Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), a multicultural youth chorus internationally renowned for its superb virtuosity and brilliant showmanship, was founded on a mission of diversity and artistic excellence by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow and Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year. Elizabeth Núñez serves as YPC Creative Director, conductor, choral clinician, soloist, and founding artistic director of the SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir. Together, they now oversee one of the highest acclaimed choruses in the world, serving more than 2,000 children throughout New York City in its core after-school performance program, community choruses program, and its schools program, which brings YPC’s curriculum to children in 20 schools.
YPC’s acclaimed artistry inspires invitations for collaborations and performances from a global array of festivals, cultural institutions, and cities throughout the world. In 2019, YPC was invited to join Jaap van Zweden, the New York Philharmonic, and The Crossing in the unanimously acclaimed, world premiere performances of Julia Wolfe’s “Fire in My Mouth,” the live Decca Gold recording of which was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
Among YPC’s many awards is America’s highest honor for youth programs, a National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, which was presented to members of YPC at the White House. YPC was the first American chorus to win first prize in the history of the European Broadcasting Union’s Let the Peoples Sing choral competition; the first youth chorus to open Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart Festival; and the first North American chorus to be named “Choir of the World” in 2018 at the International Choral Kathaumixw. In 2023, YPC won five gold medals – three as world champions – at the 12th World Choir Games, the world’s largest international choir competition. That same year, its feature-length holiday special Topsy Turvy New York won a 66th Annual New York Emmy® Award.
