Nick Kendall and Young People's Chorus of New York City: Bright Lights of Winter

Bright Lights of Winter is a joyful new holiday program conceived by violinist Nick Kendall and created with the extraordinary Young People’s Chorus of New York City and Artistic Director and MacArthur Fellow, Francisco J. Núñez. Celebrating music, light and community, the program journeys from the intimacy of Advent into a vibrant celebration of the holiday season, embracing music and traditions from different cultures around the world.

A founding member of the Grammy Award-winning trio Time for Three, Kendall has built a career around a belief in music as a powerful force for connection: between artists and audiences, across musical traditions, and between generations. Known for his boundless musical curiosity and collaborative spirit, he moves instinctively across genres and brings together artists from different musical worlds. Bright Lights of Winter grows directly from this approach, alongside his longstanding commitment to young people and music education.

At the core of the programme is a set of newly commissioned Advent works by Finnish fiddler and composer Vilma Jää. The programme also features new arrangements and re-imaginings by Jessie Montgomery, Steve Hackman and Francisco J. Núñez, alongside much-loved seasonal music and traditions from around the world.

The concert performance brings together Kendall and the young singers of YPC, placing young people at the heart of the project. Where possible, performances will also connect with local youth choirs, ensembles and institutions, inviting young musicians from the communities the project visits to play a part.

More than a traditional holiday concert, Bright Lights of Winter celebrates the many ways we experience this time of year: the warmth of gathering together, the traditions we share and reinvent, and the light and joy that music can bring during the darkest months of the year.

Warm, uplifting and deeply human, the project reflects Kendall’s belief that some of the most meaningful musical experiences happen when boundaries disappear - between genres, between generations, and between artists and audiences.

Bright Lights of Winter will be recorded for an album scheduled for release in December 2027 with Orchid Classics, followed by the project’s first North American tour during the 2027 holiday season, featuring Kendall and the Young People's Chorus of New York City.