Music

Slideshow: WNYC Young People's Radio Chorus on Soundcheck

Are you curious to hear the voices of today’s youth? Tune in Saturday night, May 29, at 8, to WNYC FM 93.9 and wnyc.org as we bring you the fourth annual “Transient Glory” concert from the award winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City, conducted by Founder and Artistic Director, Francisco J. Nunez. John Schaefer, of WNYC’s “Soundcheck” and “New Sounds,” will host this special broadcast, which includes seven world premieres, five of which were commissioned by the YPC specifically for this Transient Glory concert from a group of today’s most eminent composers—Richard Rodney Bennett, Benjamin Lees, Tod Machover, Bright Sheng, and Judith Weir.

» WNYC Broadcasts Transient Glory IV

» Listen to YPC on Soundcheck, April 22, 2004

» YPC on Soundcheck, April 22, 2004
» YPC on Soundcheck, January 28, 2004
» YPC on Soundcheck, October 29, 2003

To access the study guides that accompany the music from WNYC 93.9 Radio Chorus shows, please visit:
» Transient Glory concert programs WNYC, New York Public Radio, and the Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC) have joined forces to create the WNYC Young People's Radio Chorus, the first-ever resident chorus at any New York radio station. The WNYC Young People's Radio Chorus debuted on Wednesday, October 29 at 2pm on Soundcheck, hosted by John Schaefer. The show featured a live, in-studio performance by the YPC, which includes children from a range of backgrounds (it has branches in three city schools in New York City neighborhoods), as well as an interview with playwright Tony Kushner, who is collaborating with YPC.

The radio chorus will be featured on three additional Soundcheck programs during this school year. This pioneering collaboration will help to provide listeners, especially New York City schoolchildren, with programs of exciting music performed by young people their own age.

"New York Public Radio is delighted to work together with this tremendous chorus and the New York City public school system to showcase music as an active, relevant part of young people's lives, and to provide this listening experience for children," said Laura Walker, President and CEO of WNYC. "We hope to inspire children by showcasing living composers writing music specifically for them."

YPC on Soundcheck: What to Listen For

The segments on Soundcheck will include works by prominent living composers, many of whom were commissioned to write music especially for the YPC.

Episode No. 1: October 29, 2003
The first broadcast with the YPC featured music from Hans Krasa's children's opera, "Brundibar," and an interview with Tony Kushner. The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright has collaborated with children's author/illustrator Maurice Sendak on an illustrated children’s book about "Brundibar" and recently wrote a new libretto for the opera.
Read a Plot Summary and History of Brundibar.

Future programs by the WNYC Young People’s Radio Chorus, to air January 21, April 22, and June 16, will feature music by some of today’s most respected composers, including Tod Machover and Bright Sheng, along with a preview of a new opera by Rob Kapilow based on the journey of Lewis and Clark. All programs will be archived on WNYC.org.

Teacher’s Resources ... and More

Through this collaboration, New York City students have the opportunity to listen in the classroom to the live performances and interviews on the radio, and audiences worldwide can access the program via live streaming on WNYC.org. After each broadcast, the program will be continue to be accessible on the site, and teachers can request CD copies of the segments by calling WNYC’s Listener Services Team at 212-669-3333 so that this music can be incorporated into their curricula. Following the first broadcast, study guides for each program will be available via the Young People’s Chorus and WNYC Web sites.

The Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC), the resident choir of the 92nd Street Y, is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed youth ensemble that performs more than 40 concerts, operas, and workshops annually in New York and beyond. It was founded in 1988 by Francisco Núñez with a commitment to musical excellence and to provide an atmosphere where young people of diverse ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds could further their personal and artistic growth through the study and performance of music. Strongly committed to education through music, in addition to its membership of 250 young people in five choral divisions, the YPC provides music education to an additional 250 youngsters through its Partner Schools and Satellite Schools programs.

Additional Resources:

The Young People's Chorus Web site

Listen to an archival edition of Soundcheck featuring YPC artistic director Francisco J. Nunez in a discussion about the chorus and its wide-ranging commissioning activities.