Forget the school concert with a dozen reluctant singers and a malfunctioning microphone. This December, 600 young New Yorkers are taking over one of the city’s grandest stages.
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City will bring its annual holiday concert, A Very Merry New York, to Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall on Sunday, December 6, at 5 p.m. Singers from all five boroughs will share the stage for a program mixing familiar seasonal music with international traditions, fresh arrangements and dance. The organization plans to announce further details in early November.
The scale alone sets this apart from the usual December recital. David Geffen Hall is home to the New York Philharmonic, but for one evening the spotlight will belong to hundreds of children and teenagers whose voices, backgrounds and neighborhoods reflect a much wider swath of the city.
Leading the performance are Francisco J. Núñez, the chorus’s founder and artistic director, and Elizabeth Núñez, its creative director. The concert has become a recurring Lincoln Center fixture, with previous editions combining carols and contemporary songs with elaborate choreography and large-scale ensemble singing.
In 2024, the program included an arrangement of Song of Light by Grammy-nominated musician Chandrika Tandon. Last year’s concert featured music ranging from the Nigerian holiday song “Betelehemu” to Eric Whitacre’s Lux Aurumque, according to published concert information. Those selections offer a sense of the group’s adventurous approach, though the repertoire for December 2026 has yet to be confirmed.
The appeal is not simply the spectacle of 600 voices. It’s the chance to hear children from neighborhoods that rarely share a stage making music together in the same room. In a season crowded with familiar holiday entertainment, that remains a distinctly New York proposition.
What to know: A Very Merry New York takes place Sunday, December 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. at David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza. Check the official concert page for updates and ticket information.
