FANTASTIC CONCERT FOR A GREAT CAUSE

Join us for a thrilling concert featuring The B-52s’ Kate Pierson and Sterling Campbell, NEA Jazz Master Toshiko Akiyoshi, Broadway Singer/Actress Andrea McArdle, The New York Pops, 450 choristers from five YPC divisions and the Satellite Schools program, and a special surprise guest that we can’t mention. (You’ll have to show up to find out!)

Actor Lawrence Saint-Victor from the CBS daytime drama “Guiding Light” will host. (That’s Remy Boudreau to all you “Guiding Light” fans.)

This concert promises to entertain and delight audiences of all ages. (Check out the gala’s exciting repertoire!) Funds raised will support YPC’s work in bettering the lives of thousands of children of all economic, religious and ethnic backgrounds from ages 7 to 18.

Get your tickets today! Call the Jazz at Lincoln Center Box Office at 212-712-5600 or go online.

For more information, visit ypc.org/gala

YPC ON TV!!

DATE CHANGE: YPC’s performance in “Raising the Roof”, a celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr., will air in New York City on ABC on Sunday, February 15 at 2:30 p.m.

YPC, Boston Children's Chorus (BCC) and Academy Award winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. joined together on January 19, 2009 for this vibrant program that aired live in markets around the country.

To watch in your area, click here for a list of air times and dates.

UNITED IN SONG

The Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ is heading to Boston to join the Boston Children's Chorus (BCC) and Academy Award winning actor Louis Gossett, Jr. in “Raising the Roof”, a nationally televised celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, January 19. Tune in for words and music honoring the life and work of Dr. King.

“Raising the Roof” will air live at 7 p.m. EST in major markets around the country, including Boston, Washington, D.C., Tampa-St. Petersburg, Phoenix, Cleveland, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Sacramento, Orlando-Daytona Beach, St. Louis and Pittsburgh.

In New York, the show will air on WABC on Sunday, January 25 at 1 p.m.

To more information, visit ypc.org.

TWO YPCs ARE BETTER THAN ONE!

YPC Expands Nationally!
Introducing the Young People’s Chorus of Erie, PA.

In January of 2009, rehearsals will begin for YPC’s very first affiliate: the Young People’s Chorus of Erie, in residence at The Behrend College of Penn State Erie’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences. Dr. Jason Bishop, director of choral activities at the college, has taken on the role of Founder/Artistic Director for YPC Erie.

“As the YPC has demonstrated for 20 years in New York, bringing together children with diverse backgrounds is a powerful force that builds unity, community and long-lasting friendships,” said Dr. Bishop. “Until now, students in northwest Pennsylvania may have had great experiences singing in local school or church choirs, but, typically, that exposes them only to children with similar backgrounds.”

When the chorus kicks off rehearsals in January, they will have 100 choristers in three divisions: an elementary chorus for children 7 to 10; a middle school chorus for ages 10 to 14; and high school chorus for teens ages 14 to 18.

The Young People’s Chorus of Erie will also be a special guest at YPC’s 8th annual Honor Chorus Festival in New York on March 28. (Honor Chorus, a fun day of singing and friendship, is open to any interested young women ages 12-18 and young men ages 11-18. For more information, click here.)

“We hope the creation of Young People’s Chorus of Erie is just the first step in a long-held dream to expand the successes of the YPC model to children in other cities,” said Mr. Nunez, “to demonstrate the often untapped capabilities of children of all backgrounds.”

Indeed.

FILL THEIR STOCKINGS WITH YPC’s DEBUT HOLIDAY CD

CoolSide of Yuletide, YPC’s new CD of upbeat, urban carols, is now available for your holiday listening pleasure.

As mentioned in the title, CoolSide of Yuletide is well... cool. YPC Artistic Director and Founder Francisco Núñez and composer Jim Papoulis put a unique twist on holiday favorites like “Deck the Halls,” “Drummer Boy,” “Joy to the World,” and “Let It Snow.” The CD also includes original songs such as “How Many Christmasaes,” recorded by YPC, Rosanne Cash and choirs from around the globe and “Where Are My Angels,” featuring YPC and American Idol Finalist Phil Stacey.

The idea for the CD began when a television network asked YPC sing “upbeat and cool” carols on a holiday program. “Nothing I found was cool enough,” said Mr. Núñez, “so with Jim Papoulis we decided to create our own.”

“Our goal for Coolside of Yuletide was to shake the tree,” explains Jim Papoulis, “giving these carols a cool, young vibe that are enjoyable to singers and listeners alike.”

WHAT A GREAT GIFT IDEA!

Visit coolsideofyuletide.com to hear tracks, learn more or to purchase this fun and exciting CD.

You'll enjoy amazing holiday music and feel good knowing that you've supported the Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ and The Foundation for Small Voices, two non-profit organizations dedicated to creating music and mentoring opportunities for children. And that's the coolest part of all.

YPC JOINS JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER!

Young People’s Chorus of New York City™ has begun a new relationship with Jazz at Lincoln Center as its first chorus in residence at its home, Frederick P. Rose Hall, located at Broadway at 60th Street, New York City.

Gail Beltrone, Vice President of Frederick P. Rose Hall, home to Jazz at Lincoln Center says, “We are delighted and excited to welcome the Young People’s Chorus of New York City and Francisco Núñez to the Jazz at Lincoln Center family. We think they will be a tremendous asset to an already bustling facility.”

YPC continues in residence at the 92nd Street Y, where it has been for the past 11 years, and at WNYC, New York public radio, where it has been the resident chorus since 2003.

EXPERIENCE EVERY STOP ON THE F TRAIN – IN FIVE MINUTES!

In 2007, as part of our Transient Glory concert series, YPC premiered Michael Gordon’s “Every Stop on the F Train.” It returned in 2008 in a new format—a music and film collaboration by Michael Gordon and Bill Morrison. The Los Angeles Times called their work "dazzling." We have to agree.

(Click image to view the film.)
“Every Stop on the F Train”

Music (2007) by Michael Gordon
Text from the NYC subway stations
Film by Bill Morrison
Commissioned (2007) by the Young People’s Chorus of New York City

THE MAKING OF
"EVERY STOP ON THE F TRAIN"

Michael Gordon on creating the music:
“What’s more urban than the subway? When Francisco J. Núñez asked me to write a piece for Transient Glory, I immediately thought of all the stops that whiz by us as we sit on the train waiting to arrive at our destination. The A train has the longest route, but I think the F has the best sounding stops. I also like that the F starts in Jamaica, Queens, and ends in Coney Island, Brooklyn. I organized the piece in three sections corresponding to the boroughs the F Train travels through. Every Stop on the F Train starts with a single melody in Queens, splits into a 2-part canon (at the eighth note) when it arrives in Manhattan and then into a 4-part canon (at the quarter note) when it arrives in Brooklyn. New Yorkers will note that some of the stops actually have 2 names (42 Street/Times Square); in those cases, I chose only one.”

Bill Morrison on creating the film:
“When I was approached about making a film for the piece, I did not hesitate to accept. When I began filming, I realized there were several complications with shooting on the subway. Firstly, it was illegal. Secondly, there were other people on the subway who may or may not like being filmed. Thirdly, the subway did not provide a smooth ride. And fourthly, each and every inch of glass in the entire subway system is covered with scratches and scrawls. I found a tripod that clamped to the poles inside the car provided the stability a conventional tripod could not. I discovered that either New Yorkers didn’t mind being filmed, or they were just too darn polite to say so. And I learned to like all the scratches on the windows. I was not able to resolve the legality issue.

“So I tried clamping the camera between the subway cars, figuring at least my camera would be out of the way. In so doing, I found my protagonist: the spring connecting two cars, which moves with acceleration of the car ahead of it. As this flying coil navigated the city, I felt like each station pulled the next one through the frames of my film, just as the voices of the YPC pull Michael’s measures along. They were exhilarating rides from Queens to Brooklyn and back. A homeless guy once asked me if I was all right, and I assured him that everything was going great.

“I was eventually collared by an MTA cop (and not by the two seen on the 42nd Street platform in the film). I explained to him that it was the camera that had been riding between the cars, not me. And furthermore, that the camera had only filmed the platforms lining the subway, not the subway itself. He gave me a ticket for riding between the cars, but not for filming on the subway. I thanked him for not busting my chops too bad. To my surprise, he thanked me for not busting his chops too bad as well.”