About Us

Our mission is to restore the joy of singing to day-to-day life and to heal our community through singing.

Since November 1994, we have brought the thrill of singing to hundreds of people, and our concerts have entertained thousands more.

ABOUT | OUR TEAM | GALLERY | SONG REPERTOIRE | NEWSLETTER

OUR STORY
A PLACE WHERE EVERY VOICE HAS A HOME

For more than thirty years, our chorus has been a place where people of all backgrounds come together simply for the joy of singing.

  • The idea for a chorus of everyday people — even those who believed they “weren’t singers” — had been forming in my mind for years when the Church of the Holy Apostles invited me to create their community chorus in 1994.

    In the 1980s, I traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe leading vocal workshops. Many participants came because they thought they couldn’t sing or that they “had no voice.” I realized this had to be a modern phenomenon. A century ago, when families gathered around the piano to sing together, no one would have imagined they were unworthy to join in. Many of our greatest folk songs began as work songs — sung collectively by people at their labor. It’s hard to picture someone silently working on the sidelines because they thought they “didn’t have a good voice.”

    Today, perhaps because technology has turned us into spectators rather than participants, or because modern life has grown more complex and anxious, few people have the chance to sing together.

    When the Church of the Holy Apostles invited me to begin this work, I knew its long-standing commitment to social justice made it the perfect home for this experiment. What we’ve created here is a place where anyone can come to sing — without judgment, without auditions, and without fear. We believe everyone has a voice, and that singing should be open to all.

    We embrace every musical style and include as many kinds of music as possible. Singing can be challenging, surprising, and profound — but above all, it should be joyful. We invite everyone who wants to rediscover that joy to join us in song.

    Jack Eppler, Founder and Artistic Director

  • Our logo reflects the spirit and values of our chorus — a modern, graphic interpretation of a treble clef. Its spiral form captures the heart of who we are, symbolizing inclusiveness, interconnectedness, unity in diversity, and the continual growth of our community. It represents more than music — it embodies the belief that every voice belongs and that, together, we create something greater than ourselves.

OUR TEAM

Jack Eppler, Founder and Artistic Director

Jack Eppler asked the Church of the Holy Apostles in 1994 to host a chorus open to anyone in the community without having to audition. The chorus has grown from a handful of people to nearly 100 singers and continues its original mission to restore singing to the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. The chorus has commissioned numerous new compositions over the years and presents two standing room-only concerts each year.

  • As a professional chorister, Eppler sang under the batons of Leopold Stokowski, Zubin Mehta, Christoph von Dohnányi, Gerard Schwarz, Roger Norrington, and Kurt Masur, as well as with the New York City Opera. He was bass soloist at the acclaimed Bach cantata series at the Lutheran Church of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan. Operatic roles include Guglielmo in Cosi Fan Tutte with the Young Artists Opera, The Old Maid and the Thief with the Bay Chamber Opera, and Trouble in Tahiti with the Mannes Opera Theatre, all in New York City. He was soloist with the Birmingham (Alabama) symphony in a Porgy and Bess concert. 

    Eppler’s meticulous attention to text has earned him praise as a singer who can be understood. Numerous composers have written for him. His innovative recital repertory stretches from the twelfth through the twentieth centuries. He toured Israel and Japan in Dolmen Music by composer Meredith Monk, and sang the premieres of performance pieces by composer Tan Dun and choreographer Jerry Pearson. 

    He teaches voice at his Greenwich Village Studio, and is delighted to teach singing to acting majors at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts.

Ok Kyun Kang, Senior Music Director

Ok Kyun Kang is a pianist, composer, and music director from Seoul, South Korea who has worked with various ensembles and organizations in North America, Asia, and Europe. As a composer, her works include incidental music for Hamlet at La MaMa Theatre, the chamber opera Sleepy at Moon Theatre in Seoul and the musical Christmas Carolyn at the Cleveland Playhouse.

  • Recent music direction credits include Voyage: Musical Vignettes at the Spoleto Festival in Italy and Dido and Aeneas at the National Theatre of Korea in Seoul. She earned her BM and MM in Music Composition from Yonsei University and her MFA in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University. Currently she works at New York University and Barnard College/Columbia University as a collaborative pianist.

Sean Manucha, Executive Director

Sean Manucha is a New York City-based arts administrator. He was previously serving as the Director of Development and Operations at the New York City Community Chorus since 2023, and started serving as the Executive Director in 2026. He is constantly inspired by the community’s commitment to sharing joy through music.

  • He has worked in various arts administration roles at his alma mater, NYU, as well as in the Executive Office of the Metropolitan Opera. Sean is passionate about the Chorus and believes in its mission of restoring joy to the day-to-day lives of New Yorkers. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from NYU Tisch School of the Arts.

Daniel Basilio-Fernández, Associate Artistic Director

Daniel Basilio-Fernández is a Dominican-Mexican bassist, composer, arranger, and music director living in New York, NY.

  • A working musician in New York, Daniel’s professional experience includes recording and collaboration with Disney Theatrical Group and performances at prestigious venues, including Carnegie Hall, Apollo Theatre at the Victoria, and Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center. 

    As a sought-after performer on award-winning productions, he has worked with renowned music directors such as Ray Chew, Alex Lacamoire, and Cynthia Meng and currently subs on Broadway and off-Broadway productions such as Hell’s Kitchen and The Lion King.

    He has performed alongside prominent musicians such as Jaleel Shaw, Donny McCaslin, Ingrid Jensen, and Tony Kadleck. 

    Daniel is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Music degree at the Manhattan School of Music, where he focuses on jazz double bass and composition, studying under renowned instructors including John Benitez, James Genus, and Darcy James Argue.

Sarah Kinsman-Chute, Administrative Assistant

Sarah Kinsman-Chute is the Administrative Assistant, providing essential organizational support that helps keep the chorus running smoothly.

A Glimpse Behind the Scenes
REHEARSALS AND COMMUNITY IN ACTION

These photos offer a look behind the scenes — moments from rehearsals, gatherings, and the everyday joy of making music together. They capture what defines our chorus most: friendship, laughter, and the shared love of song.

Balancing Accessibility and Artistic Challenge
OUR MUSICAL APPROACH

We always include music that is accessible for our singers, many of whom are untrained, while also choosing pieces that offer a meaningful artistic challenge. Over the years, a number of composers have enriched our repertoire with newly commissioned works and arrangements, contributing to the depth and variety of our musical seasons.

  • As a non-professional, non-audition music ensemble, the New York City Community Chorus has commissioned an extraordinary number of new pieces. Sixteen commissions in 20 years! We do this for several reasons: 1) we want to support the work of professional composers/arrangers; 2) we want our members to have the stimulating experience of creating new music; and 3) from time to time we need special music in support of our eclectic, theme-driven programs.

    Ok Kyun Kang

    • Ain’t I A Woman

    David Brunetti, Arranger

    • Varsity Drag, arrangement of the song by Ray Henderson, Lew Brown, and Buddy DeSylva

    Philip Corner

    • Counterpoints: Winter Holiday 

    • Organ Om

    • Well, Come Well!

    Thomas Garber

    • The Divine Teachings of St. Francis of Assisi

    • Adoshem Roi, arrangement of The Lord Is My Shepherd by Antonin Dvoràk 

    • Blessing for the Kindling of the Chanukah Lights, arrangement of the traditional liturgy 

    • Chanukah, arrangement of the song by Sholom Secunda 

    • Fond Memories of Ivye: Three Chassidic Tunes

    • How Ya’ Gonna Keep ‘Em Down on the Farm, arrangement of the song by Walter Donaldson

    Daniel Goode

    • Again and again, based on Noch Amol Un Take Noch Amol, traditional Yiddish children’s song 

    • Say Your Piece

    John McDowell

    • Woods Suite (commissioned for our tenth anniversary)

    Marcel van Rootselaar

    • Song of Praise

    Michael Wimberly

    • Kosayambey

    • I Never Felt Such Love In My Soul Before

    • Tell All My Father's People Don’t You Grieve for Me

    • Come and Go with Me to That Land, arr Pamela Warrick-Smith 

    • Couldn’t Hear Noboby Pray, arr. William Dawson 

    • Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel

    • Do don’t touch-a my garment

    • Dry Bones

    • Great Day

    • Swing low, sweet chariot

    • The Blind Man, arr. William Grant Still 

    • This Joy that I have, Gullah song 

    • This Old Hammer, arr. Walter Ehret

    • Lead me, guide me, Doris Akers 

    • O Holy Night, Gospel version, arr. J. David Williams 

    • Sweet, Sweet Spirit, by Doris Akers 

    • Walk Him Up the Stairs, from Purlie, by Gary Geld 

    • If Music Be the Food of Love

    • Sumer Is Icumen In

    • April is in my mistress’ face

    • Ave Verum Corpus, W.A. Mozart 

    • Come let us start a joyful song

    • Evening Prayer, from Hansel and Gretel, Engelbert Humperdinck, arr. Thomas Garber 

    • Gesú Bambino, Pietro Yon 

    • Glory to God, from Messiah, by G.F. Handel 

    • Gower Wassail, arr. Jerome Epstein 

    • He Watching Over Israel, from Elijah, by Felix Mendelssohn 

    • The Heavens are Telling, Ludwig Beethoven 

    • L’Homme Armé, arr. Jerome Epstein 

    • My Man’s Gone and Leavin’ for the Promis’ Land, from Porgie & Bess, by George Gershwin 

    • O Felix Anima

    • Nativity Carol, by John Rutter 

    • Peace, be still, Philip Corner 

    • Psallite, Michael Praetorius 

    • Salvation is Created (Russian) 

    • Song of the Hebrew Slaves, Giuseppe Verdi 

    • Two Hallelujas, Philip Corner 

    • Watchman, Tell Us of the Night, by Alan Hovhaness

    • Satisfaction

    • Purple Rain

    • I Fought the Law

    • Help

    • We’ll Meet Again

    • All I Want for Christmas Is You

    • Ain't No Sunshine

    • Let's Stay Together

    • You Are the Sunshine of my Life

    • A minuit fut fait un réveil, 16th century French noël 

    • Ah ya Zeen, Arabic folk song 

    • Ain’t Misbehavin’ by Thomas Waller, audience 

    • Angels we have heard on high

    • Blowin’ in the Wind, Bob Dylan 

    • Blue Skies, Irving Berlin 

    • Bye Bye Blackbird

    • The Christmas Song (Chestuts roasting…), Mel Tormé 

    • Frosty the Snowman

    • The Gospel Train

    • Go Tell It on the Mountain

    • God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen

    • Hit the Road Jack

    • Home for the Holidays

    • Il est né, le divin enfant

    • Jingle Bell Rock

    • Joe Hill

    • Joseph est bien marié, 16th century French noël 

    • Joy to the World

    • Les bourgeois de Châtre, 16th century French noël 

    • Let all mortal flesh keep silence

    • Let the Sunshine in

    • Let there be peace on earth

    • Lift Every Voice and Sing

    • Look for the Silver Lining

    • Let the Sunshine in

    • Let there be peace on earth

    • Lift Every Voice and SingLook for the Silver Lining

    • Look to the rainbow

    • Of the Father’s love begotten, plainchant 

    • Maoz Tsur (Rock of Ages)

    • Moscow Nights, V. Solovyov-Sedoy 

    • Nér li

    • O Channukah

    • O Come, O Come Emanuel

    • O Ihr Kleine Lichtelech

    • Over the Rainbow

    • Pack Up Your Troubles

    • Goodbye! from The Producers

    • Rise up Shepherd and Follow

    • Simu shemen

    • Solidarity Forever

    • Stille Nacht

    • This Land Is Your Land, Woody Guthrie 

    • Union Maid

    • Vine and Fig Tree

    • We Shall Not Be Moved

    • We Shall Overcome

    • We Wish You a Merry Christmas

    • Winter Wonderland

    • You’re the Top, Cole Porter

    • A la Media Noche (Puerto Rican aguinaldo) 

    • A la ru (Spanish folksong) 

    • Acht Kleine Bruder (Yiddish folksong) 

    • African Noël, arr. André Thomas 

    • Alegría (Puerto Rican aguinaldo )

    • Bebe Jesu, O Betelehem (Nigerian) 

    • Cuando el Rey Nimrod (Ladino folksong, arr. Matthew Lazar) 

    • Dansaron, Catalan (Provençal) 

    • De Tierra Lejana Venimos (Puerto Rican aguinaldo) 

    • Down by the waters of Babylon (American round) 

    • Drey Zikh, Dreydele (Yiddish) 

    • Free and Equal Blues

    • Going Down the Valley (Mennonite) 

    • Hard Times, Come Again No More (Stephen Foster) 

    • Hava na shira, Hebrew

    • I am a Little Dreydl, Yiddish, arr. Zuckerman 

    • Il est né, le divin Enfant!, traditional French, arr. Nicholas Burt 

    • I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen, Irish 

    • La Virgen Lava Pañales, Spanish 

    • My Home the Beautiful Steppes, Mongolian national hymn 

    • O Channukah, Yiddish 

    • O men from the fields, Irish 

    • Pastores a Belén, Puerto Rican aguinaldo 

    • Quanno nascette Ninno, Italian 

    • Si Me Dan Pasteles, Puerto Rican aguinaldo 

    • Simple gifts, American, arr. Aaron Copland 

    • Tum balalaika, Russian 

    • The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy

    • The Voices That Are Gone, Stephen Foster 

    • We Wish You a Merry Christmas

    • Messe de Minuit pour Noël, Marc-Antoine Charpentier (1700) 

    • Glory To God, Alan Hovhaness

    • Aunt Dinah Has Blowed the Horn, Scott Joplin 

    • Before the parade passes by, from Hello Dolly!, by Jerry Herman 

    • The Begat from Finian’s Rainbow, by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg 

    • The Eagle and Me from Bloomer Girl, by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg 

    • The Farmer’s Daughter from Bloomer Girl, by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg 

    • Fugue for tinhorns from Guys and Dolls, by Frank Loesser 

    • Hooray for What? by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg 

    • How Are Things in Glocca Morra from Finian’s Rainbow, by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg 

    • It Was Good Enough for Grandma from Bloomer Girl, by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg 

    • Leave the Atom Alone from Jamaica by Harold Arlen and Yip Harburg

    • Oklahoma! Medley by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II 

    • Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Weber 

    • Seasons of Love from Rent by Jonathan Larson 

    • Send in the Clowns, from A Little Night Music by Stephen Sondheim 

    • Sympathy Waltz from The Firefly by Rudolf Friml 

    • That Great Come and Get It Day from Finian’s Rainbow, by Burton Lane and Yip Harburg 

    • There’ll Be No New Tunes on this Old Piano: A Twenties Medley 

    • There’s no business like show business from Annie Get Your Gun, by Irving Berlin 

    • Too Darn Hot from Kiss Me Kate! By Cole Porter 

    • West Side Story medley, by Leonard Bernstein

    • Somewhere Only We Know

    • With or Without You

    • Stairway to Heaven

    • Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

    • Moonraker

    • Skyfall

    • Smooth Operator

    • Don’t Sleep in the Subway

    • Let It Be

    • Wild Horses

    • Life on Mars

    • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

    • Your Song

    • Michelle

    • Because

    • We Are the Music Makers

    • You Keep me Hanging On 

    • People Get Ready

    • I Heard It through the Grapevine

    • Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing

    • Autumn Leaves

    • Baby, what you goin’ to be?, by Natalie Sleeth 

    • By the Rivers of Babylon, B. Dowe and F. McHaughton 

    • Do You Hear What I Hear?

    • From a Distance

    • Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, by Irving Berlin 

    • Good King Kong Looked Out, P.D.Q. Bach 

    • Ho! Ho! Holidays

    • I Say a Little Prayer, by Burt Bacharach 

    • In My Room, by Brian Wilson 

    • O Little Town of Hackensack, P.D.Q. Bach 

    • Play for me a simple melody, Irving Berlin 

    • Respect, by Otis Reding 

    • Samba Santa, Kirby Shaw 

    • Sleigh Ride, arr. J. David Williams 

    • White Christmas, Irving Berlin 

    • Without a song

    • The Lord's Prayer

    • Total Praise

    • Song of our Savior

    • A Prayer

    • L’chah dodi

    • At the river, arr. Aaron Copland 

    • Away in a Manger

    • By the Rivers of Babylon, by Salamone Rossi 

    • David’s Lamentation, by William Billings 

    • Kol Haneshamah Tehalel Yah, by Bonia Shur 

    • Let all mortal flesh keep silence, French plainsong

    • Maoz Tsur, transcribed by Benedetto Marcello

    • Ozi VeZimrat Yah, Yemenite Psalm 

    • Prière Silencieuse and Lekha dodi from Service Sacré, by Darius Milhaud 

    • Stille Nacht

    • Thus Saith the High, the Lofty One, William Billings 

    • Wondrous Love, from The Sacred Harp

Chorus Newsletter
PAST HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR COMMUNITY

Explore two milestone newsletters from our past, capturing moments that shaped our chorus—from our 25th anniversary celebration to our creative resilience during the pandemic.

Celebrating 25 Years:
Chorus Newsletter

Pandemic Edition:
Zoom Chorus Newsletter

I guess I have Google to thank for finding the Chorus; I have serious performance anxiety, so its no-audition policy made it the perfect fit.

From Day 1, I was wowed by Jack’s carefully curated mix of songs and 11 years later, I still feel incredibly accomplished when I master the more challenging pieces. But what I love most about the Chorus is how it manages to take 75+ people of vastly different ages and backgrounds and via the magic of singing together, create a real sense of joy, closeness and community. It happens every time!

MARY | ALTO | MEMBER SINCE 2012