New York Philharmonic Launches Philharmonic Youth Choir in Partnership With Harlem Organizations
The inaugural concert will take place May 19 at Christ & Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church.
The New York Philharmonic has launched the Philharmonic Youth Choir, created in partnership with The Unsung Collective and The Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
The initiative, led by Dr. Tyrone Clinton — founder and artistic director of The Unsung Collective — provides young people from across New York City, grades 5–8, with access to high-quality musical training and a deeper connection with the cultural fabric of the city.
This season, the choir comprises nearly 30 students from 17 schools across the the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens.
Following rehearsals, which began on February 28, 2026, the Inaugural Philharmonic Youth Choir Concert will be held on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. at Christ & Saint Stephen's Episcopal Church, 120 West 69th Street in Manhattan. Dr. Tyrone Clinton will conduct the concert, which will also feature New York Philharmonic musicians and pianist Byron Sean Burford. The program will include Laura Farnell's Gloria Fanfare; J.S. Bach's Cantata No. 147: Chorale, Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; the finale from Dvořák's String Quartet No. 12; Lin-Manuel Miranda's Breathe, from In the Heights, as well as highlights from Miranda's Hamilton; Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's You Will Be Found; and Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water. The concert is free and open to the public.
This summer, the Philharmonic Youth Choir will be one of the student ensembles presenting short, welcoming performances at park entrances ahead of the New York Philharmonic Concert in Central Park on June 10, 2026. Conducted by Dr. Tyrone Clinton, the pre-concert performances will take place between 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
