YPC of NYC Blog

Janet Galvan looks forward to a successful Transient Glory Symposium!

2012-02-15T17:22:00.003-05:00

Tonight is the opening reception for the Transient Glory Symposium. Yesterday I had the privilege of working with Cantare and the Young Men’s Chorus, two of the divisions involved in the three performances scheduled this weekend. It is inspiring to see the great work that the conductors have done in preparing these ensembles on this most challenging music. The conductors have shown varied gestures in order to be flexible for the fellows who will conduct them in rehearsal and concert. I hope all of the fellows realize what an enormous gift this is from Francisco Núñez and Elizabeth Núñez – to turn their ensembles over to strangers for a high profile concert. This perspective makes the experience of Transient Glory far different from other masterclasses or conducting competitions. The fellows are charged with taking the ensembles to the last steps and guiding them in performance.

Guest Conductor Dr. Janet Galván & Rebecca Lord, 2012 Conducting Fellow

The other added dimension is that the fellows will have not only the guidance of the faculty, but the guidance of the composers on their own music. As a conducting teacher, I teach with the goal of honoring the composer’s wishes and making sure that the gesture is helpful and meaningful for the choir. For me (and many conductors), conducting is not about making pretty pictures but trying one’s best to embody the music in our bodies so that we can lead the singers in a more musical way. Sufficient time must be spent to get the gestures into our bodies.

In the Choral Music Experience (CME) course that I teach, the conductors work with a choir, but performance is not the goal. The goal is to give the conductors ideas make their conducting more musical and helpful for great singing and to think about (having their videos as an aid) and work into their bodies over the following year. Many conductors are able to make immediate changes (all make SOME immediate changes). However, many take a year to process and get comfortable with new ways of thinking.

At this symposium, the stakes are high, and the fellow must work the new information into their bodies almost immediately. They are a highly select group of conductors and the faculty and staff members are confident that they can do this.

Guest Conductor Philip Brunelle speaking with 2012 Conducting Fellow Dominic DiOrio and Associate

I look forward to working with the conductors as a faculty member and conducting teacher. Our job is to support the fellows and help find the best way to work with these very flexible young people and bring the best performance of the music from them – and to take ideas presented by the composers so that they can bring the performance as close as possible to the composer’s wishes. This event is about the music and the performers. For the conductor, working this information into their bodies is important so that the focus will be not on the conductor – but the performance of this great music. So that their conducting of the composer’s work looks like the composer’s work – not gestures imposed on the composer’s work but gestures which grow out of as complete an understanding of the work as possible.

Is there added pressure with a concert, conducting teachers, and composers all adding ideas? Absolutely.

I know that everyone involved will leave inspired. I was on the faculty for the last Transient Glory. It was a growth experience for everyone there. I left with my mind scrambled in a good way. It gave me reason to re-think programming and challenges and what to present to my ensembles and audiences. Hearing what each faculty member and composer had to say was wonderful food for my soul. The bar is set very high this week for everyone. Hold on! It’s going to be a great ride!

These are concerts not to be missed. The juxtaposition of chamber music, interviews, and choral music makes the evening incredible and different. Programming that one would expect from a genius!

Working with composer Joan Tower, an incredible thrill for YPC Choristers!

2012-02-08T12:25:00.000-05:00

It was a great pleasure to meet Joan Tower at our last rehearsal. Meeting composers is always fun and rewarding. As a chorister of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, I feel so fortunate to have such unique experiences – having commissioned pieces written by incredible composers, and meeting and working with them!

Joan Tower was extremely sweet and honest, telling us exactly what she wanted to hear, and when we changed our performance to respond to what she wanted she would smile from ear to ear, or say “Ohhh!” with excitement. When the composer smiles, we know we’re doing something right. She explained to us that she is used to composing for orchestras, not voices.

Knowing that, I’m even more inspired by “Can I,” her very first vocal piece with words. I hope we make her proud when we sing both “Can I” and the world premiere of “Descent” at the Transient Glory Symposium, incorporating everything we learned from the genius herself.

- Rose, Age 16, Concert Chorus

Photos Courtesy of Christopher Hall

Learn More About Transient Glory Symposium, February 16-18, 2012

Tonight’s Musical Journey | Closing Remarks

2011-12-16T22:31:00.000-05:00

Tonight marks a special holiday season with young voices filling our lives and our hearts. This evening YPC presented Angela Duryea and Carol Smith with the Volunteer of the Year Award and Manhattan Church of Christ with the Community Partner Award. Thank you to all the volunteers and staff that helped make this event a true success! Until the next blog…signing off…Jaclyn.

One Self I Sing

2011-12-16T22:11:00.000-05:00

Tonight, the Chorale division sang One Self I Sing from Bloom, written by Rufus Wainwright and arranged by Francisco J. Nunez. This piece was commissioned by Stephen Petronio Company for Young People’s Chorus Of New York City.

YPC Performs a Song by Artistic Director and Founder

2011-12-16T21:58:00.001-05:00

The Concert Chorus division performs Cantamos Uno a Uno written by Francisco J. Nunez, Artistic Director and Founder of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City.

While in the Dominican Republic, select members of YPC performed with the newly formed El Capotillo chorus and performed at the National Theatre in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic in October 2011.

Amani | New Division at YPC!

2011-12-16T21:36:00.002-05:00

The Young Men’s Division and newly formed Amani division is conducted by recent 2011 MacArthur Fellow, Francisco J. Nunez, Artistic Director and Founder of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Tonight is the New York premier of the Amani division!

Cantare Lights The Stage!

2011-12-16T20:59:00.000-05:00

Elizabeth Nunez, Associate Conductor of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City performs with the Cantare Group, Hanerot Halalu, a Hanukkah song. The chorus’ voices light the stage with these striking staccato lyrics.

Intermezzo Keeps Us Dancing!

2011-12-16T20:37:00.000-05:00

Abreme La Puerta is a traditional Dominican carol, arranged by Francisco J. Nunez, Artistic Director/Founder of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. This piece will absolutely bring the joy to you and your family this Holiday Season with a traditional Dominican rhythm to keep you dancing all through the holidays! Luckily, this song is on Cool Side of Yuletide CD, so you can take it home with you if you like! Consider giving the gift of music by purchasing the CD in the lobby or online through iTunes!

Prelude Begins The Show!

2011-12-16T20:11:00.000-05:00

Beginning with Let’s Have A Party from Miracle! Young People's Chorus of New York City commissioned Victoria Bond, Composer/Conductor to create a children’s opera by children for children. Conducting this exuberant group is Assistant Conductor, Sophia Miller. The opera reading is this Sunday at the Jewish Community Center at 3:00 pm. Limited Tickets Available Now.

Tembandumba Performance in Halstead, Kansas!

2011-11-21T11:28:00.000-05:00

Hi! Tembandumba was one of the most exciting songs that we have ever sung. All we can say is when you sing a tough song like this don’t hold back your amazing voice. Let it shine!

Tessa, Shaina, and Ashlee

Tembandumba was a really exciting and unique song. It was incredibly fun to sing because it was a challenge. I would definitely focus on learning the rhythms first, and then tackle the words. Just have lots of fun with it! It has so many opportunities to make each different part stand out. Soloists, on the long talking solos make sure to add different touches to it like with highs and lows so that way it stands out. Have fun!

Morgan

Playing the bongos was really fun but make sure that you are on the beat.

Dakota

I am new to Halstead this year, and moving schools is always hard, but even more so as a senior. I really loved my choir at my old school and was super bummed to leave it. When Mr. Chronister informed our choir the first week of school that we were asked to sing Tembandumda, I was excited. It was frustrating at times, but after all the hard work I ended up enjoying performing the song a lot. Our choir is a lot smaller than my old school’s choir, but everyone really worked hard and got into it, which helped a lot. Pronunciation of vowels is very important! So just be positive while learning it and give it your best and it will all turn out great.

Marissa

From the Choral Director, Ron Chronister

Wow! What an experience to learn, teach, and perform a regional premier piece!!

Being asked to be a Radio Radiance© choir and give a regional premier of Tembandumba by Paquito D’Rivera has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my music education career. I cannot think of a single piece of music that I have programmed in 35 years of teaching that has challenged me and helped me grow as a teacher and conductor more than this one. I cannot think of a single piece that has challenged my choir more, taught us more about singing, given us as much opportunity to ‘own’ the piece, or focused us on a goal quicker than this one.

First, the honor of being asked to be a Radio Radiance© choir by the Francisco Nũńez and the staff of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ was mind blowing. That was soon followed with the realization of the magnitude of the task that we were being asked to do. Fear quickly followed. That lasted until I had the opportunity to begin to study the score. Fear was replaced with wonder as I began to find the creativity, musicality, and uniqueness in the music. Planning rehearsals was a great challenge. New techniques. Unusual harmonies. Challenging rhythms. The old strategies and comfortable ways of teaching were probably not going to work. I needed to be creative myself. I needed to find better ways, more effective methods, and more engaging approaches to bring this music to life.

The kids were very excited about the honor of being asked to do this. They approached the rehearsals with eagerness and determination. They sensed the importance of their task. They respected the quality of the literature. They seemed more committed to working through the hard sections (and there are a lot of them) than in some traditional Western European literature that we have done. They quickly found the places they that liked and sang them with gusto! Rehearsals were intense, but kids left humming and with positive attitudes.

The performance was eagerly anticipated by our community, the singers, and me. With the additional newspaper and radio coverage that the honor brought us there was an almost full auditorium for the concert. We programmed this number last. After explaining a little of the background we sang. . . . . . . . . . . It was a HUGE hit!! The kids were really pleased with themselves, the audience kept clapping, the Superintendent was the first person to get to me to shake my hand in congratulation, and parent after parent stopped me to tell me “I love it!” “I’ve never heard anything like this!” “How did you get those kids to do something so hard?”

We have been invited to make a presentation about the honor, process, and product at the next Board of Education meeting and to send a copy of the concert and premier of Tembandumba to the local public radio station to be broadcast. We have given a presentation of this piece to students in our high school and the kids do not want to put it away. They know that we can make it even better and they want to perform this piece for adjudication at our spring festivals.

I whole-heartedly encourage any teacher/director that wants to expand, do something of the highest quality, offer their students an opportunity they may never encounter again, or work on the ‘cutting edge’ to consider doing a Transient Glory composition. If you are asked to be a Radio Radiance© choir say YES! This is a peak experience. One that I will never forget or regret having had!

Ron Chronister, Choral Director
Halstead High School
Halstead, KS

Encore Performance at the White House

2011-11-09T12:41:00.002-05:00

Today was an incredible experience. We all met in Penn Station at 9:30am, and got on the train at around 10:35am. As soon as we got on the train the rehearsing began. When we arrived in DC, we were able to get food in small groups which gave us an opportunity to get to know people in the chorus we wouldn’t normally spend much time with, besides rehearsals and concerts. After eating, we were picked up by two U.S. government vehicles right outside of the Union train station.

Driving through Washington DC was scenic; we were able to see the Washington Monument and the Capital Building, and of course, the White House. The process of getting through the gates to the White House was tedious. They had to check everyone’s passports and make sure we were in the government’s system, then individually get our bags scanned and go through metal detectors. Due to the amount of time it took to go through security, we had 5 minutes to do makeup, hair, put on our uniforms, and warm up. However, we still managed to have two incredible concerts.

During our break we had the privilege to not only meet the President and the First Lady, but to shake hands with them individually and take a picture with them to capture the moment. We went on stage one more time and sang for about an hour in the East Room of the White House. After we finished, we had about five minutes to change. On our way out of the White House, we were taking as many group pictures as possible! Once again we were picked up by the big black vans outside of the White House, and taken to the train station where we took our last group picture and departed.

-Chloe and Sofia, Concert Chorus

Stories from the Dominican Republic

2011-11-01T23:00:00.000-05:00

For the exchange with the children’s chorus from Capotillo, I was responsible for a nine-year-old girl named Amandi. The first time I met her, I tried to communicate the with my beginner’s Spanish (with a French accent, of course). I tried telling her to breathe with her diaphragm and once she understood my miming, she started to sing correctly. I also spoke to her mother who told me that she loves to sing and wanted her children to sing in the “Uno a Uno” chorus.

Singing with the Capotillo kids was extremely moving since we sang in both Spanish and English. At that moment I had never been so proud to sing and to be part of YPC. After the concert, they started to sing us a song saying “YPC” while clapping rhythms, which was very sweet.

Finally on our day off, we got to play, swim and interact with the kids. We brought them presents and gave the gifts to them, not expecting gifts in return. When I gave Amandi her gift, her mother ran up to her and slipped something in her hands. Amandi then gave me a pair of earrings with the letter “R” for Rose. I was so moved, every time I would see Amandi, she would give me a big hug and introduce me to all her friends. Her mother then came up to me when we were saying our good-byes and told me that Amandi always talked about me, always saying, “my friend Rose.” She then thanked me for what I have done for her child. I cannot believe that what seemed to be such little actions would make such a large impact on Amandi’s life. Never will I forget her smile and her giggle when she told me, “Tu cantas muy bien.”

This tour to the Dominican Republic was such a learning experience. Being able to interact with others through music is something I would never learn in school. YPC has taught me invaluable life lessons through such amazing trips. I am so happy to be part of an organization that helps “Uno a Uno” - One by One - through music. Thank you YPC.

- Rose, Concert Chorus

I had a lot of fun performing and interacting with the Capotillo kids this week. I learned about our differences and in doing so found that although we are from different parts of the world, we have a lot in common. The apparent poverty that many of the kids live in put a lot into perspective. It made me feel bad that I could never have had so many advantages in my life if I had been born in a different country. I have gained a new appreciation for the blessings I have in my life.

- Blaize, Young Men’s Chorus

One of the best things about this trip was meeting the kids from Capotillo. Even though I speak a tiny bit of Spanish and the kids spoke even less English, we still managed to communicate and have a good time. When they came to the resort, it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. They were all so happy playing in the water. I realized how like us they are. They were just as excited as we were to be spending a day at a resort. Meeting and singing with these kids was a truly unique experience.

- Vera, Concert Chorus

I cannot believe how fast this trip went by…Hello, Nick here with another blog, this time, from the Dominican Republic! I’m glad to say this is by far on of the most fun trips I’ve taken with YPC EVER! Being here has been nothing but amazing. El Teatro Nacional is on of the most beautiful concert halls I have every seen and the concert “Oye Mi Voz” could not have been any better! I had chills during the Brazilian piece, “Tres Cantos Nativos” and almost cried during “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel. Besides being around fantastic friends, the kids from the Capotillo Children ‘s Chorus were so sweet and sincere. Meeting them changed a part of my life as I see how children from such hard living conditions can be so happy and make the best out of everything. This has been a once in a lifetime experience and I’m glad to have been part of such and amazing trip.

- Nick, Young Men’s Chorus

When I first cam to DR, I was expecting to come out and just perform like always, but it became so much more than that. The day I met the Capotillo children changed everything for me. They were so eager to sing, so eager to learn and looking at them on stage singing “Cantamos Uno a Uno” with so much hope in their eyes asking everyone to listen made me sing with that much more spirit. I wanted to help make their request heard. This experience really changed me for the better and opened my eyes. I had a wonderful time.

- Ada, Concert Chorus

When we first landed at Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic I was so excited and ready for the concert. It was HOT, but that didn’t stop us from anything. DR was amazing and the resort we stayed at was just phenomenal.

Capotillo children’s chorus that was going to join us to sing songs together. They were adorable and very eager to sing which changed me. I really wanted to give the best of me to help them learn how to sing and dance. My favorite memory with the was singing “Cantamos Uno a Uno.” It was so sweet singing with them. That was a great day because we performed a wonderful concert at the big hall and I was proud of YPC and the Capotillo children. I felt like we inspired many people.

The next day was just to have fun at the beach with the children from Capotillo. I felt great when we gave gifts like harmonicas to them. We also played with them and kept singing songs like “Oye” and “Sesere Eeye.” It was so sweet. We finally had to say goodbye to “our kids.” I felt like they were part of my family. For dinner we had a great time dressing up. We had King Tut, and I was a Chinese box. Then we headed out to the beach where we showed our merengue skills and dances.

I loved the trip. I got to use the Spanish I learned. The beach was beautiful with turquoise water and light waves. I had a blast and I felt like we inspired the DR to keep music going on. I will always remember this experience and can’t wait to come back!

- Christine, Concert Chorus

YPC in the Dominican Republic!

2011-10-27T16:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, YPC arrived in the Dominican Republic for the Oye Mi Voz Tour in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Here is the latest photo of the choristers at rehearsal!

Peter & Vanessa's Dominican Republic Trip

2011-10-27T15:29:00.000-05:00

First, a little background about why we are making this trip.

Several years ago, a mutual friend introduced Francisco to José Santana. As Ambassador to the President of the Dominican Republic and Executive Director of the International Advisory Commission of Science and Technology (CIACT), José oversees a wide variety of projects, including Uno a Uno, which works to fight poverty by providing young people with educational opportunities. In the course of many conversations, Francisco and Jose came up with the idea of inspiring the Dominican Republic to create a diverse chorus that would bring children of varied backgrounds together, as YPC does in New York City.

The upcoming YPC concert in Santo Domingo, in addition to being an unforgettable experience for YPC choristers, will provide inspiration for the Uno a Uno program by demonstrating the artistic excellence that a young people’s chorus can achieve. It is drawing a great deal of attention in the Dominican Republic and will be a powerful publicity and recruiting tool for the local program.

To ensure that Uno a Uno is able to sustain and expand its work, Vanessa and I were invited to teach a two-day class on fundraising in Santo Domingo, specifically focusing on how to raise money from foundations. Having seen for ourselves the amazing results YPC has produced in its work with New York City children, we were thrilled to be offered this opportunity to support Uno a Uno’s efforts.

Wednesday, October 19:

After a turbulent takeoff from stormy NYC, our flight is uneventful. First impressions of DR: from the window, it looks like Southern California, where I used to live; once outside the plane, I find that it’s a lot more humid. Also, everyone is speaking Spanish, a language of which I have minimal command. This is why Vanessa and I were sent as a team: I have many years of fundraising experience; Vanessa is fluent in Spanish.

José Santana meets us at the airport. We have met before, briefly, at the YPC office in New York. He now begins to reveal himself as host extraordinaire and more—an instant friend. He takes us to our hotel on the Malécon, a broad esplanade along the Caribbean.

First night out: dinner at the Plaza España, in the Colonial Zone. A vegetarian, I eat yucca-stuffed gnocchi in Roquefort sauce (delicious!) while admiring the fortress where Christopher Columbus’s son, Diego, lived while he was in charge of the new colony in the early 1500s. We also see the nearby Basilica Catedral Santa Maria de la Encarnación, the first cathedral built in the Americas.

Thursday, October 20:

We drive about 30 minutes to the campus of the Instituto Tecnologico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), where we will teach our class. Sitting in the front passenger seat, I have ample opportunity to observe Dominican driving protocol. In Santo Domingo, the word “pave” (literally “stop”) seems to mean something along the lines of, “You might want to consider slowing down a little … or not.” Mysterious signals involving horn blasts and flashing headlights inform drivers of each other’s intentions. Still, it all works somehow, and we arrive in one piece.

In addition to José, there are nine students in the class. Several speak some English, others none. Vanessa and I have been worried about how effective our bilingual team-teaching approach will be. We have prepared a PowerPoint presentation and brought some handouts. Vanessa helps me make myself understood, and I surprise myself by being able to follow a fair amount of what is said in Spanish. On this first morning, we cover topics including what a grant-making foundation is, what types of foundations exist, what types of grants they make, and what steps to take before writing a grant proposal. After lunch on the campus, we start to analyze the components of a typical proposal.

One of the students, Luis, is a biology professor and recent immigrant from Cuba. The class is being held in his lab. He speaks no English but somehow manages to explain the DNA testing equipment to me during a break. Another student, Miedzarhi, is shy about speaking English but I can see from her reactions that she follows everything I say before Vanessa translates it. Cándido, also from Cuba (and a Ph.D. expert in renewable energy) speaks fairly well, while Clarissa speaks with a hint of Cockney, having lived some years in London. Rafael speaks good English but responds so intensely to one of our topics (how to create a logic model of your project) that he draws the entire class into an animated discussion in Spanish that I can hardly follow at all.

By the end of the first day’s class, Vanessa and I are relieved at how well things have gone so far, but we are also exhausted. Vanessa says she has developed a new-found respect for her own professors. We make it an early night.

Friday, October 21

The second day of class goes well. In the morning, we finish our examination of the components of a grant proposal and give the class a short writing exercise. We also talk about how to contact a foundation, how to follow up on a proposal, what to do after getting a grant, and what to do after a rejection. The afternoon focuses on research—topics like how to find foundations that might be interested in your project and how to learn about their grant-making history. We are pleased to find that our planning and pacing have worked out well and we have covered all the topics we had in mind just as our time—and everyone’s energy—starts to run out late on a Friday afternoon.

We catch our breath back at the hotel and join José and several of our students, some with spouses, at another outdoor restaurant in the Colonial Zone, this one just around the corner from the house where Hernán Cortés lived while planning the invasion of Mexico in the early 1500s. I participate in the conversation as best I can, but sometimes I just sit back and enjoy the sound of meringue pouring onto the street from inside the restaurant.

Saturday, October 22

A day at the beach. We drive east, back past the airport, to the hotel where the choristers will be staying next week. With day passes, we are entitled to use the hotel’s private beach. The water is calm and warm, but just cool enough to be slightly refreshing. We are lucky with the weather. The humidity has dropped considerably since our arrival. Vanessa notices that some people have pulled their lounge chairs into the shallow water, so she decides to give it a try. I alternate between napping and reading a fictionalized account of Dominican history by Mario Vargas Llosa.

In the evening, José takes us to a nightclub where we hear a Cuban singer perform songs that everyone else in the room knows by heart. The audience sings along with every song. One audience member comes on stage and sings a couple of numbers—and makes a very good job of it! There is a lot of banter between the singer and the audience that I can’t follow at all, but when José mentions YPC, the singer has clearly heard of us. The upcoming concert has been heavily promoted in Santo Domingo, with flyers, posters, and TV ads.

Sunday, October 23

We were up way too late to have to get up this early! Still, we get to the airport in plenty of time. We read and sleep during the flight. The flight home, at about three hours, is almost an hour shorter than the flight down. Tail winds, I suppose. Getting though Immigration and Customs seems to take longer than it should, as does the cab ride home. I get home exhausted but feeling great about the work I’ve done and the friends I’ve made. I hope the material we taught will help CIACT replicate YPC’s work in the DR. I am only sorry that I can’t be in Santo Domingo for next week’s big concert—I know it’s going to be great!

Preparing for the DR...words from a YPC alum

2011-10-21T12:13:00.000-05:00

I got really excited when we were asked to think about something we could bring to give to the children of the Capotillo Chorus in the Dominican Republic. I’ve been reading about practices of giving a lot during the past few months and one suggests giving something you feel that you couldn’t live without.

In 2009, I was struggling in multiple ways while away at school. When I realized I am in complete control of my well-being, I decided to keep a smile on my face for an entire day and see how it changed my outlook on life. On top of blurting uncharacteristically intelligent comments in all of my classes and having a fabulous time at a football game with a group of strangers, I got a call from Francisco—whom I hadn’t spoken to in 2 years—inviting me to join the chorus in Switzerland. That situation is one of the experiences I reference when reminding myself amazing things happen when your keep your mentality positive.

While away, Francisco bought a huge stuffed St. Bernard and the chorister who performed the best for that day was awarded the dog in the evening and allowed to borrow it for the night. As an alumni, I knew I would never get it, but the teenager in me sort of wanted to be praised for old-time's-sake. The concert in Switzerland was fantastic! We had the entire crowd on their feet dancing along and we did three encores. None of us were thinking about the dog because we all knew we did a fantastic job, but when we returned to the hotel, Francisco pulled out a bag of stuffed St. Bernard puppies and handed them out to every single chorister. I still have mine, and I take it with me on challenging days to remind me not only of the fantastic trip, but what an adjusted mental representation of the world has given me.

This dog is often times something I feel I can’t live without, so I’ve decided to give it away. It is the message behind the dog and not the dog itself that I need to take with me on challenging days. Along with a small bag of summer clothes I’ve outgrown, I’m going to bring the dog and give it to one of the children in the Dominican Republic. I hope it brings him or her the same fortune it has always brought me.

- Shay, YPC Alum

Transient Glory Symposium - Notes from Ron Chronister

2011-09-06T10:16:00.001-05:00

Exciting things happen in life. At least they do in my life. I am honored to share with you the most recent of such events for me.

Several months ago I met Francisco Núñez and was introduced to YPC and Transient Glory! Now I am involved in an exciting and fascinating project that I think is very important. I have been asked to help present the Transient Glory Symposium, work with the exceptional YPC and Carnegie Hall staffs, and make a difference in the lives of choral students everywhere by providing much needed and desired information about performing serious contemporary choral literature written specifically for young voices by the leading composers of our nation and the world!!

The concept is unique. The energy driving this project is electric. The information and training that will be provided can only be obtained at this symposium. The talent that will be assembled to learn from is awe-inspiring. The venues that will be used are world-class. The opportunities that are offered through this symposium are rarely offered anywhere. And the value is unbelievable. Participants get all this for practically free! And it will all happen in New York City!

As a public school choir director I am always looking for ways to improve myself and my choir. I have tended to shy away from serious contemporary compositions because they are so different from what I was trained with and I didn’t know how to understand and teach them. I didn’t know where to look to get that training. No longer! With the emergence of the Transient Glory Symposium that training and information is now available to directors just like me.

Not only can I now get this information and take it to my choir, I get to be part of making it happen! How exciting can life get?

I’ll look forward to seeing you at the Transient Glory Symposium in February 2012!

Reflections on Argentina

2011-08-04T09:18:00.000-05:00

I'm so glad that I came on this YPC trip to Argentina and Brazil. Brazil had a beautiful scenery with their beautiful mountains and amazingly clean beaches. In one of the individual concerts in Brazil, we did the rain song which was called "Tres Cantos Nativos Dos Indios Krao." Many people knew this song in Brazil and I was touched when someone told me as we walked out of the church, "This was one of the best versions because of the rain and thunder you produced." We turned the church into a rain forest for a few moments. It was a great experience and Brazil was where we first met the other two choirs: Toronto Children's Chorus and Youth Singers of Calgary. Both choirs had a different way of expressing music and it worked great when we combined us all together. Both choirs sounded good and even danced amazingly in their concerts. I was really excited to work with them on our tutti music.

YPC performs for the Coca-Cola Company in Buenos Aires as part of their Family Day.

After almost a week of Brazil and touring together with the other choirs, we all traveled to Argentina. When we got to Argentina, YPC was extremely excited to perform a concert at the Coca-Cola Headquarters in Buenos Aires. When Francisco mentioned that YPC was in the Coca-Cola commercial that is all over South America, the crowd was even excited to hear us. We sang "Whatever" and "Oye", along with other songs. It was a fun concert because the crowd sang with us and was very entertained. Again, thank you Coca-Cola for sponsoring us!

First rehearsal with orchestra

YPC performs "Take Me to the Water" in La Plata

With the other two choirs, we mingled and rehearsed for a few days for our final concert. I'm glad that we got to collaborate with these choirs from Canada because I made a lot of new friends and learned many new things. All the rehearsals paid off. At the final concert, we all rocked the house. The crowd was cheering, and we were all feeling the music as we sang the songs together. The acoustics of the church allowed all of our voices to flow beautifully all around and the feeling was great. It felt like a huge accomplishment on how we had fun, interacted with the audience, and sounded great.

There were many unforgettable moments in this trip. The experience was great musically and everyone had so much fun singing and touring together.

- Christine, Concert Chorus

I’ve chaperoned many trips with the YPC but this one especially stands out in so many ways. I’ve dubbed the tour “The Schedule Subject to Change Tour” or “The Fly by the Seat of Your Pants South American Tour 2011.” One of the things I love about every YPC Chorister is their adaptability. Whether being told “today we are doing this, wait, no, now we are doing this.” Or “get on the train no, wait, not now, take this train, no, wait, not this one, that one.” Or my favorite moment, “There was a volcanic eruption in Chile which sent an ash cloud over South America so we won’t be flying to Buenos Aires today after all, maybe tomorrow…” There is a never a sigh nor a complaint just smiles because as long as they are together they are happy. Backstage before concerts is one of my most favorite times with the YPC. It’s an actual chorus of “can you fix my scarf, sew this button, patch, hole etc, where are my shoes, where’s the music, has anyone seen…?”

Our first concert in Buenos Aires

It’s when the chorus takes the stage and Francisco the podium that everything comes together perfectly. Every member of the YPC is like a piece to a masterful jigsaw puzzle. As each chorister comes together on stage, a work of art is created. Francisco is so charismatic and conducts from the heart with such energy that an audience anywhere is immediately excited to see what will unfold. And what unfolds is pure musical magic. It’s not long before the crowd is on their feet and every chorister knows that no matter what, no matter where, the music down in their souls, has reached others.

- Carol, Chaperone

Last thoughts from Brazil

2011-07-29T19:32:00.000-05:00

YPC performs at the Candelaria Church

As much as we have been around each other on this trip already, we are joining the Youth Singers of Calgary and the Toronto Children’s Chorus for our performances. What these two world-renowned groups bring to the festival are styles of performance that we don’t have a lot of experience with and aren’t necessarily comfortable with. The Youth Singers specialize in the choral genre of show-choir, which is something that YPC has always flirted with. The Youth Singers’ sets are always filled with medleys from Broadway shows, spirituals, and many, many pop songs. They can sing as if they were plucked from the cast of Glee in one song and shift to sounding like professional classical choir in a matter of minutes. Not to mention their choreography, which routinely astonishes us.

The Toronto Children’s Chorus takes us to an entirely different realm of choral music. Their sound is refined, piercing, and reminiscent of a bell choir. The repertoire that their director, Ms. Elise Bradley, has chosen for their performances here suits their sound perfectly, with music full of sweeping chords that bring out some of the most beautiful harmonies a children’s chorus can produce. The TCC has exposed us to a different side of the choral world, one that combines straight-tone singing with incredible musicianship to produce a truly impressive sound.

Sharing a song at the singing dinner

Being around these two fabulous organizations has been more than eye-opening to everyone in YPC, and to see the two of them flourish has shown us other ways of conveying messages through choral music. However, while our differences may bring diversity to the festival, we will eventually have to join forces to sing in the tutti section of our upcoming concerts. Learning how to blend with voices that are trained differently than ours may ultimately be our biggest challenge, but it will surely be our most rewarding outcome.

- Will, Young Men’s Chorus

Visiting the Christ the Redeemer Statue

The past couple of days have been a whirlwind of nonstop action. Tuesday started off with a trip to the Christ the Redeemer statue. We took a rickety train to the top of the mountain. The sights were absolutely breathtaking; postcard perfect. We could she the crescent shaped Copacabana beach, which was almost hidden behind the mountains. As we went up the nine flights of stairs to the “Jesus statue,” as we call it, we broke out into harmony. We sung our way up the steps and at the top posed with Christ the Redeemer. Francisco wanted a group picture so he asked Nancy to take one. Nancy put down her phone (a thing we were all told not to do) and when she turned around to get it, it was gone! Although most of us thought it was lost for good, we went on a scavenger hunt for her phone. Just as we thought all hope was lost we stumbled upon Oliver, a thirty-year old lawyer from the Calgary choir. He gave us a detailed play by play about what happened to Nancy’s phone and lo and behold, after much searching, Nancy finally got it back.

Choristers walking back from the music school in a favela

After, we hopped on the bus to a music school in a favella where Calgary, Toronto, and we performed. One of the songs we sang, Riki Tiki Tavi, has a part where we samba. The little Brazilian children were so excited that a few of them jumped up when we started to samba. Another one of our songs, Tres Cantos, is a Brazilian folk song. In the song we create a rainforest by snapping and clapping. Francisco brought the children into it by having them create the rainforest with us. The children, who probably have never seen a large group perform before, were so excited by our performance. They loved creating the rainforest before. It was wonderful to see these kids, who came in with torn clothes and sad faces, enjoying themselves so much.

Choristers ride the train back down from Corcovado Mountain

That night we went to a singing dinner with the other two choirs. When we sat down we mixed with the other two choirs. We all taught each other songs. We learned Te Eee Wee Aye from the Toronto choir. The song comes with a “trembling dance,” where you have to shake your hands. From Calgary we learned the Hand Jive, which was a real hit.

- Jamie, Concert Chorus

Samba School!

2011-07-24T21:23:00.000-05:00

Choristers on just before riding a cable car to the top of Sugar Loaf Mountain

Concert Chorus performs "Riki Tiki Tavi" for the Samba School

Hey, guys! Nick here on my first YPC International trip!! Today was our first full day in Brazil, South America and boy was it an amazing start. We spent most of the day at the local Samba School. It was amazing to see the incredible talent and culture Brazil has to show. We had a chance to meet the other choirs traveling with us from Toronto and Calgary, along with the locals at the school. The students’ event taught us how to play Samba rhythms on the percussion instruments and how to dance the Samba! The children in Brazil were very kind and welcoming to us. It’s amazing to see a foreign country like Brazil in action; its almost like living in a different world compared to the U.S. When we went to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, the breath-taking sights blew me away, and then it hit me: “Wow, we’re in South America here to perform and experience such an amazing culture.” I’m so glad this trip is off to such a great start, and I’m excited for what’s to come!!

- Nick, Young Men’s Chorus

Learning the Samba

Today we watched the Samba School perform and really enjoyed interacting with the kids. They even tried to teach us how to Samba! We had a great time, and found ways to work around the language barrier. After, we took a cable car to Sugar Loaf Mountain and got our share of sightseeing! Were all excited to see more of Brazil!

Learning Samba rhythms on the drum

- Tohar, Concert Chorus

First Impressions of Brazil

2011-07-23T21:20:00.000-05:00

Our first day seemed like it would never end! Starting at the Y, all of us eager to get away from my parents (sorry mom for leaving you on your birthday!), to what seemed like a very short time in the airport. The flight was shorter than I expected, but I think all of us can agree that we all wanted a more comfortable sleep. I bet we went on a fabulous bus tour… But I was sleeping. We had a fabulous dinner where we met the two other choirs, Youth Singers of Calgary and the Toronto Children’s Chorus. Both were extremely nice and friendly, and we all can’t wait to get to know them more! I’m so glad to be here with all my fellow choristers, and I know we are going to have a fabulous, unforgettable trip!

- Ariana, Concert Chorus

Pure exhaustion – these seem like the perfect words to some up what the choristers are feeling today. It all started at 5:00 PM on Thursday when all the eager choristers waited to board the bus. Then we found ourselves at our gate for what seemed like 30 minutes, and then boarded the crowded plane. I ended up falling asleep for a couple of hours, expecting to wake up in Rio de Janeiro. Unfortunately, I was informed that I still had 5 more hours of flying…which wasn’t very reassuring. We landed and got onto a bus for a city tour, which was very interesting! We got to see “favellas” (slums) from the Northern part of Rio, then we were bused to a catholic cathedral that on the outside seemed like a block of concrete, but inside beautiful stained glass filled the room with light. We finally came to our hotel and rested for a while and then met the choristers from both Toronto and Calgary. They were very sweet and I am extremely excited to sing with them soon!

- Rose, Concert Chorus

YPC departs for the Melodia! South American Music Festival 2011!

2011-07-22T11:53:00.001-05:00

Yesterday at around 5:00 pm, the YPC staff diligently prepared to depart for the Melodia! South American Music Festival. Choristers, parents, and YPC staff gathered at the 92nd Street Y to bid the choristers and conductors a bon voyage before their exciting trip to Rio De Janerio and Buenos Aires.

EXCITING UPDATE: Just heard word this morning, everyone arrived safely and are about to eat breakfast! Follow our blog for more exciting updates from YPC south of the equator!

Recording Session at Avatar Studios

2011-07-15T10:49:00.000-05:00

Today at the recording session we recorded Meredith Monk's "Things" and John Corigliano's "One Sweet Morning." As always there was a lot of stress involved because we want to sound as good as we possibly could. It's always fun being in a recording studio because you get to hear the recording of yourself played back into your headphones. "One Sweet Morning" is one of our favorite songs because of how beautifully the text matches the music. However, it is an incredibly challenging piece of music because of the long phrases. "Things" is quite a different style, being tonal and capturing the essence of new music. Though some parts are melodic others are percussive. It was an incredibly fun and exhausting day and one that we will long remember.

Lucy & Gaby, Concert Choristers

Final High Note at the Choral Music Experience at Ithaca College!

2011-07-05T14:00:00.021-05:00

I had such an amazing time these past several days. The family hosting myself and my roommates were incredibly nice and cooked us delicious meals our entire stay. I can see why it is called a Choral Music Experience because everything was so, so memorable. Our days were long, but always fun. We were offered an amazing buffet lunch every day at Ithaca College and the Master classes were always educational and interactive. I never knew how much conductors can control the tone of the singers. My roommates and I had tons of fun going to waterfalls, spotting fireflies and buying “Ithaca is Gorges” tees. This was definitely an experience I won’t forget.

- Brianne, Cantare

While in Ithaca, I made so many special memories with my home-stay. At first, my roommates and I were nervous about rooming with a high school student, however, the second we saw Phoebe, we felt instantly comfortable and soon, we all became close friends. Her laid-back nature and sweet personality made the trip so much for fun and memorable. We also shared a love for Harry Potter and enjoyed playing fan related games every night. Some other highlights of our home-stay were watching “Mulan” (sing along version), enjoying delicious home cooked meals by Phoebe's mom, Kelly, going to the park, playing twister and catching fireflies. I loved the experiences I shared with my home-stay family and I will never forget them.

- Emma, Cantare

Spending our days and nights surrounded by choral music and people who love the process of music-making is always the highlight of my trip to Ithaca for the Choral Music Experience. This is YPC’s eighth year participating in this workshop and each time we have been graciously hosted by the families of the Ithaca Children’s Choir. I am so proud of the members of YPC who worked so hard each day in demonstration rehearsals and master classes. The closing concert on Friday afternoon was unforgettable as we performed all the pieces we had lived with for the past week. I would like to say thank you to all the teachers who worked with us; Jim Papoulis, the composer in residence; Janet Galvan, who always brings a level of expertise and joy to the rehearsal process; and most of all to the singers who worked tirelessly in every situation. I cannot wait to see where the 2011-2012 season takes us!

- Elizabeth Núñez, YPC Conductor

Day 3 at the Choral Music Experience at Ithaca College!

2011-06-30T13:11:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful sight at the Buttermilk Falls. Everyone is here and we’re having a wonderful picnic with delicious food. The only downside is that we can’t swim in the gorge. There are no lifeguards. Its nice to see everyone having fun and hanging outside. The YPC family has extended to the ICC. We hope we can become friends and eventually pen pals with our home stays. We have come to love them and will definitely miss them. More fun awaits us.

- Victoria, Sandra, and Catherine, Cantare

I spend all year looking forward to CME. I’ve been here so many years in row I can’t even imagine a summer without it. The music is amazing, the conductors are unforgettable and the friends are forever. At most camps or summer programs you meet people and are friends with them for the time you are all there together but that is what makes CME different, the connection we all gain through our music is a much stronger bond. I remember about 6 years ago I met some amazing kids from YPC. We are all still close friends and keep in touch on a regular basis. It’s so much fun to meet kids from totally different places and still be able to get so close purely through our love of music! YPC+ICC= <3

- Anna, Ithaca Children’s Chorus

Our days at Ithaca for the CME with YPC and ICC youngsters.

My third experience as a conducting participant at IC has brought new life to my conducting; the gesture, the study, the new friends. But most impressive for me has been the commitment of the young students who sing for us every day. They can't know exactly what to expect from the next conductor who stands before them, and yet they sing and love us so graciously. Often they will sing the same piece for 4 different conductors in the same afternoon. For the teachers, putting ourselves out there can be very intimidating, but these students understand (they have been taught well) and show us empathy and compassion. Thanks kids! And now I have to say, “Please promise you will always wear your seat belts”…please.

Music educators near and far exclaim about the warmth and grace that Jim Papoulis gives through his workshops and music. I am thrilled to have been a recipient of such openness. He has reveled in helping this year’s participants become better teachers; there are students all over the WORLD who will directly benefit from his efforts with us for this week. Thanks Jim.

Janet Galvan; I am forever grateful for these opportunities. She always helps me feel as though I am in the correct field. My training is greatly enhanced by her insight and gentle ways. Thank you Janet. This week has truly gotten me out of that funk. Bless you.

- Loa Bagg Noyd, Teacher Hancock Central School in Hancock, NY

I have loved to sing since I was little, and since joining YPC I've had lots of fun singing with others. This week at CME has been so much fun, and I've discovered even more how much hard work pays off in the end. It is an experience like no other to be singing your heart out, surrounded by so many others doing the same! YPC makes me really believe the message of peace and hope in all the Jim Papoulis songs we're singing this week.

It's been really fascinating to learn about different styles and techniques of conducting this week. Elizabeth is always there for us when we rehearse and perform, but I've never thought about everything she does, in showing us tempo, dynamics, words, pitch, all at once. Watching the student conductors work so hard to become better has given me even more appreciation for Elizabeth and all the other awesome conductors of YPC!

This experience makes me even more excited for the new challenges that will come next year with being in Concert Chorus and the Symposium in February!

- Lindsey, Cantare

Day 2 at the Choral Music Experience at Ithaca College!

2011-06-29T09:57:00.024-05:00

When I heard about the Ithaca trip, I was really excited, so I packed my bags as soon as I heard that I was going to go on it. I met my home-stay family two days ago; they are a lovely couple named Jim and Jan. Their daughter lives in Las Vegas and is a college graduate, so since she doesn’t live with them anymore. I got the opportunity to sleep in her room; her room is really big and it has enough room to dance! I can turn on my music and sing and dance and just be myself. My roommates always say that there’s a party going on in my room every night because of how loud my music is! Jim and Jan have a dog and a cat; both of their pets are very friendly, and they love it when you pet and play with them. My roommates' names are Sandra and Joan-they are extremely funny and amazing. Everyday we play different card or board games, like “Clue,” “Monopoly,” and “Poker.” We have a lot of things in common: we all like to read books, play games, sing and dance. I am having a great time so far on the Ithaca trip-there are so many gorgeous sights to see, and many animals like deer, horses, and birds. A few days ago I went to Ithaca Falls-I was so excited because it was so pretty and you could swim near it if you wanted. It was refreshing to only be able to hear the rush of water, and not the sounds of horns blaring during the morning rush hour. There is so much that I want to explore and see, and I’m eager to see what else is out there waiting.

- Izodwa, Cantare

Guess what?! I got to conduct “Give Us Hope” today! I really had fun conducting the group. The chorus was cheering for me and laughing when I conducted. It really gave me a chance to go beyond my comfort zone. I enjoyed it.

- Ange, Cantare

Hi, I’m Ta’Sean and I’m rooming with Justin and Quint. We live with Russell and there are three fun kids living in the house. They are really taking care of us. We cook, play games, and go out to see the waterfalls. They are also teaching us about Ithaca’s history. We are having a great time!

- Ta’Sean, Young Men

This summer’s trip to Ithaca has been one of the greatest experiences for me. My home-stay family is the best and we’ve started to get extremely close. Yesterday, they took me out on their motorboat and, of course, I hurt myself on the motor. It was AWESOME!! This is my second time at the Choral Music Experience and this time is even better than the last. So far, the song-writing workshop with Jim Papoulis is my favorite class. I almost wish the time we spend writing a song could be longer. I’ve also become really close to my home-stay family, and the tears will definitely fall when I have to leave them on Friday.

- Bryanna, Cantare

What a hot day! I am at the pool trying to get a tan with my friends. The song-writing workshop with Jim Papoulis was fun. Janet was so energetic and fun to be conducted by. Her pointers really helped us. I really had a blast. After this we will be having a pizza party and then my roommates and I are going to the movies to see “Mr. Poppers Penguins!”

- Jordan, Cantare

Day 1 at the Choral Music Experience at Ithaca College!

2011-06-27T19:01:00.006-05:00

During master class, Clair was conducting “Give Us Hope” when the teacher of the teachers asked a student of the choir to come up and lead the choir for this song. I was excited thinking about going up in front of everybody, it sounded very fun. So without thinking, I raised my hand and Janet, the master teacher, invited me up. Janet told me to lead them the way I wanted to. I felt that I was lost at the beginning, until it got to the chorus, and all my feeling flew through me. Everyone was so engaged, and so was Janet. She said to me; that “You are a great conductor without experience!” That was the highlight of my day!

- Alex, Young Men

So today was my first official day in Ithaca, New York. When I arrived yesterday, my host family was like my second family. They treated my chorus friends and I like we have known them for many years. I knew this was going to be a good start of my adventure here. Today during rehearsal, I met members of the Ithaca Children’s Choir. They were really nice and they sang very well too. The master class we had was comprised of different conductors conducting us and it was such a musical experience. I learned that the way a conductor conducts reflects on the way a choir would sing. I also saw Jim Papoulis conduct and that was very cool because the way he moved his body toward his music was so strong and powerful that it made me really excited and happy to sing.

- Jacqulyn, Cantare

Day 1 at Ithaca College was way more fun than I expected. My host family is so nice and welcoming, the weather is beautiful, and the Ithaca Children’s Choir is very friendly. I am enjoying my stay here. Master class was long but kept me interested the whole time because the teachers were fun and engaging. I met many new people at Ithaca College today and didn’t expect them to be as friendly as they were. I am looking forward to what the rest of the week has to offer. All this hard work is going to be worthwhile at our concert on Friday.

- Nailah, Cantare

Having a great time at Choral Music Experience - Ithaca College, NY!

2011-06-27T13:20:00.001-05:00

Members of Cantare and Young Men are in the throes of the first day at the Choral Music Experience graduate summer workshop week at Ithaca College, and having an amazing time already!

YPC 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. Loving learning some exciting new repertoire, working with different conductors and musicians, and giving feedback to each conductor.

But before all of that...we arrived last night after a long but fun bus ride, met at the James J. Whalen Center for Music at Ithaca College, and went right off with our home stay families. The choristers have such fun stories already about the new friends they are making (stay tuned for chorister blogs a little later this afternoon!) Bright and early this morning we took our swim tests with the IC lifeguards so we can enjoy ourselves in the pool every afternoon, and started right off with a rehearsal with Sophia and Elizabeth this morning to continue the preparation of all the great music we're singing this week.

And of course, we loved the dining hall for lunch...an endless supply of food and relaxation with friends from NYC and Ithaca!

Choristers will be blogging later on and throughout the week...stay with us!

the song i sing

2011-06-04T20:28:00.000-05:00

My perfect sing-song of everything. This is the melody. It is the gift I bring. And it has changed my life...

Nothing seems to sum up the YPC experience better than these lines from the YPC commission from Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens. It's amazing how the very human act of singing can act as a catalyst of friendship and hope, and yet it happens time and again, as if through some superhuman force. I've been reading so many articles about why this is so, but no one can seem to explain it. It just happens.

We are saying thanks to Amy Kotsonis tonight, and as a special valedictory performance, Amy is conducting our signature song, Jim Papoulis' Give Us Hope.

Thanks again for following our live blog. Thanks, V! Nice chatting with you!

original song by the seniors

2011-06-04T20:17:00.001-05:00

This is a tradition at YPC: the seniors compose their own song about YPC and the future they are facing. It's a touching moment, always.

senior night

2011-06-04T20:14:00.001-05:00

Francisco has been talking to the audience about how YPC has been invited to perform with some of the most prestigious musicians across the country, and about the chorus' upcoming travels to Brazil, Argentina and the Dominican Republic this summer and fall, and to Normandy, France, next year. He thanks the board and the volunteers and everyone in the house for their continued support.

But now he is heaping encomiums on the stars of the spring concert, YPC's seniors. There are 11 of them this year: Danielle Bennett, Hannah Chinn, Elizabeth Dorovitsine, Maya Hodge, Alexandra Kessler, Camille Labarre, Charlie Lovett, Nichole Musumeci, Isaac Ponce, Brian Sussman, and Emily Viola. They are moving on to college but as we all know, nobody ever leaves YPC, and we're pretty sure most of them will be back come spring break to help YPC (maybe help V and me blog!). One thing YPC has always been proud of is the fact that all our seniors go on to college. That's quite a record knowing YPC has been around for nearly 2 decades. Our seniors have been with us for up to 10 years. Yup. One more round of applause for the class of 2011!

Congratulations Graduating Seniors

2011-06-04T20:14:00.000-05:00

It's time to congratulate our Seniors who are leaving the YPC and attending college in the fall...and some really amazing universities: Yale, Columbia, University of Michigan, University of St. Andrews, Tufts University...what an amazing group!

backstage pics

2011-06-04T20:08:00.000-05:00

Concert chorus waits for their turn to go back onstage.

young men on stage

2011-06-04T19:59:00.000-05:00

sam was a man by Vincent Persichetti -- wasn't that an interesting piece to open with? Hey V, am I reading this right, that three of these Young Men are graduating this year? Uh oh, those Cantare boys better grow up fast. We need more of these superlatively talented young men in the chorus. To think that this division is a fairly new addition to YPC. Francisco trains these singers like they were meant to out-Pavarotti Pavarotti or something. And somehow they always rise to the occasion. After that sombre piece by Beethoven, Wir haben ihn gesehen, the guys are doing Broadway: I Could Have Danced All Night. You know, V, some years ago Francisco thought of the idea of doing a Shuffle repertoire, sort of like the Shuffle function on an iPod. This night shows how that idea has come to fruition. The way these divisions jump from one genre to another, from one culture to another, across time and space, just makes my head spin (or shuffle).

I Could Have Danced All Night & Hol' Yo' Han'

2011-06-04T19:57:00.001-05:00

Yep E! How can you NOT love these guys? Personality, panache, choreography and all in tune! Love it!

And the Crowd Goes Wild...

2011-06-04T19:47:00.002-05:00

for Young Men's Chorus! Wow, way to show the love! Do you think the audience digs these guys, E?

young men are next

2011-06-04T19:46:00.000-05:00

There's a lot of activity here backstage as Young Men are getting ready to go onstage. Hope you're having fun following V and me. Send us a comment, post something, send money! Just kidding. Well, not.

amy's intermezzo

2011-06-04T19:43:00.002-05:00

What, V? Amy's leaving??? Oh yeah we knew that. She's doing doctoral work in Florida, I hear. She's done wonders with Intermezzo. Tonight they're performing a wide range of music from John Leavitt's Festival Sanctus, which we just heard, to a Scottish folk song, and to piece by Dvorak that's got so many superscripts I can't even type it here. A sweet song, this one. And they are finishing their set with Stephen Leek's Riawanna -- again shades of the savannah here, with percussion accompaniment by John Hadfield. This talented group of youngsters finish their turn with the American classic Amazing Grace, arranged for voice and guitar.

more globe trotting with Interezzo

2011-06-04T19:39:00.000-05:00

First a song in Latin, then a Scottish fold song...I wonder where Intermezzo will take us next?

Intermezzo's on

2011-06-04T19:29:00.001-05:00

It's Intermezzo's turn to perform with their conductor, Amy Kotsonis. E, can you believe that this is Amy's last YPC Spring Concert! She's leaving YPC to pursue a PhD in choral conducting from Florida State University. She will be sorely missed!

JB Harrison sez:

2011-06-04T19:19:00.001-05:00

Wow!

Sophia had those Preluders rockin' and Jim Papoulis' new piece in Swahili was wonderful.

Then Elizabeth blew us away with the Cantare and “Wonderful World”!

Not to mention the exquisite work of our fabulous Concert Chorus harmonies.

Can't wait for this intermission to end so I can soak in the rest!

Best to all for the summer!
JB

and now a word from our lovely audience

2011-06-04T19:17:00.002-05:00

It's our intermission, but here are a few words from people we managed to pull out of the crowd.

This is my 8th spring concert and they only get better and better! The little ones in prelude rocked the house and Cantare was incredibly imaginative! Can't wait for the second half! Better get some more tissues.

Two world premieres so far and both rocked the house. Go YPC!

Thomas & Deborah Cabaniss

cantare surround

2011-06-04T19:11:00.001-05:00

Are you watching this? Cantare has gone offstage and has surrounded the audience. Wrapping the audience in wonderment. Nice.

cantare continued

2011-06-04T19:04:00.001-05:00

If you're listening to the concert right now, this haunting song you're hearing is Francisco's Cantan. I was backstage earlier and F and the musicians were talking about how hard it was to find musicians who could accompany the chorus for this piece, because it's so difficult. But you wouldn't know, would you, by listening to Cantare -- they make it sound so effortless. Next up: Stephen Hatfield's rousing Tjak! (you can feel the entire hall jumping!) and the all time classic What a Wonderful World.

cantare's turn

2011-06-04T19:00:00.000-05:00

You know, V, every time I hear Cantare they seem to be taking one risk after the other. These kids are performing music that would be pretty challenging even for older singers. We just heard them sing a Japanese folk song, then Britten's "Gloria" from his Missa Brevis in D. And now we're listening to a YPC commission, Small Red Tree by Derek Bermel. Conductor Elizabeth Nunez must be doing some mojo with these kids because they just keep getting better and better. And I hear the CD they just recorded is doing very very well.

Cantare

2011-06-04T18:56:00.005-05:00

I agree E. We have a skilled group of choristers, what can we say? Not only is the music challenging, but these choristers sing in so many different languages as well. They just finished Cantan and I'm super impressed! Followed up with Tjak!- a Balinese temple song performed during sunset at the temple of Uluwatu on the south tip of Bali.
Wow!

Vamos al Caribe!

2011-06-04T18:47:00.001-05:00

La Sopa De Isabel: From the sound of this song, this soup must be delicious! And Prelude is killing it with their fierce merengue moves!
And what a great story about the origins of this song, no E?!

prelude round the world

2011-06-04T18:45:00.002-05:00

What's always amazing to me is how kids as young as Prelude perform such a global repertoire. From Bee..., we were transported in space and time to Brahm's sweetly sung Marienwurmchen, then a Czech folk song, and now we're hearing strains of Swahili via the uber-internationalist composer Jim Papoulis. This, by the way, is a World Premiere. Kusimama, as the song is called, means Stand Tall. After this, Prelude ends with another new song written by Francisco himself -- another World Premiere. La Sopa de Isabel has a domestic story about it -- F trying to have his son Sebastian eat his soup, with a little help from grandma.

And as I'm writing this, V, I can see Cantare already lining up to go onstage. I have to say I've never been in this part of the house before and I'm amazed at the clockwork efficiency of it all.

Prelude up!

2011-06-04T18:34:00.002-05:00

It's a sea of black and white on stage as Predule files in with the lovely conductor Sophia Miller.
Bee! I'm Expecting You!, so fitting for the Spring Concert! And so much energy in Kusimama! That's a lot of power coming from such small people! Rockin' it!

s'wonderful

2011-06-04T18:31:00.000-05:00

Indeed. That was a pleasant surprise, wasn't it, V? I never expected that song to pop up but it does sure make it really feel like it's spring. We're taking a short break as Prelude goes onstage. I see Concert Chorus walking past now and they're thrilled about how this first part of the program has turned.

tembanduba!

2011-06-04T18:24:00.002-05:00

Francisco did it again -- he turned around and addressed the audience, as part of Tembandumba, thereby breaking the fourth wall between conductor and audience. Very innovative, I have to say. This piece rocks!

Tembandumnba...

2011-06-04T18:23:00.002-05:00

...makes you want to stand up in your seats and dance! Don't you think, Eric? Ready for a little salsa?
Concert Chorus certainly have the choreography down pat. Bailamos!

prelude is getting ready

2011-06-04T18:23:00.000-05:00

Hey, I'm here backstage (well, sort of) and I see the Prelude kids lining up and getting ready to go onstage. They'll be led by Sophia Miller. I haven't see her yet but the children look so smart in their very NYC black and white outfits.

live blogging the spring concert

2011-06-04T18:19:00.002-05:00

We're doing something different tonight -- we have two people live blogging the annual Spring Concert. You've just heard from Vanessa (V) and this is Eric (E), and right now we're simply captivated by the Concert Chorus' rendition of Natsu No Omoide, which is being performed here in sympathy with the people of Japan. Japan, as you know, is virtually YPC's second home, the chorus having been so warmly received there for the last 2 summers.

Enter Concert Chorus

2011-06-04T18:12:00.002-05:00

Concert Chorus takes the stage, conducted by Artistic Director and Founder, Francisco Nunez, singing The Little Land from Four Heartfelt Anthems...they sound hauntingly beautiful...

Their next song Natsu No Omoide they dedicate to the people of Japan, who they have had the opportunity to meet on their numerous tours to the country.

Almost GO Time atYPC's 2011 Spring Concert!

2011-06-04T18:03:00.001-05:00

Welcome to The Young People's Chorus of New York City's 2011 Spring Concert!
The Alumni Reception is wrapping up. Thanks to all of our great alumns for joining us tonight and congrats to all of our NEW alumns. We look forward to seeing a lot of you in the future!
The hall is filling up and it is definitley a sold out show!

Awards and Finale!

2011-05-26T11:43:00.003-05:00

It's time to honor our principals, teachers, schools, choristers and everyone who came here today to support the YPC Satellite Schools. Everyone gets a standing ovation! A million thanks! Two students from every school are coming on stage with signs representing their schools - how cool! And now the teachers and principals are coming up on stage to receive awards - wow, photos of every school are part of the award!

And to tie the concert up, all the choristers sing Give Us Hope, YPC's own theme song by composer Jim Papoulis! Give us hope and we'll show you the way...

Wow! What a show! GREAT JOB!!! Another great year in YPC's satellite schools program, and we're so happy that so many choristers performed today - they were truly incredible, and so wonderful to see all their hard work displayed in this beautiful Kaufmann Concert Hall. Bravo!!! And we can't wait until next year!

Tue, Tue!

2011-05-26T11:37:00.004-05:00

What a great concert to wrap-up our choristers hard work this school year!

Now, Francisco Nunez (YPC's founder and artistic director) will lead all of the choristers in Tue, Tue, a song from the West African country of Ghana.

Oh, how cool--6 volunteers (one student from each school) are going to get to accompany the singing choristers with percussion instruments on stage!

Francisco is teaching us about a special musical term - ostinato - we're using the first line of Tue, Tue and singing it over and over again. It sounds really cool with John Hadfield's percussion!

Now Francisco is having the audience of adults sing by themselves from the balcony - they sound pretty good! And they just learned the song right now - great job!

Everyone join in! Stand up! Clap! TUE,TUE!

PS/IS 178Q 3rd-5th Grades & PS 75

2011-05-26T11:18:00.002-05:00

We are now being joined by another chorus from PS/IS 178- the 3rd-5th Grade Chorus, singing Fairest Lady and Child of Peace. Fairest Lady is also from the Nursery Rhyme Cantata - they sound great, and we love this piece!

What an important message PS178 is sending us through Child of Peace. When we hear the children singing I think we can really all believe in a better, more peaceful world. Thanks kids!

Our last individual school chorus up is PS 75 from the Upper West Side with their conductor Amy Kotsonis singing Eletelephony and Thula S' Thandwa.

Wait, did they just say the elephone tried to use the telephone? Did his trunk really get entangled in the telefunk? This is a crazy song! So funny! Great job!

PS 75 is in its 6th year with YPC - wow! Their last piece is in Zulu and English - it's really beautiful.
Again, what a packed stage! So many students, so much music! What a great way to end the performance!

YPC @ Thurnauer Prelude Chorus and PS 69

2011-05-26T11:01:00.002-05:00

Taking the stage next is the Thurnauer Prelude Chorus, with conductor Emma Brondolo, who used to be a YPC Chorister herself. I wonder if we have any future conductors sitting in our audience today...I bet we do!

Thurnauer Prelude Chorus starts off with a sweet Japanese Lullaby, Takeda no komoriuta, accompanied by Thurnauer's pianist Jackie Choi - she's great! Thurnauer wraps up with You'll Never Guess What I Saw. Tell us kids, what did you see? I can tell you, I am seeing some very talented choristers!

Now we have PS 69 from the Bronx. They will be singing This shall be for Music and Oye.
Wow, another packed stage with so many smiling faces and lovely voices. The first piece is so beautiful! They sounds great!

Oye! Yes, we can hear you loud and clear! Wow - John Hadfield sounds amazing on the drums! And the entire chorus has so much energy and the choreography is fantastic! PS 69 rocked it!

PS/IS 178Q 6th-8th Grade Chorus and PS 130

2011-05-26T10:44:00.004-05:00

Up now we have PS/IS 178Q 6th-8th Grade Chorus and conductor Emma Brondolo. What a cool first piece - Niska Banja by Nick Page. Both Michael and Jon are playing on this piece - we have four hands on the piano! I wonder what language this is in??

They sing When You Believe from the "Prince of Egypt" to wrap up their set. John Hadfield adds some great percussion to the piece, and it sounds great!...and the crowd goes wild!

Taking the stage next is PS 130 from Chinatown, singing a Lullaby from Four Chinese Children's Songs. The song keeps switching between Chinese and English - Beautifully sung! Now they are singing Dance, Boatman, Dance...and there's choreography! That can't be easy! What a fun piece, and the movement looks great - over 100 children on stage and they're all moving together! Great energy, too!

Thurnauer Concert Chorus and PS 268

2011-05-26T10:29:00.003-05:00

Up first is Thurnauer Concert Chorus singing two songs: Yet Gentle Will the Griffen Be and She Shall Have Music. Sounding wonderful, kids! What a great start to the show. This is YPC Thurnauer's second performance at the Satellite Schools Concert - we're so excited to have them here!

Wow, what a great performance of She Shall Have Music by Nick Page - it's part of his Nursery Rhyme Cantata - the same work that Fairest Lady comes from - a satellite favorite. Such a beautiful piece, and they do it really well!

The next chorus coming up is joining us from Crown Heights, Brooklyn: PS 268, singing Afternoon On A Hill and being lead by conductor Sophia Miller.

What?!? PS 268 has only been rehearsing for 2 months?!? Unbelievable! Even more impressive! They have great stage presence, and a wonderful tone - it's such a pretty piece! What a good job! Bravo!

Good morning Mrs. Nunez!!!

2011-05-26T10:18:00.004-05:00

Welcome to the YPC's 8th Annual Satellite Schools Concert!! With over 500 choristers in the audience today, we are in for a great performance! There are choristers here from PS 69 in Clason Point, Bronx; PS 75 on the Upper West Side, Manhattan; PS 130 in Chinatown, Manhattan; PS/IS 178Q in Jamaica Estates, Queens; PS 268 in Crown Heights, Brooklyn; and the Young People's Chorus at the Thurnauer School of Music in Tenafly, New Jersey!

Conductor Mrs. Nunez gives all the schools a big welcome and introduces the schools and instrumentalists! We have Jon Holden and Michael DiGiacinto on piano, and John Hadfield on drums!

First Song up: "I hear America Singing" by Andre Thomas - a Tutti with all of the students. We are totally surrounded by hundreds of beautiful voices - everyone sounds great! I can't wait for the next song!

YPC on Fox 5's "Positively Ernie" this Friday, May 20 at 10:30 p.m.!

2011-05-18T14:49:00.001-05:00

This Friday, May 20, tune in to Fox 5 at 10:30 p.m. to watch YPC on the special "Positively Ernie" with Ernie Anastos! YPC choristers share their experience of taping the special:

YPC with "Positively Ernie" host Ernie Anastos

It was a great experience for me to meet Ernie Anastos from Fox Five news and some of the characters of Sesame Street, and sing with Bob McGrath! I am really excited to be part of this project – I can't wait until I see myself on television this Friday!

- Nydia, Intermezzo

YPC choristers with Dr. Oz

YPC Choristers with Sesame Street's Bob McGrath

I am happy to share my experience with Bob McGrath at the taping at the Fox 5 studio – it was a breathtaking experience! I was privileged to be one out of the ten choristers chosen. Mr. McGrath chose YPC out of all the choirs he could have chosen! 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

On Monday May 1st a few friends from YPC and I went over to the Fox studios – it was so much fun! 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. We sat in the waiting room for a while, having fun, and relaxing, but when the camera started rolling it was worth the wait. Singing with Bob McGrath was a lot of fun and a huge honor. He was so nice to all of us! In all, I had a great time, and if I had the opportunity to do it again I definitely would!

- Sarah, Intermezzo

A YPC Alumna is blown away by 10 years of Transient Glory

2011-05-13T15:36:00.001-05:00

Dear Francisco,

I was blown away at Transient Glory. The sound of the choir was outstanding and so beautiful. I was overwhelmed by how far the choir has come.

When John Schaefer talked about how YPC had been commissioning these pieces for the past ten years, it was such a powerful moment of reflection for me. The Transient Glory pieces played a tremendous role in my life. They were powerful and I always felt that they were so important. That our singing was changing the world and that we were conveying the tone of society.

However, when we sang Metamorphoses, Unlabelled and Kadiq…The challenge of those pieces and the musical and literal meaning of those pieces not only defined what type of music I wanted to work with in my life, but gave a spirituality and musical connection to many of today’s most pressing problems and trends.

On Friday night, to hear Song of Ezekiel again and the David Del Tredici was like revisiting an old friend. I was so happy to see another generation of choristers experiencing the magic of those songs. YPC sang them with such artistry. I remember struggling over Song of Ezekiel and all those “do-do-do” parts. I even remember you stating “This is so hard, how am I going to teach this to you?” And I was scared for you and the choir. What would happen if we couldn’t sing the piece?

That’s when you said the most incredible thing. On Friday night, you told John Schaefer that “the fear was gone.” And that’s what it sounded like on stage. There was only joy.

Now that I’m thinking about it… it’s not always that the pieces themselves were so great, (though many of them were) it’s really the passion you bring to each piece. Your drive and your ability to convey the beauty of the music becomes embedded within each singer. Instead of it simply being a song that would be nice to learn. It’s “we have to learn this song, it’s so important, no one else in the world can sing these pieces, these songs are going to change everything, I identify so much with the melody/text of this piece.”

Every day in high school I thought about our Transient Glory songs; about the process, sacrifice and importance. I still think about it as I conduct my own choirs and express my own passion about the music. I’m not sure if Transient Glory is really the thing that will ever change the world for the better, but it certainly was the greatest gift ever given to me and I hold it very close to my heart.

Love,

Emma

Transient Glory gets a 10!

2011-05-12T11:05:00.000-05:00

Just intonation or extended vocal technique are terms you don’t expect to hear at a typical youth chorus concert, but last Friday’s Transient Glory^® X at the 92nd Street Y was not your typical youth chorus concert. Nor is the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ your typical youth choir. This year it celebrates ten years of YPC’s Transient Glory^® project begun by Founder and Artistic Director Francisco Núñez in 2001. In those ten years, the project has accumulated nearly 60 new works for children’s chorus by some of the most prominent composers around the world, including those whose music were performed last Friday: Michael Torke, Paquito D’Rivera, John Corigliano, Meredith Monk, David Del Tredici, and Michael Harrison, whose Hijaz for voice, just intonation piano, cello and percussion received its world premiere at the Y.

This is the basic premise of the Transient Glory^® project: that a child’s voice is a unique instrument during that fleeting time between childhood and after-childhood (that momentous transition which many of the composers addressed in some form or another), and that this instrument can tackle the most challenging and uncompromising music written for them, if such music were available.

Transient Glory^® promised to deliver, and Friday’s concert--one of ten anniversary events given throughout the year, culminating in a national symposium in New York next winter at Carnegie Hall--was the showcase of those ten years. WNYC’s John Schaefer, YPC’s “crazy uncle” (in his words) who had hosted performances since 2001, opened the concert by remarking, “Ten years ago, when I first hosted this concert, I didn’t see this coming.” Neither, it seems, did anyone else, and there was a general atmosphere of astonishment and perhaps some well-deserved self-congratulations throughout the evening. After all, it took Francisco Núñez many hoops to jump in order to convince composers, the industry, and the public that his vision would work—let alone survive. Suffice it to say that eventually Mr. Núñez did manage to convert the skeptics, including Mr. Schaefer himself, who remembered receiving a phone call from Mr. Núñez one day ten years ago and exclaiming, “You managed to get who???” Since then, he said, he continues to express amazement that Transient Glory^® has amassed “an incredible list of composers since year one.”

Friday night’s program, in a way, also celebrated the people who turned around and became the project’s champions. “I keep coming back year after year because this chorus keeps astonishing me,” said Mr. Schaefer. During a panel discussion there was a lot of nostalgic remembrance about those times, when the idea of a major composer writing a piece for children’s voices was not exactly something people jumped on. “Ten years ago we were sitting here and wondering what we had just done,” recalled Linda Golding, who was then president of Boosey & Hawkes. Boosey & Hawkes agreed to partner with YPC to publish all Transient Glory^® commissions and make them available to the rest of the world. It was quite a revelation, said Ms. Golding, when they all realized that most composers had not written for children simply because they were not asked.

During the panel discussion, Mr. Schaefer questioned whether Transient Glory^® contributed to the changes in performance practice over the past ten years. Mr. Núñez recalled that when the chorus first got Torke’s Song of Ezekiel (a moving piece which has the distinction of being the first Transient Glory^® commission), the score was handwritten and difficult to decipher, heightening what may be called a first-timer’s jitters. That early piece, that seemed so cutting edge at the time, now feels mainstream. “This really is the new century, and fear of new music is gone,” said Frank Oteri, founder of NewMusicBox and a composer himself, adding that today, young people can play new music, and “nothing is hard anymore.”

I’m guessing that what he meant was that today, everybody is up for the challenge. The concert’s repertoire showed to what extent these singers--members of YPC’s Concert Chorus-- could stretch the limit. The chorus opened the concert with Song of Ezekiel and then performed Tembandumba, Paquito D’Rivera’s rollicking and physically demanding work. Based on the poem Majestad Negra by the largely unsung genius of Boriqua poetry Luis Pales Matos, Tembandumba is a heavily percussive and tongue-twisting homage to a colossally endowed mulata whose very presence drives all she passes wild with desire. The highly suggestive language was largely invented by Pales Matos, who was known to create portmanteaux and onomatopoeic devices in his poetry, virtually presaging hip-hop and rap (the poet lived from 1898-1959). In Friday’s performance, the otherwise provocative content of the poem was translated into innocent wonder and awe by the singers, giving the piece an entirely new and unexpected layer, and an energy that deserved the rousing applause it received.

To witness the entire evening’s performance is to marvel at the scope of the repertoire, and the seemingly endless range of these singers’ talent. John Corigliano’s One Sweet Morning, in commemoration of 9/11, is plaintive and lyrical but never sentimental. As the composer himself said, he made “no concessions to the fact that these are young musicians.” He added that the problem with writing technically challenging pieces is that performers focus more on the difficulty than the interpretation, “but Francisco and the kids went way beyond the music.” The full 30-minute work, with additional texts, will be premiered by the New York Philharmonic this September to commemorate 9/11’s tenth anniversary.

Meredith Monk’s work, "Things Heaven and Hell" from Three Heavens and Hells, demanded that the singers “extend the instrument,” using Tennessee Reed’s verses for their sonic value rather than meaning, as Mr. Schaefer explained to the audience. I heard this work premiered live on WNYC two years ago with Ms. Monk herself performing with the children, and I’ve heard it several times since, but I still marvel at the sheer vocal acrobatics this piece demands and have often wondered how such young artists could perform such a vocally complex work. David Del Tredici’s Four Heartfelt Anthems closed the first half of the program, with the chorus joined by YPC alumni, teaching staff, and soprano Courtenay Budd, whose performance of the fourth anthem, based on a poem by Robert Burns, was uplifting and ethereal. The work, filled with nostalgic remembrance, was introduced with an email sent by the composer to Mr. Núñez, in which Mr. Del Tredici called YPC “diabolically skilled, so virtuosic and so heartfelt that to hear them is to remember how thrilling music can be.”

The second half of the program, following the panel discussion, was the world premiere of Michael Harrison’s Hijaz, which Mr. Schaefer introduced as “one of those pieces that, yes, is supposed to sound that way.” The work used extended just intonation, copiously explained by the composer in the program notes. Mr. Harrison wrote the poem for the piece himself and remarked that he was inspired to write something for YPC that he hoped would inspire them in return. For this work, the chorus was joined by two exceptional musicians, in addition to Mr. Harrison at the piano: cellist Maya Beiser, whose fiery performance was nothing short of electric, and Payton MacDonald (who also performed in Tembandumba), a founding member of the jaw-dropping group Alarm Will Sound (and one of my favorite ensembles of all time—full disclosure). This 20-minute work, which takes the listener on a trance-like journey through the Middle East, Africa, Moorish Spain and the Indian Subcontinent—virtually the entire trajectory of the history of Gitano music, flamenco, and other related forms—was lyrical despite its complexity. It began with theatrical flourish--soloists Lindsay Bogaty, a YPC alumna, and Nia Drummond, a current chorister, walking from the back of the hall towards the stage, singing the work’s theme like a pair of celestial heralds--and ended with a single extended note that was literally breathtaking. It was no surprise that the work was met with shouts of “Beautiful! Beautiful!” from the audience, as well as a 15-minute standing ovation.

Transient Glory^® can be said to be the pinnacle of YPC’s programming, both artistic and educational. This is the litmus test of all those years of training. The works sung here are unflinchingly complex and challenging, not just for young singers but for any musical artist. The singers do justice and honor to the astonishing talent of these composers—by being themselves astonishing. If anybody asks what makes YPC different from other choruses in the city or the world, one might well point to Transient Glory^® and those ten years when it sought out the best composers and challenged them to write music for this group of singers—to dare these young singers, in effect, to break musical barriers and at the same time discover the power of their own voices.

I feel pretty certain that this self-discovery will be what these singers will look back on most fondly in their adult years. During the panel discussion, Mr. Núñez said that “something happens from year to year,” alluding not just to the evolution of the young singers in this group (whose line-up perpetually changes as the children grow older and leave) but also (and I am guessing here) the sea-change that happens to the conductor and listeners as well. “The children leave something behind,” he said. “I don’t know what it is, but children are able to communicate in a way we have forgotten to do.” – Eric G.: 5/9/11

I'd Like to Buy the World a Coke!

2011-05-01T07:14:00.000-05:00

This is my first time traveling with YPC and I am really excited because it has given me a chance to meet new people and just get closer as a member of the group. I feel that there are so many exciting things we have done this trip, but my favorite part was going to the Coca-Cola factory and just seeing everything they do in the factory. I was able to travel as a group inside the factory and get a whole bunch of souvenirs. I just think it’s cool how everyday kids have opportunities to go all over the world and see new things. This is my first trip and I’m excited to go on many more. Going to Atlanta was an amazing experience for me. The kids who live here are amazing and work very hard on their performances. I was truly amazed by what we accomplished at the Coca-Cola concert. I hope one day we will be able to come to Atlanta again and perform with all of these kids.

- John, Young Men

The first day we had practice I met two people and they were really nice! On one of our songs they would make these really funny faces at us while they were singing. Everyone was laughing, but how could you not? I was having fun and I was kind of sad when it was over because I had one whole week before I could see everyone again and hopefully make new friends! The second week was fun even though there was more dancing than I could handle. I made another friend, Alvin, and we would do silly stuff during the free parts of the dances. My friend Taylor and I kept making jokes and I kept sneezing extremely loud and I sounded like a mouse! And I made a friend named Brian and we are fist pump buddies! And then I made a friend named Emma on Monday; she is really nice and we have a lot in common. I am upset it is almost over, but I made facebook contact with new friends, so even when we don’t have the time to see each other anymore we can still talk and be friends! J

- Jada, Atlanta chorister

This has been one of YPC’s most fun trips because of its relaxed nature, and all the fun we got to have. We met so many new kids, and really got to bond with fellow choristers. I’m so glad we got to experience such a special event!

- Ariana, Concert Chorus

One of the most fun concerts we've ever performed in!

2011-04-20T13:41:00.003-05:00

Hi folks, Eddie here, Artist-in-Residence for the YPC. I wanted to tell you about our concert this past week: On Tuesday evening, the 12^th of April, the Cantare and Young Men’s divisions sang at Carnegie hall with James Taylor, Sting and Steve Martin. It was their annual Gala raising money, in the same way that YPC raises money at its Gala. The organizing parties for Carnegie Hall’s Gala asked us to perform, as we ask artists to perform at our gala.

Before we performed for the crowds at Carnegie, the two divisions got the chance to rehearse with James Taylor. We sang on James Taylor’s “Shower the People,” which was the finale of the entire concert. Even though it was brief, it was a wonderful experience for us. Since many of the choristers had never really mingled with the audience during a performance before, they got their first taste of actually doing so. Most of the attending concertgoers knew the words, so it was as if they were singing along as part of the show. For all intents and purposes, they were part of the YPC for that brief moment.

I had a lot of fun participating in the concert because I got to relive memories of previous YPC concerts that I have performed at where we would sing with the audience. And I believe the audience had as much fun as we did because they were quite surprised by our entrance. They were not expecting us to appear in such a way, inviting them to be a part of the show. I feel with the choristers and audiences involvement, it was one of the most fun concerts that we have ever performed in!

Eddie, Young Men

We Even Shook Hands with Former President Bill Clinton and John Travolta!!

2011-04-16T14:03:00.000-05:00

Tuesday's concert was so much fun - I learned many new things about my fellow choristers I didn't know before. We had a lot of time to talk to each other and get to know each other much better in between our tech rehearsal and concert. When I went down that aisle during the concert, I saw so many excited faces in the crowd – there to see me sing, even though they didn’t know me personally. I forgot what a big deal it was singing at Carnegie Hall until I saw how many people came to see the performance. We even shook hands with former President Bill Clinton and John Travolta!!

- Billy, Young Men

This past Tuesday, April 12th, Cantare and Young Men were scheduled to sing at the "120th Anniversary Gala of Carnegie Hall." As we gathered more information on this concert, we heard about all the celebrities who were going to be there, and got really excited. We all had to keep in mind that we were kids - talented, that is - in a children’s chorus from NYC singing in a concert full of celebrities. What type of celebrity would want to sing with us? Well, James Taylor did!! On our last rehearsal day before we did the tech at Carnegie, James Taylor made a guest appearance, and I think that made all of us feel really delighted.

When we went to our first tech rehearsal, we started performing, but were still getting warmed up and didn’t have our usual energy yet. The only reason that I just critiqued myself more than usual is because most of us discovered, only half-way through our rehearsal of “Shower the People,” that Steve Martin and Sting were up on stage with Mr. Taylor! I couldn’t control my excitement, thinking about how much I loved the “Cheaper by the Dozen” movies when I was younger and how, though I’m not a true, lifelong fan, I did like the music Sting had on his recent Christmas album. Anyway, just seeing those fantastic artists got us pumped for the next day, April 12th, when we would do the real thing with a full audience.

The big day came, and we were all jitters, as usual. Why wouldn’t we be? The adrenaline was rushing through us, uncontrollable and unstoppable until we got out there, did our YPC thing (which everyone loved, by the way), and brought the house down, in my opinion. It was an incredibly memorable night.

No one can ever say that being at a YPC rehearsal is “ordinary,” because if you really stay on your game, you will have the opportunity to perform with incredible musicians, and that is an experience that no chorister can ever forget.

Maud, Cantare

Singing with James Taylor was Truly Amazing!

2011-04-15T11:52:00.000-05:00

Our concert at Carnegie Hall two nights ago was absolutely amazing. Of course it was so much fun performing with my friends from Cantare and Young Men - but what was truly amazing was singing with James Taylor, Sting and Steve Martin! I grew up listening to James Taylor in the backseat of the my car, and "Shower the People" and "You've Got a Friend" were always my favorites. Meeting James Taylor and listening to him talk about how he got to where is is now was so inspirational and amazing. The performance was so much fun. Performing a Carnegie Hall at age thirteen is rare. The acoustics there are incredible and the feeling of knowing how many other great artists have performed there is amazing. Being a part of YPC gives me these great and rare experiences. I ♥ YPC!!

-Lucy, Cantare

I love YPC!!

2011-04-13T21:52:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love YPC. Cantare and Young Men got the opportunity to perform in a concert with James Taylor, Steve Martin, Sting and many more. It was a really great experience, especially when James Taylor announced us. We did a really good job and everyone around us was crying as we were singing. I feel very privileged to be a part of something as amazing as YPC; it has given me incredible experiences. I can’t name a lot of people who have “Performing with James Taylor, Steve Martin and Sting!!” written on their calendar!

- Sofia, Cantare

Hey all you blog-followers out there! I'm from the Cantare division of the Young People's Chorus of New York City, and I’m here to tell everyone about the FABULOUS concert we had last night at Carnegie Hall with James Taylor! An average 14-year old living in NYC would rarely to NEVER have an opportunity to even be in a theater as majestic as Carnegie Hall, let alone sing with a famous music LEGEND! The experience was once in a lifetime, and I'm so happy to have experienced it with some of my best friends at YPC and my mentors (the YPC conductors). When we where first introduced to James Taylor, I thought he would be just a regular musician, but when he started to sing, he sounded AMAZINGGGG. I was so excited to see how many people were gathered to see him performing, and was honored to be a guest star! Behind the scenes, I must admit we did work hard and it definitely paid off on the night of the concert. Besides getting the opportunity to sing with a music icon, I also got to spend time with my Cantare pals, and met a lot of new friends in Young Men. All our voices mixed together sounding angelic (don’t tell anyone, but Young Men is my favorite division. They sound great when they sing, and the effort that they invest in their musical pieces, dances, and stage mannerisms is what makes them shine above all), and when we ran down the aisles to perform the song, it all just came together smoothly. This was a great bonding and musical experience, and I couldn’t have wished for a more fun night!

- May, Cantare

We sounded great!!

2011-04-10T21:18:00.001-05:00

This past Tuesday, I was reminded why I love YPC so much. The one and only James Taylor came to our rehearsal, to work on his song "Shower the People" for Carnegie Hall's 120th Anniversary Gala this Tuesday. The second that he walked into the room, I could sense the faces of every chorister light up. It was so great to see everyone so inspired by such a renowned musician, especially the younger kids of Cantare. However, it was even more rewarding to hear that James thought that "we sounded great," after we ran the piece. To know that he realized and appreciated our musicality and liveliness was an incredible feeling. I always love a true unique YPC experience such as this one, and I'm totally pumped (man) to perform with James on Tuesday at Carnegie.

- Nathaniel, Young Men

James Taylor at YPC Rehearsal!!!

2011-04-08T18:01:00.000-05:00

There are some things in your life that you know are just right. This past Tuesday we were rehearsing for Carnegie Hall's 120th Anniversary Gala, which features James Taylor, Sting and many other artists, including YPC with James Taylor as the finale. Near the end of the rehearsal James himself arrived, and ran through "Shower The People," the song we're performing this Tuesday, a few times with us. He was a really nice guy, and had a beautiful, authentic voice which was I expected of his wonderfully idiosyncratic persona. A guitar player myself, I definitely look to his music for inspiration, as his guitar work is some of the most beautiful and heartfelt in existence. It was a really great experience for me to see such a staple figure in music in person, and hear what he had to say about his beginnings and roots in music. I think we really felt his vibe, and the experience of rehearsing with him this past Wednesday clearly showed how we paralleled his mission in singing this song.

James and YPC are definitely a match, and after the rehearsal I'm really excited about the upcoming concert. I think it's going to be pretty amazing, and besides, I'm really lucky to have in my schedule: "Tuesday: Go to Concert with James Taylor at Carnegie Hall!"

-Christopher, Young Men

Sforzando!

2011-03-29T09:11:00.001-05:00

Sforzando--that's the word which comes to mind when thinking about the past two months. When Francisco originally told us about all of the important upcoming events we were filled with excitement. Not yet sleep deprived we enthusiastically dove into the towering pile of music we needed to master in the upcoming months.

When the reality of the task ahead hit us, we began to feel overwhelmed, the low point of our sforzando. After rehearsing 6 days a week, including lots of dancing (not my favorite), we felt ready to perform at Carnegie Hall--the beginning part of our crescendo.

Without taking a breath we shifted our focus to the Gala, then three days later were on a plane to Chicago; our excitement mounted. Francisco had made it clear that Chicago was important by saying, "This will be one of the most important things you will ever do with YPC." No pressure or anything. In spite of exhaustion and sickness all of our hard work came together with magic. Crescendo. After rave reviews from the composers of "Ain't No Grave" and Francisco, we were all floating on a cloud. We thought it couldn't get any better!

Less than 24 hours later back at MCoC we shifted to the David Del Tredici pieces, and the next thing we knew we were on stage performing at the Guggenheim! We learned so much by working with the YPC alumni and our conductors. The sforzando was complete when Francisco told us it was the best performance ever!

-Jamie, Concert Chorus

YPC Rocks Chicago and the National ACDA Convention!

2011-03-13T21:43:00.001-05:00

This Chicago trip has been stressful, crazy and fun. We worked so hard to get that magical experience with the music and we got it! I am so proud of every single person here and we did an amazing job. I love every single one you guys. We DEFINITELY rocked those pitches!

- Dianne, Concert Chorus

Chicago was an unforgettable trip. Rehearsals after rehearsals, it got better and better. I actually wanted more rehearsals to get even better. We sang songs of a variety and the most memorable one was “Things” by Meredith Monk. After hours and hours of trying to memorize “Things” and other songs on the plane the bus, the aftermath of the concert felt phenomenal. I’m so glad I got to experience the wonderful large halls of Chicago where we sang with thousands of people in our audience. The sounds of our voices were blown around the enormous halls in the windy city. I was amazed how nice the pitches were flowing. While experiencing the wonderful city, I met many new people. Conductor after conductor repeatedly complimented us on how wonderful we were. It felt awesome because our hard work came out. It was a worthy trip and one that I will always remember. The magic was definitely there!

- Christine, Concert Chorus

Let’s face it – trips can be terrifying. This trend stretches from a daring excursion to your corner deli to ones on entirely different continents. All of the fifty singers who gave up hours of their lives and sacrificed their more pedestrian priorities for this trip pondered that. Clearly it was very important for us to show our incredible talents and to properly do justice in performing the five works (and an encore) that Francisco and the other conductors painstakingly taught us. The faith that the YPC staff had in all of us was truly touching and I found it to be extremely inspirational.

The trip itself was the culmination of a plethora of effort, yet all of us were able to properly mix professionalism with the true YPC spirit. Making new friends and having new experiences while also performing at tremendous venues was a humbling experience and it was certainly one I will always be proud to be a part of.

-Melissa, Concert Chorus

YPC: A Six Word Memoir

2011-01-31T14:23:00.000-05:00

Several members of the Young People's Chorus of New York City staff recently attempted to write a story about YPC in six words—a six-word memoir. The first six-word memoir was written by Ernest Hemingway when he was challenged to write a novel in so many words. He wrote: “For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn.” Here are the memoirs the staff composed - and we'd love to hear yours, too!

Many voices. One vision. Potential realized.

Children’s joy can change the world.

YPC songs from souls and angels.

Every walk, place, face, all singing.

Yes, I believe I can fly.

One by one, sing a song.

Shaping young lives through new music.

YPC celebrates and develops children’s choruses.

Kids discovering the world through YPC.

From corner to stage, new life.

City kids singing together. Lives changed.

YPC in a Coca Cola commercial, now showing on YouTube!

2011-01-13T15:09:00.001-05:00

Hear and see YPC in the newly released Coca Cola commercial on YouTube by clicking here!

In August 2010, the season got started a little earlier than usual for YPC as the youngest choristers in Prelude and Intermezzo rehearsed, recorded, and filmed a brand new feel-good TV commercial for Coca Cola! From rehearsal, to the recording studio, to the actual day of filming, over 50 children gave up a couple days of their summer vacation to be part of a very exciting project.

Sets, Snow, and a Backstage Glimpse...

2010-12-21T17:49:00.000-05:00

YPC recently performed on Good Morning America's Holiday Special, which aired on December 13, 2010. Entering the ABC studio was like walking onto the set of a movie: there were cameras and crew members everywhere! It was as if each of the three sets in the room was its own little universe. Watching the anchors tape various segments, we saw the hottest new items being sold for Christmas (my favorite was probably the live guitar t-shirt), learned how to eat healthily for the holidays, and took a tour of the craziest Christmas tree designs.

As we prepared to tape our segment, we noticed a mesh contraption filled with what looked like white confetti. Given its position directly above our heads, we quickly figured out what it was... a snow machine! It was fun to have it snow in the studio, even though it messed up the hair we worked so hard on. It felt like the official beginning of winter, as the plastic snowflakes covered our heads and stuck to our eyelashes.

When we finished our taping session, what did we do? We sang our way back to our dressing room! You can catch a glimpse of our trip backstage on the above video. We present to you our first video upload on the YPC blog! Enjoy!

Click HERE to see our segment on Good Morning America.

Apple concert postscript

2010-12-13T21:15:00.004-05:00

So: What, you ask, was YPC doing singing at the Apple Store? Well, aside from the fact that many of us are Apple fans, this is yet another way that YPC is exploring new venues for youth choral music and new media to outreach to more audiences. Francisco has been seriously looking into taking the chorus outside of traditional concert halls and into unconventional venues, where people not normally accustomed to listening to choral music would discover a new art form to enrich their lives. YPC also continues to be a leader in exploring new media for youth choruses. We were the first to make our music available on iTunes and as podcasts, and possibly the only youth chorus to date to commission music specifically written for radio, new media, and the internet. YPC's goal: use new media to reach out to more people, in New York City and around the world. Oh yes, and to share the joy.

Betelehemu ends the show...

2010-12-13T19:35:00.007-05:00

We've just sung the rousing Betelehemu, and now we're singing Share the Joy (our new single now available on iTunes, yea!!). Elizabeth Nunez is conducting, while Sophia and Amy are watching little Sebastian, who seemed impatient to get his turn to sing earlier...

Hey was that yelping from behind the house? Looks like people are getting into the spirit...

F is asking what is NY's best carol? Answer: City sidewalks, busy sidewalks....and finally, some people are singing along! YPC has touched these tough NYC hearts after all.

Happy season of joy, everyone! This has been EG again, live blogging from the Apple Store.

we are lights...

2010-12-13T19:28:00.002-05:00

We are singing We Are Lights now, and I got to stop bugging people to write for this blog. What a beautiful, beautiful song. Pardon the silence, I must listen as well....

from a YPC parent

2010-12-13T19:22:00.003-05:00

I knew it! Tsotsolosa always gets wild applause!

F is saying our ages are 12-18, from all parts of the city and a lot of schools.

Okay, time again for Jingle Bells. Amy Kotsonis has just walked in, right on time, to conduct this one. Hey, I just saw board member Suzan Kremer!

-- We are listening to a wonderful concert!! Our grandson Christopher is part of it! -- Ingrid, YPC parent

Most wonderful time of the year

2010-12-13T19:15:00.002-05:00

Francisco has asked the audience to join in (a few are still a little timid, perhaps? need some eggnog?) to join us in Most Wonderful Time of the Year. There are 40 choristers here tonight, all looking NYC slick in their black outfits. Jon Holden is accompanying.

Next: oldie but goodie (from the 1600s), Riu Riu Chiu, our standard villancico from post-Renaissance Spain. F is accompanying on the tambour. The soloists are getting a wild round of applause.

OK, now get ready for Tsotsolosa, which always brings the house down. Let's see what it does to Apple. Hey, I just saw board member Shauna Denkensohn!

More on Apple concert

2010-12-13T19:05:00.003-05:00

We're singing Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer with Sophia leading the chorus, another show stopper, Francisco playing along on the tambourine.

Okay, pirouette time, everyone! The chorus is singing the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I see probably around 100 people watching the performance, maybe more -- hard to count, as the place is packed.

Now we're doing our Faure piece, which always melts the heart of this sentimental fool. BTW I see in the crowd board member Nancy Bloom, Development Director Peter Shavitz, publicity guru Angela Duryea, and our publicist Dan.

Apple concert starts

2010-12-13T18:59:00.004-05:00

The chorus singing their own version of Deck the Halls, arranged by Francisco and Jim, right after Francisco tried to get the crowd in the singing mood. Well, this show stopper gets them moving all right. People are clapping with the singers and this glass box is filled with the sound of holidays.

Next up: Jingle Bells. We're handing out jingle bells to the kids (not enough children in the house!!) but adults will do in this case. The choristers are now spreading out around the store, and we are surrounded by the sound of angels. Amazing. And what a perfect way to perform in a venue like this.

Live at the Apple Store

2010-12-13T18:45:00.004-05:00

So here we are, guys, waiting for our set at the UWS Apple Store. Once again, we're blogging this live!

The choristers are busy -- checking out the cool gadgets, playing Angry Birds and Pinball, surfing and emailing and Facebooking. I noticed that the most popular item among YPC choristers is --- the iPad!

Here are a few words from them:

--- we're here performing at the apple store, before we perform they're letting us play with the ipads... AMAZING - Joshua Batista

--- So one of the most unique concerts I have done is inside the Apple Store today, It was extremely different because the apple store had an amazing echo after the first ringing of our sound check went straight to the back of the store. As we have a break until the actual show choristers are checking out the newest gadgets that the world of technology is installing. Many choristers are just playing a "Fruit Ninja" Game on the Ipad. We can't wait to do many unique concerts like this one again. - Troy Wilson

Everybody now

2010-12-10T22:05:00.005-05:00

It's time for tutti! We are singing "The Chanukah Song (We Are Lights)" -- and the entire stage is, yes, lit with candles in every singer's hands. The visuals are stunning, but the song itself is such a moving, uplifting song that should be the theme for every season.

And now: "Share the Joy," written by Francisco and Jim for Lord & Taylor's The Gift of Sharing event last November 15, where YPC invited 2,000 other choristers (from 40 choruses across 9 states) to sing with us and show how the power of music could bring people together.

"One small voice that can light the world...just one voice, one light to shine..." -- this is all we need, people, to spread the joy.

And of course, what is a YPC concert without our signature song, "Give Us Hope"?

This has been EG live blogging YPC's winter concert, Songs of the Season, from the Y. Have a great season. Thanks for joining us.

Join us this Monday as we LIVE BLOG straight from the Apple Store! Meanwhile, here are some pics from today's rehearsal:

Francisco speaks

2010-12-10T21:56:00.003-05:00

Francisco's reading from his brand new iPad. Yea! (That's because we couldn't find a printer...) As he speaks, everyone, but everyone, is streaming on stage for tutti. F is reading off a bunch of performances coming up: the new "Share the Joy" single on iTunes, our Upper West Side Apple Store performance this Monday, and more...

Now F is presenting tonight's awards to all the people who have devoted their lives to helping us this year. Volunteers of the year: Judi Beldner, Laura Landau, and Ann Marie Nunez, who were here to help at every rehearsal, every concert, everything. Community Partner of the year: Jeremy Wladis and Paula Seefeldt of The Restaurant Group, special people with a special mission: they feed our kids! Special shout out to the Krumholz Foundation and the Green Fund, who are in the house. Guys, you all rock! Thank you!

Concert Chorus and Young Men

2010-12-10T21:21:00.005-05:00

And now, welcome Concert Chorus and Young Men! Francisco Nunez is on stage conducting, and we start with "Deck the Halls." Those of you who saw us in Switzerland (or followed us online) remember how this arrangement by Francisco and Jim Papoulis wowed the audiences there. Next up, Concert Chorus sings the soothing, ethereal 16th century melody, "Lo' How a Rose E'er Blooming," such a beautiful song. Then it's Brahms' uplifting "Ave Maria," followed by Tchaikovsky's nimble "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy."

Now we welcome back the Young Men who rejoin Concert Chorus on "Most Wonderful Time of the Year." (Backstage is fun at this point -- our young men literally come in singing! It's a party back here!) The Concert choristers now move down to the audience -- wrapping the house in sound. The Young Men are now performing Faure's haunting "Maria, Mater Gratie." (Factoid: you can hear our Young Men rehearsing this piece on a radio interview recently done about YPC -- in Milan, Italy. Check out Radio Popolare's podcast archive for more...)

Now we are on the emerald isle, with YM performing "The Sally Gardens," a rendition that could rival the most heart-rending singing in any Dublin pub. (YPC in Dublin? Hmmm....Why not?) Now we're listening to a first: "How Long Watchman," a world premiere written by composer Thomas Cabaniss (who also happens to have 2 young men in the chorus). This moving, intense song asks us, "How long will there be pain and suffering, how long will there be darkness," reminiscent of the longing of the most ageless spirituals, with some very fine solos from five of our young men.

Solveig of Concert Chorus regales us with another poem, a beautiful piece about making angels in the snow, getting others to join her, and finding the angels come to life and rise to the skies. An amazing image that will remain in our minds long after tonight...

"Riu Riu Chiu" follows. It's a 16th century villancico, the most popular Spanish musical form in the mid 1550s, mimicking the sound of the nightingale, and celebrating the Redeemer and his Mother. There are some amazing solos from our choristers here -- in perfect post-Renaissance Castilian! Next is "Betelehemu," a Nigerian carol is next. This is a YPC favorite, and we never get tired of hearing it. It starts off slow and plaintive, then becomes this rousing, percussive, highly animated call to celebration. Rousing applause! House is wild!

It ain't over till...tutti! Stay with us!

Songs of the Season returns

2010-12-10T21:11:00.003-05:00

We're back! Our Chair, the honorable (and infinitely entertaining) Jerry Kremer is speaking, rousing the audience to a special round of applause for the performances so far. Jerry's reminding everyone that this concert is the fruit of our labors, our special gift to all the people who support us. Francisco's vision 22 years ago to bring together a mosaic of children to sing together, Jerry reminds us, is now a reality. Last year, we were in Switzerland, Wales, Japan. And we are traveling more this year. (Hey, we'll soon be at a city near you!) Jerry's also reminding everyone that we are having our gala this March at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Hope to see you there!

Special thanks, by the way, to tonight's guest musicians, Jon Holden, Fabio Gardenal, and Guillermo Acevedo, and choreographer Jacquie Bird. Extra special shout out to concert producers Nancy Bloom and Kaare Christian!

from YPC parent

2010-12-10T21:07:00.003-05:00

Incredible. The little kids are adorable. Each level has its own unique quality to them. I find the music to be so deeply spiritually moving and inspiring and it touches me deep into my soul. Sometimes it moves me to tears. The whole thing is so beautiful. It makes me feel good all over. The talent and the beauty are just awe inspiring. -- Karen Perlman, parent of Kayla, Intermezzo.