Dear Friends,
The 2026/27 season marks 35 years for Brooklyn Youth Chorus. For choristers like Savannah, Brooklyn Youth Chorus is a constant source of joy, connection, and belonging. It provides a welcoming space of transcendence and transformation where our young singers build a foundation of skills, experiences, and relationships to launch and support them through college and beyond.
“Brooklyn Youth Chorus is what I look forward to on both the brightest and darkest days.”
Over 35 years Brooklyn Youth Chorus has grown from a small arts organization to a Brooklyn institution, deeply rooted in the city’s cultural fabric. From becoming the “chorus of choice” for the New York Philharmonic to a regular collaborator with acclaimed recording artists, Brooklyn Youth Chorus provides its singers unmatched opportunities.
“You are doing the impossible. More than [just] memorizing the piece, you also bring the spirit.”
Watching each class of new singers experience these remarkable “firsts” renews our enthusiasm for teaching, learning, and performing. The hours our singers dedicate each week to music study, voice training, and community-building help shape and transform these young lives. These formative experiences will serve them well as young adults and professionals, whatever path they choose.
Will you please make a gift by December 31 to help the next generation discover the confidence, connection, and possibility that Savannah found at Brooklyn Youth Chorus?
As we celebrate this landmark season and look ahead to the next 35 years, your generosity will help another 10,000 young people access these transformative experiences. Tuition covers just 35% of our annual costs and each year we need to raise $1.5M to fund our robust programming and performances. This holiday season, we’re asking our community to come together to raise $500,000 toward that goal. Your gift helps sustain exceptional music education, creates extraordinary artistic opportunities, and ensures financial circumstances do not limit a young person’s opportunity to find their voice.
“Brooklyn Youth Chorus gave me more than a voice; it gave me lasting friendships, boosted my confidence, fostered enduring memories, and established a pathway toward achievements beyond my initial aspirations.”
Our alumni are a testament that our impact lasts long after their final performance. Alumna Zanella Taylor, now watches her two daughters sing with Brooklyn Youth Chorus. In June, she joined the Board of Trustees, actively giving back to an organization that has meant so much to her.
The impact extends far beyond our choristers and alumni. When our young people share their voices, they can offer comfort, inspire joy, and bring people together. In September, Brooklyn Youth Chorus returned to Ground Zero to perform the national anthem at the 25th anniversary commemoration of 9/11. Responses arrived from near and far, via social media, formal letters, and handwritten notes.
“What a gift to NYC… that exquisite rendition of a song I sometimes don’t feel: they brought so much love with their voices!”
“I am 82 years old. I do not believe I have ever heard [the National Anthem] sung so beautifully, clearly, and with such respect.”
35 years of Brooklyn Youth Chorus means honoring Dianne’s initial dream of creating a chorus “of and for Brooklyn” by sustaining and growing this now globally lauded, Grammy-award winning artist, and arts education leader for generations to come.
Your gift will help carry that legacy forward. For the next Savannah, your generosity could mean finding a place to belong, a voice that deserves to be heard, and a community that will stand beside them through life’s brightest and darkest days.
Thank you for being part of our story and our future.
With Gratitude,
Dianne Berkun Menaker
Founder & Artistic Director
Megan Lemley
Executive Director
