Young People's Chorus of NYC Featured in 9/11 Commemorations

On Saturday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. the Young People's Chorus of New York City led by founder and artistic director, Francisco J. Núñez, will once again join the New York Choral Society and the Cathedral Choir of St. Patrick's for The September Concert at St. Patrick's Cathedral (Fifth Avenue at 50th Street) to sing a program of inspirational works. This concert, presented by The September Concert Foundation, is free and open to the public. Seating begins at 6:30 p.m.

The Young People's Chorus of New York City has sung at The September Concert commemorations each year since the first anniversary in 2002. The choristers will also open New York City's annual memorial services at Ground Zero commemorating those lost on September 11, 2001 by singing the national anthem at approximately 8:40 a.m. Following the reading of the names of the dead, the chorus will close the services with a song.

The September 11 concert in New York is the YPC's first since returning from a 14-city tour of Japan. Sponsored by the Min-On Concert Association, a Japanese company dedicated to encouraging young people to develop their artistic abilities through music festivals, concerts, and competitions, the tour experience has affected the choristers deeply, reflected in their blogs on the YPC website, http://ypcofnyc.blogspot.com/

For 18-year-old chorister Jared, the tour highlighted how being a part of YPC has affected his own world view: "I never really thought about the racial and socio-economic differences among the kids in YPC. When I first joined the chorus, all I was concerned about was singing and sounding as good as my neighbor. In rehearsal, everyone has music in common and everyone is working towards the same goal, so it's very easy to make friends. You don't see a Hispanic or a Muslim, just a musician. So during Francisco's speech (about music bridging cultural divides), I was feeling pretty good about myself, thinking ‘yeah, diversity's no biggie for me, everyone in YPC is so accepting and progressive and we're already changing the world...' Then I thought about my school, and the rest of my neighborhood, and how so many people in the world don't have a YPC to make them more aware of how divided the world really is."
September 2, 2010

About the Young People's Chorus of New York City
For more than two decades, the Young People's Chorus of New York City has provided children of diverse abilities and backgrounds with a unique program of music education and choral performance, while maintaining a model of artistic excellence and harmony that enriches the community. Founded in 1988 by Mr. Núñez, YPC is the resident chorus of the 92nd Street Y, Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln enter/ and WNYC, New York Public Radio and has been recognized with numerous awards. The chorus has won almost a dozen gold medals in competitions in North America and Europe and recently won its second ASCAP/ Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming.

Each year more than 1100 children from all ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds participate in the YPC through its core after-school program, its Satellite program in eight New York City schools, and its two national affiliates in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Tenafly, New Jersey.

www.ypc.org