YPC Full Bio (.doc)
YPC Program Bio (.doc)

The Young People's Chorus of New York City, the resident choir of the 92nd Street Y has distinguished itself as one of the finest youth choruses in the world.  Initially founded by its artistic director Francisco J. Núñez in 1988 with a commitment to diversity and musical excellence, it has more than fulfilled its promise.  The chorus has won cheers for its performances on three continents, singing everywhere from Carnegie Hall and the White House to Smetana Hall in Prague and St. Martin in the Fields in London and was especially honored to be invited to represent the United States at the Seventh World Symposium on Choral Music in Kyoto in 2005.  They will return to Japan in summer of 2009 for a four-week, 25-city tour of the country. 

This past October the YPC celebrated its 10th anniversary as an independent chorus with a gala sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall.  Each year, YPC serves more than 1000 children from 7 to 18 from the New York City area through its core after-school program and its satellite program in eight of the city’s public schools and Casita Maria at the Bronx Studio School for Writers & Artists.  Over the years, the YPC has brought together hundreds of children of all ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds who have worked together, learned together, made lifelong friends, and developed not only their exceptional artistic and creative abilities, but also the skills that will serve them throughout their lives, such as responsibility, self-confidence, and a sense of community.  And almost of its members go on to higher education.  For its labors of love, the chorus has won gold medals in international choral competitions, including two in the 2004 Choir Olympics in Bremen, Germany, and will travel to Graz, Austria, for the next Choir Olympics in 2008.  

In addition to its many awards and acclaimed performances, what makes YPC particularly unique is its contribution to choral music itself.  Since 2001 YPC has commissioned more than 50 pieces of music from a Who’s Who of today’s most respected contemporary composers as part of YPC's Transient Glory concert series.  All of this music is being published so that other choruses the world over can share in the performance of these compositions, and several of these works are included in two acclaimed Transient Glory recordings. 

In working to build harmony, both literally and figuratively, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City has received a 2005 Chorus America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming and Chorus America’s 2006 Education Outreach Award.  They have also been recognized as a recognized leader in demonstrating a strong commitment to urban at-risk youth by the New York State Assembly and the Mayor of New York City and as a “national model of artistic excellence and diversity” by the President’s Commission on the Arts and Humanities.   

      December 2007