Elizabeth Núñez
Associate Artistic Director
Elizabeth Núñez is the Associate Artistic Director of the award-winning Young People’s Chorus of New York City and the conductor, choral clinician, soloist, and founding artistic director of the SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir. At YPC, an organization renowned for its diversity and artistic excellence, she directs children ranging in age from 8 to 18, in rehearsals, performances, and tours in the U.S. and abroad. Each year 2,000 children benefit musically, academically, and socially through their participation in YPC’s after-school and in-school programs.
Since joining YPC in 2004, Elizabeth has conducted the choristers in the city’s most prestigious venues from Carnegie Hall and the Apollo Theater to the Metropolitan Museum, as well as on national television, including appearances on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Good Morning America.” She has led YPC in debuts in both Lincoln Center’s Mostly Mozart and its White Light Festivals, and in international choral competitions, has led the singers to first-place wins at the Cantonigròs International Music Festival in Spain and the Choral Kathaumixw Festival in British Columbia, where, in addition, the choristers were recognized with the overall title of “Choir of the World.” Elizabeth has also prepared YPC for performances of Bernstein Mass at Mostly Mozart and for the world premiere performances of Julia Wolfe’s acclaimed multimedia work Fire in My Mouth with the New York Philharmonic, the live recording of which garnered two Grammy nominations.
As director of the YPC School Choruses program, in addition, she creates and oversees YPC’s unique curriculum of music education and performance for over 1,200 children in 20 New York City schools. Beyond music, Elizabeth created WIT: Women Inspiring Tomorrow in 2014, a thriving mentoring program that brings YPC’s high school girls together with its alumnae and accomplished women across varying professions.
Elizabeth has led the intergenerational SoHarmoniums Women’s Choir since it was founded with just six members in 2006. Based in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood, SoHarmoniums has today expanded to over 60 women, who perform to capacity audiences across the city.
A sought-after choral clinician as well, Elizabeth is invited by choral organizations around the country to conduct performances and workshops, among them, numerous All-State Honor Choirs, the 2016 OAKE National Children’s Honor Choir, and as a featured conductor at the 2020 ACDA Eastern Regional Conference in Rochester Elizabeth received a Master of Music Education from the University of Oklahoma and a Bachelor of Music Education from Lee University, where she was awarded the 2017 School of Music’s Distinguished Alumnus Award for her commitment to “changing the lives of America’s youth.” She is also a member of the Chorus America Board.