Conductor · Composer · Author · Artist
Find your voice with others.
Now
Coming in 2027: La Sopa de Papa
A picture book by Francisco J. Núñez, illustrated by Fernanda Frick (GIA Publications). Little Sebastian won’t eat his mother’s potato soup, until his Abuela sings him his favorite song. A story about family, and the love that comes with it.
Coming soon: Francisco Finds His Gift
A nonfiction picture book about a boy discovering the piano, illustrated by Eric Velasquez (Holiday House).
His story on Humans of New York
The five-part story that started it all. Read the story
NY EMMY® AWARD WINNER
Congratulations to Francisco J. Núñez and the Young People’s Chorus of New York City
on their New York Emmy® Award!
The world-renowned Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) proudly announces that its feature-length holiday special Topsy Turvy New York has won a 66th Annual New York Emmy® Award in the “Children/Youth (12 and under) – Short or Long Form Content” category at the 66th Annual New York Emmy® gala held at the New York Marriott Marquis on Saturday, October 28, 2023.
Under the direction of YPC Founder/Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez and Creative Director Elizabeth Núñez, Topsy Turvy New York is a feature-length special set to an original story by best-selling author James Patterson and co-written by author and lyricist Susan DiLallo and author Richard DiLallo.
The film captures the relief and joy of our young people as they emerge from the pandemic, filling the air with fun and inspiring holiday classics from around the world. Filmed at various locations throughout New York City, the special reflects the diversity of both the YPC choristers and the city we represent.
YPC National Summer Intensive 2027
Each summer, Francisco and the YPC team bring choral conductors, educators and young singers together in New York City for masterclasses, hands-on workshops and performances. 2027 dates coming soon.
Learn more at ypcnational.org
Francisco J. Núñez is a Dominican-American conductor, composer, educator and author. Everything he does comes through music, and all of it asks one question: Who do we become when we truly listen to each other?
Founder and Artistic Director, Young People’s Chorus of New York City
Founder and Artistic Director, YPC National
Music Director, University Glee Club of New York City
Principal Conductor, American Young Voices
Composer, published by Boosey & Hawkes and Hal Leonard
2011 MacArthur Fellow
Musical America’s 2018 Educator of the Year
New York Emmy® Award, Topsy Turvy New York (2023), Artistic Director
New York Emmy®-winning Telemundo 47 holiday piece (2022), featuring his arrangement of Silent Night / Noche de Paz and his story
2026 Spirit of Steinhardt Visionary Award, NYU Steinhardt
“The mantle that once belonged to the deans of ‘golden era’ choral music conductors has been passed, and it rests with Francisco Núñez.”
“YPC [who Francisco conducts] sang [Four Heartfelt Anthems] with precision and artistry at the highest level. Every marking was observed. They sang so incredibly, it was inhuman…Francisco Núñez is the Horowitz of the choral world.”
Conductor
Francisco J. Núñez has been artistic director of the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City since he founded the multicultural chorus in 1988. He also conducts the University Glee Club of New York City, the fifth conductor of the all-men’s choir since it was established in 1894 and from 2003 to 2010 was the director of choral activities at New York University. He is sought after as a guest conductor by professional orchestras, chamber ensembles, and choirs in North America and Europe. among them, the New York Pops, Manhattan Philharmonic, Newfoundland Symphony, the Geneva Chamber Orchestra, and the Chamber Orchestra of San Antonio, as well as a master teacher and advisor for choral workshops, demonstrations, and festivals.
Composer
As a composer, Mr. Núñez won early acclaim for seamlessly fusing a wide gamut of cultures and musical idioms, writing his first choral work, Misa Pequeña, at age 15. Today, he composes countless compositions and arrangements in all musical formats and styles, from classical to pop, for choirs, orchestras, and solo instruments, all of which are published by Boosey & Hawkes. The Coca-Cola Company named him music director of its 125th anniversary year and commissioned him to write a new arrangement of Coca-Cola’s “Buy the World a Coke” advertising jingle.
Visionary
As a leading authority on the role of music in achieving equality and diversity in today’s society, Mr. Núñez is often invited to give keynote addresses by such organizations as Chorus America, Yale University, the Conservatory of Music in Beijing, Hong Kong International Youth and Children's Choir Festival, the Tokyo College of Music, Festival 500 in Newfoundland, Roche International, and the Rhodes World Public Forum in Greece.
Click here to view more about the Núñez Initiative: Social Change through the Choral Arts
“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.”
