YPC Wins Five Gold Medals in 10th Golden Gate International Choral Competition and Festival

The Young People's Chorus of New York City won five gold medals in the 10th Golden Gate International Children's and Youth Choral Festival, which took place in Oakland, California, from July 12 to 18. Two choral divisions from YPC -- Cantare and Chorale -- participated, conducted by Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Núñez and Associate Conductor Elizabeth Núñez. The two divisions received top prizes in all categories: Historical, Folk, Contemporary, and a new category in the competition, Gospel/Spiritual. A total of 30 choirs from around the world applied to participate, with 21 invited to attend. Countries represented included the U.S., Canada, Estonia, Austria, China, Poland, Indonesia, and Finland.

"Taking part in this festival was an important opportunity for the choristers," said Mr. Núñez. "There is nowhere else in the U.S. where American choirs can have this kind of international choral experience. Founding Golden Gate Festival Directors Robert Geary and Suzie Rahl are bringing high art to children, which makes them strive to do and be their best in our global society."

The competition provided an opportunity for the choristers to gain a deeper understanding of different musical tradtions through hearing and singing the rhythms and harmonies that each participating choir brought to the festival. The choirs found it easy to communicate with one another despite obvious language barriers with music as the common thread.

In addition to the competitions, all choruses gave concerts for the community. During the closing ceremony and concert the choirs had the opportunity to sing as one massed international choir under the batons of guest conductors and jury members Maria Guinand from Venezuela and Aarne Saluveer from Estonia.

The Golden Gate International Children's and Youth Choral Festival was founded in 1991 and is held every three years by the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is the only opportunity for children's and youth choirs to meet and compete on an international field in the United States. www.goldengatefestival.org

The Young People's Chorus of New York City was founded in 1988 by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur "genius" Fellow on a mission of diversity and artistic excellence. The program harnesses the power of music to fulfill the potential of children of any cultural or economic background, while heightening an awareness of the ability of young people to rise to unforeseen levels of artistry. Each year almost 1,400 children ages 7 to 18 benefit musically, academically, and socially through their participation in YPC's after-school and in-school programs. www.ypc.org

Pictured: Francisco J. Núñez celebrates with YPC choristers outside Scottish Rite Center, where competition results were announced.