YOUNG PEOPLE’S CHORUS OF NEW YORK CITY TO PERFORM FREE PRE-CURTAIN CONCERT FOR CLASSICAL THEATER OF HARLEM’S MACBETH AT RICHARD RODGERS AMPHITHEATER AT MARCUS GARVEY PARK ON JULY 14 AT 7:00 P.M.
Program features contemporary, gospel, Broadway, and world music to be performed by the YPC
on tour this summer at the Festival Napa Valley and at the Paramount Theatre in Austin
New York, NY (June 16, 2016)―The award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), known for bringing children of diverse ethnic, religious and economic backgrounds together through a program of musical excellence, community and educational initiatives under Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Núñez, will give a one-hour preview of its summer tour concert program on Thursday, July 14 at 7:00 p.m. at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheater at Marcus GarveyPark (enter at 124th Street and Fifth Avenue and walk south to the venue).
The YPC concert is a pre-curtain performance that takes place prior to the Classical Theater of Harlem’s 2016 Uptown Shakespeare in the Park presentation of Macbeth beginning at 8:00 p.m. Both the concert and Macbeth are free and open to the public. For more information call (347) 688-6304 or visit cthnyc.org/macbeth.
Complete with choreography, YPC’s program will treat the audience to a wide-ranging collection of choral music from contemporary works and soul-stirring gospel favorites to music from the Broadway stage and around the globe. The choristers will perform the same program―and more―on tour later this summer at the Festival Napa Valley in Napa, CA where they return for two concerts, July 21 and 23, after a “remarkable performance” and “outstanding singing” (Napa Valley Register) at the festival last year, and at the Paramount Theatre in Austin on July 26, where YPC makes its Texas debut.
The Classical Theater of Harlem’s presentation of Macbeth is directed by Carl Cofield and choreographed by Tiffany Rea-Fisher in collaboration with the Elisa Monte Dance Company. Mr. Cofield’s production is inspired by the former Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie’s historic 1966 visit to Jamaica, during which, the considered prophet among followers of the Rastafari movement, was greeted by 100,000 people. An African drum chorus and sounds including reggae and world music will underscore the production. The production runs from July 8-31, Tuesdays through Sundays at 8 pm (Fridays at 8:30 pm).
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City® (YPC) isa multicultural youth chorus founded by Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur “Genius Grant” Fellow in 1988 as a model for an inclusive society that is being replicated globally. YPC’s groundbreaking program harnesses the power of music to fulfill the potential of every child and has established the youth chorus as a significant and often untapped instrument for making music. Over 1,600 children from ages 7 to 18 participate annually in YPC. Four hundred choristers sing in its core after-school program, and under the direction of Associate Artistic Director Elizabeth Núñez, over 1,100 children participate through YPC’s satellite program in 14 New York City public schools, in addition to more than 120 children in YPC’s two thriving after-school community choruses in Manhattan’s Washington Heights and at Goddard Riverside Community Center.
The repertoire for YPC ranges from renaissance and classical traditions through gospel, folk, pop, contemporary, and world music. In addition, YPC has extended and invigorated the repertoire for young voices by commissioning over 100 pieces of new music from many of today’s most distinguished composers, 80 alone through its Transient Glory and Radio Radiance series. Through its Transmusica series, YPC collaborates with choruses from as far as Indonesia, Australia, and Israel in cross-cultural performances that build understanding and bridges among other societies and cultures of the world.
The Classical Theater of Harlem (CTH) combines original adaptations, music, and dance to present great classics of world literature as well as contemporary works that will stand the test of time. It is CTH’s vision to create the 21st century theatre company whose value to its community is inherent and essential, a company that is engaged in producing theatre that has the capacity to change lives, and truly reflects the diversity of ideas and racial tapestry that is America. CTH is purposeful in seeking to create comprehensive access for theatre artists of diverse backgrounds. This includes actors, directors, designers, playwrights, technicians, and arts administrators. Since its founding in 1999, CTH has presented a repertory of works ranging from traditional classical playwrights (Anton Chekhov, Euripides, and William Shakespeare), to established 20th century playwrights (August Wilson, Langston Hughes, and Jean Genet), to new plays by emerging playwrights. In addition to its productions, CTH proudly provides theatre-based training and live theatre experiences to Harlem youth and their families through its arts education program: Project Classics. It also engages in robust, theatre-related programming, which include Future Classics, Playwrights’ Playground, and Revisited Classics. These free reading series act as a way to engage new audiences, invest in the artistic development of new work, and give exposure to emerging professional playwrights.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Richard Rodgers Amphitheater at Marcus Garvey Park, Harlem
7 p.m. Pre-Curtain Performance
Young People’s Chorus of New York City
Francisco J. Núñez, Artistic Director/Founder
8 p.m. Classical Theater of Harlem
Shakespeare’s Macbeth
Admission is free.
For more information, visit http://www.cthnyc.org/macbeth
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