Young People's Chorus of New York City to Perform at Church of the Holy Trinity, 5/17

The Young People's Chorus of New York City and Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Núñez continue their Transmusica series of concerts of cross-cultural music designed to build bridges to other world cultures in a free concert on Saturday, May 17 at 7 p.m., at the Church of the Holy Trinity 316 East 88th St. on New York City's Upper East Side. In a program that circles the world with a rich array of musical flavors, YPC, conducted by Elizabeth Núñez and Sheldon Ogbourne, will be joined by three award-winning choruses-the Octopipers, F2B, and Cantabile-from the Kingswood Oxford School from West Hartford, Connecticut, conducted by Marcos Carreras.

The multicultural program sung by YPC and the Kingswood Oxford Choruses intermingles voices and world cultures and takes listeners on a musical journey from Russia to the Torres Strait Islands and continuing across the Pacific to the woodlands of the USA and onto Greece, Israel, and Serbia. They will make stops in between for world premieres of Quatro Colores by Jim Papoulis in Spanish, English, and Yiddish and Bobobo by Douglas J. Cuomo, based on a traditional folk song from Ghana.

The concert is free and open to the public with a suggested donation of $10 at the door of the Church of the Holy Trinity, 316 East 88th Street. For more information, please visit www.ypc.org.

The Kingswood Oxford School is represented by the Octopipers, F2B, and Cantabile, three of nine choruses in grades six through twelve directed by Marcos Carreras. The eighth grade, all-female Octopipers, and F2B, a seventh- and eighth-grade, all-male a cappella chorus have been recognized three times with DownBeat magazine's Student Music Awards in head to head competitions with thousands of groups from high schools and universities across the country. Through the school's Composer Colloquy Visiting Artist Series, the choristers work with composers in master class settings and travel the country to sing with other children's choirs.

The Young People's Chorus of New York City was founded on a mission of diversity and artistic excellence 26 years ago by Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur "genius" Fellow. Each year almost 1,400 children ages 7 to 18 benefit musically, academically, and socially through their participation in YPC's afterschool and in-school programs. YPC is in residence at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center and has been recognized with America's highest honor for youth programs, a National Medal of Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award.

In previous concerts in its Transmusica series, YPC has welcomed choruses from Indonesia, Australia and Japan in performances focusing on the music of those countries, and Latino and Hispanic performers in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.