Young Women's Choral Projects Announces Dr. Martín Benvenuto As Incoming Interim Artistic Director

The Board of Young Women's Choral Projects of San Francisco announced today that Dr. Martín Benvenuto will serve as the Interim Artistic Director and Head of Staff for the 2022-23 season. Dr. Benvenuto will fill the position following YWCP Founding Director, Dr. Susan McMane, who will retire in July 2022 after 10 years at the helm.

"Dr. Benvenuto is one of the Bay Area's finest conductors, and is a person of great integrity and excellent musical skills," says Dr. McMane, "He has a passion for finding great repertoire and commissioning new works, in addition to impressive work with treble choirs. We are thrilled to have him join YWCP."

Dr. Benvenuto brings a strong academic background and extensive choral experience to YWCP. A native of Buenos Aires, Dr. Benvenuto holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from Boston University, a Master's degree in voice and conducting from Westminster Choir College, and an undergraduate degree in music with honors from the Universidad Católica. Dr. Benvenuto is the Founder and Artistic Director of 21v, a Bay Area professional ensemble of soprano and alto voices of all gender identities with a focus on music of the 21st century of the Americas. He has served as Artistic Director of the Peninsula Women's Chorus, WomenSing, and the Contra Costa Children's Chorus, and was on the faculty of the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir. Dr. Benvenuto recently served in an interim position at iSing (Silicon Valley) where he conducted their top young women's chorus.

"YWCP has solidified its reputation as a prestigious choral organization thanks to the foundation that Dr. McMane has built through her passion for transforming the lives of young women through music," says Martha Daetwyler, President of the YWCP Board of Directors. "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Benvenuto to lead YWCP through this transition as we head into the next 10 years of growth, continuing to impact the lives of hundreds of young singers through exceptional artistry in choral performance.

"As a treble choir specialist, it is exciting to build upon the solid foundation of excellence and community that Susan McMane created to transform the lives of young women," says Dr. Benvenuto. "One of the silver linings of the COVID-19 pandemic has been a renewed awareness of choral music's power to remind us of the essential. Choral music engages us in something unique that is greater than the sum of its parts. And that requires discipline, creativity, integrity, commitment, and spiritual and physical strength, values of course that we carry on into our daily lives. I look forward to bringing my passion and energy to the organization, and to connect with each and every singer through the unique power of music."

On Thursday, June 23, 2022, Dr. McMane will lead the Young Women's Chorus in a farewell concert, Au Revoir. Her final San Francisco performance will serve as the tour send-off concert before she joins Young Womens' Chorus on their summer tour, followed by her subsequent retirement.

Learn more at www.ywcp.org.

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