This weekend, a new docuseries begins on Sky Open and Neon following the fortunes of two very different choirs who took part in last year's World Choir Games in Auckland.
Directed by New Zealander Leanne Pooley, "Choral Games" tags along with two ensembles from opposite ends of the of the world over four episodes.
One is Kaitaia Community Voices, lead by Dr Opeloge Ah Sam, the other is the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, directed by Francisco J. Núñez.
RNZ Concert spoke with Núñez ahead of the documentary's debut, and discovered the musician's dedication to choral music was in part his response to a tough upbringing in New York City as a child of two migrants: one from Haiti, the other from the Dominican Republic.
Those were days of prejudice where, if you were a teenager from a racial minority, joining a gang was the best way of making sure you didn't get beaten up.
Francisco J. Núñez. Photo: Supplied
However, Núñez's prodigious musical talent (as a pianist and a singer) and his mother's determination to open his eyes to the wider world, gave him the opportunity to escape the gangland cycle.
In doing so, he also discovered music was a great equalizer where racial and cultural differences disappear when the singing starts.
He founded the Young People's Chorus of New York to help achieve that aim of bringing together young people from different backgrounds.
To that end, Núñez told RNZ he also loved meeting Kaitaia Community Voices and its leader Dr Ah Sam. One of the musical highlights of the choir's visit to Aotearoa was singing an arrangement of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" with them.
Since Núñez founded it in 1988, the Young People's Chorus has grown to encompass thousands of young singers. Not all the children who become part of it end up having musical careers, but Núñez hopes the experience of singing at a high level has broadened their horizons.
For some, the trip to Auckland for the World Choir Games was their first time on a plane.
For Núñez, there have been other Choir Games, but he's never travelled so far to sing before - maybe the flight was "six hours too long".
RNZ asked Núñez if New York is a better place to grow up in than when he was a teenager.
He says there have never been more rigidly-held opinions in New York. The challenge is finding ways to work together despite that, which is where he believes singing comes in.
Choir Games docuseries is available on Neon and Sky Open from 4 May.
