Nov 11, 2025
YPC National Studio & Lab 2025 40 teachers and 100 choristers from across the country gathered in New York City to experience four days of choral music exploration and artistic growth. The workshop kicked off with YPC’s feature performance at Damrosch Park,...Artistic Director/Founder
Francisco J. Núñez, a MacArthur Fellow and Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year, is a composer, conductor, visionary, leading figure in music education, and the Founder/Artistic Director of the Emmy award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York (YPC). Mr. Núñez launched YPC National in response to requests for guidance, training, and assistance from choruses across the country and the Caribbean inspired by the YPC model.
His commitment to the arts, youth, and diversity have been recognized through numerous awards and honors, including: an ASCAP Victor Herbert Award, the New York Choral Society’s Choral Excellence Award, and Bang on a Can’s Visionary Award. NYU Steinhard presented him with its Distinguished Alumnus Achievement Award, and he holds honorary Doctor of Music degrees from both Ithaca College and Gettysburg College.
Program Director
Emma H. Sway is a Associate Conductor at the Young People’s Chorus of New York City. She is the principal conductor of YPC’s Prelude division, assistant conductor of YPC’s Chorale division, and a conductor in YPC’s School Choruses program. She has prepared YPC choruses for numerous high-profile performances and recordings, most recently preparing the YPC children’s choruses for Jake Hegge’s Dead Man Walking and John Adams’ El Niño at the Metropolitan Opera. Emma is also a professional violinist and vocalist, and is a frequent violin accompanist in YPC’s concerts in New York City and abroad.
Emma’s love for music and people brought her to YPC. Through her work, she hopes to inspire not just a love of music, but a love of working together towards something you could never achieve alone. When not teaching and conducting, Emma is an active performer, writer and composer, with original plays and music developed at Yale University, the Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project, Quinnipiac University, and Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. She holds a BA in Music and Education from Yale University and a Masters in Music Education from The Hartt School, with Kodály and FAME certification.
Co-Artistic Director
Elizabeth Núñez is a conductor, clinician and speaker, soloist, and Creative Director of the Emmy award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City. Since joining YPC in 2004, she has played a significant role in fostering key YPC programs as well as providing vision for new initiatives. As a conductor she has led YPC choruses in highly acclaimed and widely viewed performances in New York City, on national television, and abroad.
In addition to her work at YPC, Elizabeth leads performances and workshops for regional and national conferences. She has conducted numerous All-State Honor Choirs, the OAKE National Children’s Honor Choir, and led YPC as a featured choir at the 2023 ACDA National Conference. She is also the Founding Artistic Director of the intergenerational SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir.
Master Teacher/Choreographer
Jacquelyn Bird has enjoyed a long and fulfilling career as a triple-threat performer on Broadway, film, and television, and is also a master teacher, choreographer, singer and author. For over a decade, Jacquie has choreographed scores of performances for the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, including tour performances throughout Asia, Europe, South America, North America, and the Caribbean and has directed and choreographed well over 400 YPC choristers at a time in YPC’s winter, spring, and gala concerts. A Brooklyn native, Jacquie has taught and choreographed aspiring young artists worldwide; she is a recurring lecturer on swing dance at Hofstra and Princeton Universities; and has taught at Lehman College, the Mason Gross School of the Arts in the M.F.A. Theater Program at Rutgers University. Jacquie’s teaching credits include: Steps on Broadway, Peridance, and Broadway Dance Center, where she was a longtime assistant to the legendary Frank Hatchett and has also taught for Sue Samuels.
Ph.D., Conductor-Teacher
Doreen Rao’s lifetime of exemplary service to choral music is dedicated to the intersections of artistry, education, and social consciousness. Conferred by the American Choral Director’s Association, Rao is the recipient of the Robert Shaw Lifetime Achievement Award for her extraordinary contributions to choral music. As a distinguished conductor and university teacher, symphonic chorus master, editor, and author, Rao’s seminal work teaching children to sing spearheaded the profoundly important children’s chorus movement in America. During her long association with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Rao prepared her young choirs for concerts and recorded performances, winning four Grammy Awards and a Grand Prix du Disque with Sir George Solti, Margaret Hillis, Claudio Abbado and James Levine. Her award-winning CME (Choral Music Experience) series with Boosey&Hawkes features a diverse and extensive catalog of world music, contemporary and classical compositions for treble and mixed voice choirs. https://www.halleonard.com/cme Founder of the CME Institute for Choral Teacher Education certification courses Rao has inspired the development of conductors and choral teachers around the world. www.doreenrao.com
Executive Producer
Erin McKibben is an active GRAMMY-nominated performer, educator, and conductor based in Southern California, originally from Portland, Oregon. She is the Director of the Music Academy’s Sing! choral program and Director of the Santa Barbara School of Music. Erin is principal flutist for the Los Angeles-based experimental classical ensemble, Wild Up, whose performances have been listed in both the LA and New York Times “Best Of” lists.
Vocal Studies
Shanelle Woods currently serves as Education and Vocal Studies Program Manager at YPC and has been applying her many talents to the choral group for the past four years. Shanelle joined YPC not only because of their commitment to diversity and artistic excellence, but because she recognized the value in the type of education and additional experiences YPC provides for its choristers.
In addition to helping provide choristers with supplemental academic support programs geared towards life skills, financial literacy, academic subject tutoring, standardized test prep, and college application support, Shanelle also manages YPC’s Vocal Area, leading our choristers through high school or college audition prep, masterclasses, or weekly voice lessons.
Prior to joining the YPC family, Shanelle worked as an adjunct instructor of voice on the voice faculties of Charleston Southern, Claflin, and New York Universities. Recent professional performance credits include the title role in Bizet’s CARMEN, Tituba (THE CRUCIBLE), The Judge in STOMPING GROUNDS, commissioned by The Glimmerglass Festival, and Annie in PORGY AND BESS at Spoleto Festival USA. She performed the role of Jenny Diver in City Lyric Opera’s THREEPENNY OPERA, and sang Alma Stinney in the southeastern premiere of Stinney: An American Execution. In 2022, Ms. Woods collaborated with BARE Opera and National Sawdust, to premiere the song cycle FIRESONGS. Later that year, she debuted with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra as a featured soloist , and presented a recital of contemporary, solo voice works at Fordham University entitled, Voices Up: Full Spectrum, aimed at celebrating the works of lesser known, female, and/or BIPOC composers. She was recently admitted to the Vocal Pedagogy program at New York University, where she is completing an Advanced Certificate in Vocal Pedagogy.
Composer and Producer
A conducting fellow with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, conducts in YPC’s School Choruses program, works with YPC’s community chorus at Goddard Riverside, and assists with YPC’s Prelude and Amani divisions. Before working with YPC, Taylor taught in New York City public, parochial and charter schools, bringing music education to thousands of students. Taylor graduated from Ithaca College School of Music with a BA in Music with a voice concentration. Taylor also is an experienced composer and arranger having written for student ensembles at the high school and collegiate level in various schools and universities around the country.
Composer and Producer
EUCADEMIX, also known as Yuka C. Honda, is an electronics instrumentalist, composer, and producer (though she enjoys calling herself a “decomposer”). As EUCADEMIX, she performs solo electronic music. She calls it “Sensory Music”.
Yuka is primarily known for founding the band Cibo Matto in the 1990s. They released two LPs and one EP on Warner Brothers Records. As a producer, she has produced albums by Sean Lennon and Martha Wainwright, among others.
Recently, Yuka created a multi-media opera titled “No Revenge Necessary” which tells the story of a post-apocalypse world in which humans survive and coexist with A.I. entities. It was performed at National Sawdust (Brooklyn NY) in 2019, where Yuka was an Artist In Residence.
She has won a multiple awards including the London International Animation Festival’s Best Sound Awards, for the music she composed for the animation film “Anxious Body” by Yoriko Mizushiri which premiered at Cannes 2021 Director’s Fortnight. Other current projects include a duo with her husband Nels Cline (Wilco) called CUP, and also a duo with YoshimiO (Boredoms, OOIOO) called Mycorrhiza.
Education and Vocal Studies Program Manager
Shanelle Woods currently serves as Education and Vocal Studies Program Manager at YPC and has been applying her many talents to the choral group for the past four years. Shanelle joined YPC not only because of their commitment to diversity and artistic excellence, but because she recognized the value in the type of education and additional experiences YPC provides for its choristers.
In addition to helping provide choristers with supplemental academic support programs geared towards life skills, financial literacy, academic subject tutoring, standardized test prep, and college application support, Shanelle also manages YPC’s Vocal Area, leading our choristers through high school or college audition prep, masterclasses, or weekly voice lessons.
SING! Program Director, Music Academy
Erin McKibben is an active GRAMMY-nominated performer, educator, and conductor based in Southern California, originally from Portland, Oregon. She is the Director of the Music Academy’s Sing! choral program and Director of the Santa Barbara School of Music. Erin is principal flutist for the Los Angeles-based experimental classical ensemble, Wild Up, whose performances have been listed in both the LA and New York Times “Best Of” lists.
Program Coordinator
A conducting fellow with the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, conducts in YPC’s School Choruses program, works with YPC’s community chorus at Goddard Riverside, and assists with YPC’s Prelude and Amani divisions. Before working with YPC, Taylor taught in New York City public, parochial and charter schools, bringing music education to thousands of students. Taylor graduated from Ithaca College School of Music with a BA in Music with a voice concentration. Taylor also is an experienced composer and arranger having written for student ensembles at the high school and collegiate level in various schools and universities around the country.
Program Manager
Erin Homes Smith is an experienced music educator, administrator, and performer that spans over two decades. A veteran K-8 music teacher, Erin has taught students and directed choirs in schools and community music programs, and has served as the National Choir Coordinator for American Young Voices (AYV). In addition, she is an active choral artist and credits her experience and practice of music to directly enhancing her teaching for the benefit of students and overall work in music education.
Program Manager
Ronald D. Chronister is the Director of Education for YPC. He previously taught music for 37 years in Kansas public schools and has served on the Kansas Music Education Curricular Standards Writing Committee, the Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors, as the Kansas Music Educators Association President, and as the National Association for Music Education Southwestern Division President. Ron has been a clinician and consultant on topics of music education.
Executive Producer
Nancy Bloom is the Executive Producer for the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, responsible for producing all YPC concerts, negotiating concert fees and contracts, as well as a member of the events and fundraising development team. She is an ex-officio YPC board member, volunteered for 16 years, and was an executive committee member of the YPC board before going on staff. She previously was the director of radio and television production for CBS Records.
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