What's up with Brooklyn Youth Chorus? Jimmy Kimmel Live w/ David Byrne + more

“In the past year alone, [Brooklyn Youth Chorus] members have seen their work used by Louis Vuitton and Pharrell for a Chanel ad campaign; performed with David Byrne and countless other major artists across all genres; worked with several rock bands like the National and Bon Iver; and released a new record, featuring [Caroline] Shaw and other indie rock luminaries, all while going to school most of the day,” wrote Steven Edelstone in a July feature in The New York Times Metro Section.

Earlier this week The Chorus performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live, singing “One Fine Day” with David Byrne, a number from his Broadway show American Utopia. This past June, they performed on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where they provided ethereal depth to a performance of "Oblivion” with The National and Jen Wasner (of Wye Oak), and in September they were featured on Fox 5 NY with Ernie Anastos. The Chorus lent talent to Bon Iver’s track U (Man Like), released in August in promotion of his new album, i,i, which features them on three songs: Hey, Ma, Naeem, and Faith. Elsewhere, The National: I Am Easy To Find, Live From New York’s Beacon Theatre, which features the Chorus, is now available for streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime.

“For many contemporary musicians looking to collaborate, the group has become a popular resource,” wrote the Times. Indeed, the Chorus has emerged as the go-to choir in recent years for a wide range of partners from classical powerhouses like the New York Philharmonic to edgy indie creator National Sawdust, from rock guitarist Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire to megastar Beyoncé. One glance at their Instagram and you can see they accomplish all of this while promoting a nurturing educational community and maintaining the highest level of artistic performance. Who says that you have to sacrifice quality to have fun? Their openness to explore the full potential of a youth choir has led to a home for young people to connect with each other while experiencing performance opportunities many adult professional performers would envy. Berkun Menaker chose Brooklyn as more than the geographic center of their rehearsal space and offices, she wanted the faces on the risers to reflect the diversity of their home borough. She trains choristers with her trademarked Cross Choral Training Method that enables their young, pliable, voices to soar in all genres including classical masterworks, pop songs, new commissions with untried choral techniques, and more. 

WHAT’S COMING UP NEXT?

Brooklyn Youth Chorus’s 2019-20 season includes all the hallmarks that one has come to expect from this dashing ensemble. This Fall the Chorus performs with Eva Noblezada (of Hadestown fame) at a starry-Broadway evening honoring women’s and transgender rights. Join the celebration on October 28 at the NYCLU Broadway Stands Up for Freedom event at Town Hall in New York City. Up next, catch the choir at the Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday series on November 2 as the Metropolitan Opera previews Philip Glass’s Akhnaten with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, Gandini Juggling, and the Philip Glass Institute at the New School’s College of Performing Arts.

From March 13-14, the Chorus travels to California for the West Coast Premiere of Aging Magician, co-presented by San Diego Opera and Beth Morrison Projects. Developed over two seasons, and written to showcase the unique talents of the group, Aging Magician is an epic opera-theater work that melds music by Paola Prestini with puppetry by Julian Crouch, writing and performance by the singular Rinde Eckert. The story follows Harold, the titular aging Magician, as he finishes his life’s work: a book of secrets. As he embarks on his last adventure, the audience joins him on a surreal and delightful journey punctuated by mysterious magic, surprising puppetry and glorious music.

Later in the Spring, the Chorus will present a workshop performance of ​she is called at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on April 18, 2020. A new multimedia piece co-created and co-performed by Helga Davis, she is called will look at the voice of women throughout history with a performance created by, for, and with women of all ages, races, and time periods. In a unique approach, artistic director Dianne Berkun Menaker has envisioned a semi-staged work to include text, song, video, sound and lighting design. Brooklyn Youth Chorus’s young women’s ensemble will perform works by Vivaldi written for the all-female ensemble, Ospedale della Pietà, along with music by Hildegard Von Bingen and new compositions commissioned from living female composers. The writers will devise their works to reflect their own experiences as well as the perspective of the young women who will perform their music. The work will continue to change and develop as it moves towards subsequent performances planned for the following season.

The Chorus concludes their season with the world premiere of a new work by Berlin-based Olga Neuwirth, highlighting their classically trained chops. On May 28, 30, June 2, they appear as part of the New York Philharmonic’s hotspots festival, which will illuminate three centers of music innovation: Berlin, Reykjavík, and New York. The new commission is also part of Project 19, an initiative that commissions 19 women composers in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted American women the right to vote. 

Despite many high profile performances and collaborations throughout the season, Brooklyn Youth Chorus also serves its local Brooklyn community with two student shows that showcase all 700 choristers ranging in age from 11-18. December brings Winter’s Eve and Holiday Harmonies, followed by Spring Sings in May. 

SHOW LISTINGS

NYCLU BROADWAY STANDS UP FOR FREEDOM
October 28, 2019 
Town Hall, NYC

As part of an event with the NYCLU and the ACLU celebrating women's and trans rights, the choir will perform “Huddled Masses” with Eva Noblezada (Hadestown)

PREVIEW OF THE METROPOLITAN OPERA’S AKHNATEN 
November 2, 2019
Brooklyn Museum

As part of Brooklyn Museum’s free First Saturday series, the Chorus Concert and Men’s Ensemble will perform with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo.

WINTER’S EVE + HOLIDAY HARMONIES
December 13-14, 2019
Cathedral of St. Joseph

A joyful and merry way to mark the holiday season that showcases the full range of choristers from across Brooklyn.

TOUR: AGING MAGICIAN
March 13-14, 2020
Balboa Theatre

San Diego Opera presents Aging Magician, an opera-theatre work co-created by Julian Crouch, Rinde Eckert, Paola Prestini and Mark Stewart.

TOUR: SHE IS CALLED
April 18, 2020
University of North Carolina

A new choral creation tracing women’s experience with music by Shara Nova and Toshi Reagon, created in partnership with Helga Davis.

HOTSPOTS FESTIVAL WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC
May 28-June 2, 2020 
Lincoln Center

The Chorus will perform with the New York Philharmonic for the world premiere of a new work by Berlin-based Olga Neuwirth. Part of the hotspots festival and Project 19.