Francisco Núñez Raising Voices – In The Key Of Love

Everybody talks about the importance of listening to the children. Francisco Núñez turned that cliché into an exalted art form. As the charismatic founder and artistic director of the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), Núñez almost single-handedly transformed children’s vocal music from a backwater scorned by serious composers into a vibrantly creative realm. In the process, he’s enriched the lives of thousands of youngsters, while opening doors for them to myriad educational and life opportunities.

This summer YPC returns to Wine Country to participate in its third residency at Festival Napa Valley, which includes three performances and a multimedia exhibition. On Saturday, July 16, the chorus performs in a celebratory and uniquely American concert at The CIA at Copia. The young singers will perform the world premiere of Nia Imani Franklin’s Polaris, an anthem that celebrates the creation of Juneteenth as a national holiday, and a selection of spirituals with renowned baritone Lester Lynch. The program includes an arrangement of Gordon Getty’s choral work, Young America. Núñez, who seeks to incorporate movement into vocal performance whenever possible, worked with a choreographer for Young America, which integrates a country dance. Beyond the gorgeous melody, Núñez was drawn to the song because it “tells a story of coming to America and delves into all the challenges of citizenship, and asks: What is an American?”

Núñez is a visionary, and YPC is something of a utopian endeavor. It provides children of all ethnic, religious, and economic backgrounds with a rigorous program of music education in addition to access to a diverse community of peers and mentors. Núñez launched the organization in 1988, and among the many honors he’s accrued since then is a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship.

But it hasn’t always been easy. Determined to open musical doors for young singers, Núñez had to overcome entrenched ageism and prejudice to start commissioning high-quality work during the ensemble’s first decade. Many composers avoided writing for children because they felt they’d be taken less seriously. Núñez eventually convinced the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Morton Gould to accept a commission. Gould’s ensuing 1996 work, There Are (No) Children Here, was highly praised for its originality and depth, and ended up being the composer’s last composition.

Núñez continued to doggedly pursue composers who had never written for young voices, and succeeded in commissioning works from a diverse constellation, including Samuel Barber and Mason Bates, Meredith Monk and Joan La Barbara, John Tavener and Michael Nyman, and Gordon Getty. Transient Glory, the commissioning series Núñez launched in 2001, became a highlight of New York’s musical season each year — culminating in a rave review in The New York Times. These new works became an integral part of the repertoire not only for YPC, but also for youth choruses worldwide. “We changed the entire musical landscape for children’s choirs,” Núñez said.

The YPC ultimately became an invaluable artsresource for New York City kids, with some 1,400children ages seven to 18 participating annuallyin three primary initiatives: a core after-school program, a satellite program in public schools,and an after-school community chorus in the Washington Heights neighborhood. Refusing to shut down during the height of the pandemic, the YPC expanded its ranks as kids sang at home via live streaming. “We allowed children who didn’t even live near us to join,” Núñez said. But while live streaming flourished, many kids were deeply impacted by the pandemic. “Our children continued to be musicians and young artists, but 20 percent just disappeared, moved away, or got very sad. It’s said that Covid does not tend to affect kids, but what happens to them mentally is something we need to continue to talk about.”

“Francisco J. Núñez, who directs the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, has been raising the bar [for children’s choruses] over the last decade by commissioning a steady stream of works from composers who usually write for adults and weaving them into programs that include choral classics, spirituals, theater songs and pop arrangements.

– The New York Times

Ever resourceful, Núñez and the organization took action. Determined to use music to transform the experience of the pandemic into a channel for young people’s creativity and to counteract the effects of long months of isolation, they created video content that was broadcast on WNET’s website, including a series of holiday programs. The singers also embraced new creative outlets as actors and poets. One of their most powerful works, a multimedia installation entitled Alone Together, took viewers on an artistic journey into the minds of children and teens during a time of global turmoil and transformation. It featured spoken word, poetry, sculpture, video art, music, and film, and 500 YPC choristers, 15 composers and songwriters, seven poets, three choreographers, and two filmmakers.

The installation was exhibited at Chelsea’s High Line Nine and was so well received that its four-week run was extended to 10 weeks. Festival Napa Valley will present this innovative installation in its first showcase outside of New York at The CIA at Copia. It’s an exhibit that beautifully illustrates the magic Núñez makes, and the profound role music and art can play in the lives of young people. When Núñez and YPC return to Napa this summer their journey will come full circle — and begin anew.