Our Chorus

New York City Community Chorus
EVERY VOICE TAKES THIS STAGE

When director Jack Eppler founded the New York City Community Chorus in 1994, he envisioned a place where anyone — regardless of musical background — could experience the joy of singing.

With the support of the Church of the Holy Apostles, a longtime leader in social justice, that vision took root.

What began as a small neighborhood group has grown to over one hundred singers who come together to share music from every corner of the world. The chorus prepares over 15 songs each season and presents two concerts per year. At our concerts, we are typically joined by over 400 audience attendees as we come together to celebrate the power of community and song.

At NYCCC, we believe that everyone can sing — and that everyone should have the chance to. We welcome all voices, honor all musical styles, and embrace the simple truth that singing is meant to be joyful.

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Rikers Island Chorus
CARRYING OUR MISSION TO PEOPLE IN CONFINEMENT

What began as a vision to bring singing to incarcerated people has become one of our most meaningful programs.

Each week, our artistic leadership team travels to Rikers to rehearse with a group of singers who are eager for connection and creative expression. The chorus there functions much like ours in Manhattan: people coming together, learning music, and building community through shared voice. The experience has created a rare space for joy and collaboration inside an environment where those moments are scarce, and it continues to shape our understanding of what it means to serve our broader community.

  • For years, I shared with our Board my hope of creating an extension of our Chorus for incarcerated people. The idea finally found its path forward at one of our social gatherings, when a soprano mentioned that she was teaching drama at Rikers Island. She made the initial connection with the arts programming coordinator there, and after navigating a great deal of red tape — fingerprinting, approvals, and hours of sensitivity training — we jumped in.

    Jack Eppler, Founder and Artistic Director

  • In many ways, it grows directly out of our mission to heal the community through singing. Our justice and court systems are deeply challenged, and the people within them often have the least access to the healing connection that music can provide. PICs, quite literally separated from the rest of society, may need that sense of reconnection as much as anyone.

    The work has been profoundly meaningful for those of us who make the weekly trip to Rikers, and it seems to bring genuine joy and purpose to the PICs we sing with. It has become one of the most fulfilling extensions of our chorus’s mission.

Attending the New York City Community Chorus holiday concert was not only a pleasure but a heartwarming experience as well.

It felt like every member of the audience was a part of the chorus that evening, and the beautiful thing is that we all can be. The concert truly captured what the chorus stands for: a community bonded by a love of music. It was the second NYCCCHA event I've attended, and they welcomed us audience members so well that I know I'll be coming back for more!

MACKEY ALMY | AUDIENCE MEMBER