The Young People’s Chorus of NYC Shines in Winter Concert
Performing a concert titled “Finding the Light,” roughly 600 young performers sang and danced their hearts out onstage at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall.
On Sunday, Dec. 8, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City performed its winter concert, “Finding the Light,” at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, bringing an extra bright cheer to the holiday season.
According to the program handed out at the event, YPC is “one of the highest acclaimed choruses in the world, serving more than 2,000 children throughout New York City.” It runs after-school programs (and programs in 18 schools) and community choruses, and features youth singers from every borough of New York City.
The winter concert featured roughly 600 young singers. Its content ranged from carols in multiple languages, songs from musical theater, classic and modern Christmas songs, and some non-Christmas holiday songs, such as some Hanukkah favorites and tunes about winter.
Most of the songs performed had some sort of choreographed element, though that encompasses a wide range. Some of the choreography was full on dancing, with formation changes, floorwork, and anything one might expect from a song-and-dance show — “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” for instance, included seemingly Rockette-inspired line formations, and “Alegre Vengo” featured the youngest performers stepping and clapping along to the music (though the choreography did get a bit more complex at some moments too, even for these youngest performers).
Other songs featured less dance-y, but still extremely visual choreography. For instance, the opening number was a brand new arrangement of “Song of Light” by Grammy nominee Chandrika Tandon, and throughout the number, the young singers would raise and lower handheld, circular lights as they changed colors and made patterns. While doing this, some singers performed from the aisles, raising and lowering their lights all the same. At one point, some of the kids began passing around a larger ball of light, creating a particular visual focus as the light moved around the stage.
At the end of the concert, YPC Artistic Director and Founder Francisco J. Núñez urged audience members to consider donating to the program this holiday season. Arts programs always need more funding, and if nothing else, the YPC winter concert showed exactly why, as talented young singers radiated joy and love for their art.
More information on YPC and its future shows can be found at ypc.org.