Award-winning music from the documentary film
by Young People’s Chorus of New York City
Now available on vinyl for pre-order.
Streaming on Spotify May 15, 2026.
Award-winning music from the documentary film
Francisco J. Núñez
This Time Round – Co-Director, Producer,
Conductor/Composer, Filmmaker
YPC Founder and Artistic Director
Director’s Note
This Time Round is more than a documentary—it’s a testament to resilience. As the world went into lockdown, my children’s chorus, the Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), struggled with isolation, fear, and uncertainty. I began to witness, first-hand, what we all came to know: The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on children’s mental health cannot be underestimated. This collection of canons was born out of necessity: We needed to keep singing. The music on this album became our means of connection – our lifeline.
Fifteen leading composers were invited to create simple yet profound pieces which reflected this unprecedented moment that our city, and world, was facing. This cycle of songs is a polyphonic exploration of the human experience. Each one of these compositions is a round, which is a form of music with a repeating phrase. Six-hundred YPC choristers recorded the tracks remotely from their phones and laptops in closets and crowded apartments from all across the city. Gathering and mixing these raw clips, we created from a distance what we couldn’t create in person: From many voices, one song together.
Beyond these striking new works, the personal stories of these young singers facing Covid were so vivid that I reached out to collaborate with socialimpact filmmaker Ansley Sawyer in order to blend these songs with the individual films of the children’s stories, merging the two for the screen. AloneTogether, an installation of vignettes, premiered at High Line Nine Gallery in New York City in November 2021 and was remounted at the Festival Napa Valley in Summer 2022. Gradually collecting more audio interviews from the choristers, the project became a feature-length documentary. The resulting film, This Time Round, is a tribute to our community, to these composers’ and to the young artists’ struggles and triumphs as they navigate the depths of isolation and gradually reemerge changed, into a changed world. This soundtrack is not just a record, it’s a record. These pieces reflect on a collective history from a not-too-distant past which still continues to reverberate today.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
SIDE A
This Time Round
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1. In Any Time Of Great Distress – Samuel Adler – 2:38
2. For Every Atom – Paola Prestini – 2:30
3. Dear Future – Yuka C. Honda – 3:12
4. Thank you Friends! – Paquito D’Rivera – 2:27
5. I Sing to Use the Waiting – Gordon Getty – 1:34
6. A New Well – Michael Harrison – 3:31
7. Heaven Is – Thomas Cabaniss – 2:45
SIDE B
This Time Round
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
1. when this all ends – David Lang – 4:34
2. Como Estoy En Casa – Michael Gordon – 1:58
3. My Rainbow In the Window – Elizabeth Núñez – 2:00
4. Where Do We Go From Here – Jim Papoulis – 1:29
5. Power to The People – Aneesa Folds – 1:41
6. The Definition of Crisis – Ted Hearne – 3:14
7. Come Home – Francisco J. Núñez – 1:43
8. Cabin Fever – Derek Bermel – 2:47
Coming Soon to Spotify!
YPC’s acclaimed This Time Round—now available on vinyl—will be streaming on Spotify soon. Experience the powerful soundtrack that captured connection, resilience, and young voices coming together during an unprecedented moment in time.
