NEW YORK (July 18, 2024) –YPC National, a national choral organization, brings the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), Music Academy’s Sing! Children’s Chorus, and Concinamus, the national chorus of YPC National, together for a weeklong residency at Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, July 22-29. The residency culminates on Sunday, July 28 at 7:00pm with a spectacular joint performance at the Marjorie Luke Theater that promises to captivate audiences of all ages.
Throughout the residency, conductors, teachers, and children ages 8-18 from across the country will work with MacArthur Award-Winner, Composer, Conductor, Founder and Artistic Director of YPC Francisco J. Núñez and YPC Creative Director Elizabeth Núñez, along with the YPC artistic faculty and renowned composer Yuka C. Honda, studying repertoire and refining conducting skills. Honda will also bring a spellbinding multimedia solo performance presented by YPC National to the Santa Barbara Center for Art, Science, and Technology on Friday, July 26 at 8:30pm. The event is free, and reservations can be made by RSVPing to info@ypcnational.org.
New to the residency this year, YPC National welcomes guest faculty-in-residence Doreen Rao, founder and artistic director of the CME Institute for Choral Teacher Education, to lead professional development seminars on choral repertoire, voice education, and choral pedagogy, as well as direct Concinamus.
Created in 2019, Concinamus is the resident choir of YPC National, which includes choristers from the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Music Academy of the West’s Sing! Children’s Chorus, as well as participating young singers and conductor/teachers in the Lab and Studio programs, respectively. The 2024 Concinamus ensemble is comprised of 150 singers from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Kansas, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
The joint concert at Marjorie Luke Theater on Sunday, July 28 promises an extraordinary musical experience, showcasing the exceptional talents the young singers. Audiences can expect a diverse repertoire that spans classical masterpieces, contemporary arrangements, and the world premiere of Honda’s Rabbit on the Moon, under the direction of Núñez.
General admission tickets can be purchased for $10, at musicacademy.org, by calling 805-969-8787, and at the Music Academy Carsey Ticket Office, open Monday-Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. The Music Academy is committed to ensuring low-to-moderate income households in Santa Barbara County have access to the magic of music through $10 Community Access Tickets, subject to availability. Plus, young people ages 7-17 can receive a ticket free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult. The Community Access Ticket program is made possible in the loving memory of Linda Sawyer Frankel.
More information about Núñez, Honda and Rao can be found in the links below.
For more information about YPC National, please visit www.ypcnational.org. For more information about YPC, please visit www.ypc.org. For more information about Music Academy, please visit www.musicacademy.org.
# # #
Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) is a multicultural youth chorus internationally renowned for its superb virtuosity, brilliant showmanship, and innovative model of diversity. Founded by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow and Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year, YPC’s mission and values are deeply rooted in providing children of all cultural and economic backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance. YPC is committed to uplifting young people and providing pathways to success through the arts so that each child, no matter what race, gender, socioeconomic background, or religion can reach their full potential. Among YPC’s many awards is America’s highest honor for youth programs, a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, which was presented to members of YPC at the White House. Under the direction of YPC’s Creative Director, Elizabeth Núñez, YPC also earned the distinction of “Choir of the World” in July 2018 at the International Choral Kathaumixw (Powell River, British Columbia), marking the first time in its history that a North American chorus had ever won this title. In July 2023, YPC participated in the World Choir Games in Gangneung, winning Champions of the World/Gold Medal for the Children’s Choirs and Musica Contemporanea Equal Voices categories. It also won a Gold Medal in the Scenic Folklore category.www.ypc.org.
Sing! Children’s Chorus Sing! is the Music Academy of the West’s free, after-school children’s chorus run by Artistic Director Erin McKibben. The chorus is available to Santa Barbara County students currently numbering nearly 300 participants from over 40 area schools. Sing! performance opportunities include concerts and collaborations with the Music Academy family of artists, including recent appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra and Joyce DiDonato. Sing! is made possible by Mercedes Millington and Jack Mithun, and Leslie and Phil Bernstein. Montecito Bank & Trust is the Lead Corporate Sponsor of the Sing! Program, with additional support provided by Sonos. For more information about Sing!, visit musicacademy.org/sing.
Music Academy of the West, located in Santa Barbara, CA, creates a space where exceptional talent can thrive by encouraging artists to stretch, experiment, improvise, and play. The Music Academy provides artists with the tools they need to become not just great musicians but great leaders. The Music Academy’s programs include the annual eight-week Summer School & Music Festival which trains up to 150 fellows ages 18-34 and presents more than 130 performances and events, competitions, and a fully staged opera; Sing!, a children’s choir that performs with local, national, and international partners; the MAX (Music Academy Exchange) partnership with international orchestras; the innovative Alumni Enterprise Awards; and the Mariposa Series of concerts by Academy-affiliated artists. The Festival showcases talented young musicians and outstanding teaching and guest artists in a wide array of one-of-a-kind performances, chamber concerts, public masterclasses, and competitions. The 2024 Summer School & Festival takes place from June 12 through August 3. Learn more at musicacademy.org.
Media Contacts: Glodow Nead Communications, 415-394-6500 or YPCPR@glodownead.com
info@ypc.org
Young People's Chorus of New York®
37 West 65th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10023
YOUNG PEOPLE'S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY 2024 | Francisco J. Núñez, Founder and Artistic Director • Elizabeth Núñez, Creative Director
