YPC in the Dominican Republic!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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