniques, improve sight-reading skills, and polish their performance skills through the rehearsal and performance of three- and four-part treble repertoire. The Concert Chorus combines regularly with the YPC Erie Young Men's Chorus to comprise the YPC Erie Chorale.

Dr. D. Jason Bishop, is Director of Choral Activities at Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, in Erie, PA, where he also serves as conductor of the Erie Philharmonic Chorus. In 2008, Dr. Bishop changed the choral landscape of northwestern Pennsylvania by founding the first comprehensive youth chorus program in the region, the Young People’s Chorus of Erie, of which he serves as Artistic Director. As the first affiliate of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, the Young People’s Chorus of Erie shares the YPC mission, providing opportunities for children ages 7 to 18 to participate in a comprehensive choral program that celebrates diversity, multiculturalism, and equal opportunities for children from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Dr. Bishop earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied with Dr. Dennis Shrock, and the Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Boston University, where he studied with Dr. Ann Howard Jones. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Classical Languages from Rhodes College in Memphis, TN, where he studied conducting with the late Tony Lee Garner, graduated Phi Beta Kappa with distinction, was voted into the Rhodes College Hall of Fame, and received the Rhodes College Kinney Leadership Award for outstanding service to his community. In 1998, at just 21 years old, he was asked to serve as the first-ever student conductor of the Rhodes College Singers, leading the group on a two-week performance tour of Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms throughout the southeastern United States.

Before joining the faculty of Penn State Erie in 2007, Dr. Bishop served as Director of Choral Activities at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA from 1999-2003; as Special Assistant to the President of the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA from 2001-2003; as Music Director of the Broadmoor Chamber Singers in Natick, MA from 2001-2003; as Director of Music and Founder & Artistic Director of the Concert Series at St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church in Norman, OK from 2004-2007; and as Instructor of Choral Conducting and Conductor of the University Chorale & Opera Chorus at the University of Oklahoma from 2005-2006.

Praised for both his passion and his efficiency on the podium, Dr. Bishop is in frequent demand as a guest conductor, clinician, and adjudicator, with several performances of major choral-orchestral repertoire to his credit. He recently served as guest conductor of the NYSSMA Area All-State Women’s Chorus at Ithaca College; the 8th Annual NYC Honor Chorus sponsored by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City; and the Central Dauphin District High School Honor Chorus in Harrisburg, PA. In 2008, Dr. Bishop traveled as a guest conductor with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City on its performance tour to Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and in May 2010 he will appear as conductor of Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass on the Distinguished Concerts International series in New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Dr. Bishop has also had the opportunity to sing as both baritone and countertenor in several chamber recitals and a number of professional choral ensembles, including the Santa Fe Desert Chorale of New Mexico, a professional vocal ensemble widely acclaimed for its exceptional choral performances. He has adjudicated numerous choral festivals, including the Oklahoma Arts Institute and the West Tennessee High School Festival. Dr. Bishop has held the position of Northwest Region Chair on the Board of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association, served as Editor of the Pennsylvania state choral journal Polyphony, and has had several articles published in the national Choral Journal.

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