Sara Becker’s Sounds of NYC project captures quintessential New York stories — and 100% of its profits go directly to The 92nd Street Y, New York. She talked to us about her inspiration for the project, the power of audio storytelling, why she wanted to support 92NY, and more.
Six years ago, creative director and screenwriter Sara Becker had an epiphany in the subway — or, rather, she heard one all around her. “I was standing on a subway platform, hearing all of these sounds,” she says. “The train conductors, strangers talking to one another, buskers playing music. I thought, This is such a quintessentially New York moment, but I have no idea who these people are. I thought it might be interesting to capture and honor some of these essential New York characters.” From this moment of inspiration, Sounds of NYC was born — an audio storytelling project in which train conductors, buskers, and other New York characters narrate stories about the city, written by other New Yorkers.
Becker first approached Jay Tru, a conductor on the D train, to ask him if he would be willing to share a story. “He was so kind, and he had such a beautiful voice, and his willingness to get involved inspired me,” she says. From there, other narrators got on board — Alec Baldwin, Susan Bennett (the original voice of Siri) Charlie Pellet (the official voice of the MTA), and more stepped into a recording booth to tell brief stories about love, fear, hope, and politics in the city — the vast tapestry that makes New York a world unto itself.
Becker knew from the start that she wanted to donate all proceeds from the project to a New York cultural institution, and it didn’t take her long to find one. “When I was thinking about what important New York institution could benefit from this, The 92nd Street Y was at the top of my list. It is a destination for New York storytelling. The people who come through 92NY are legendary, and they’re accessible. There’s a democratic, free-flowing nature to the conversations that happen there, and it feels like it shares the spirit of what I’m trying to do with Sounds of NYC. As a Jewish woman, and as a member of the younger generation that goes to 92NY, I thought it was important to give something back.”
A limited number of vinyl pressings are still available for purchase, and all proceeds support 92NY. Sounds of NYC is also available as a podcast on Spotify and an Instagram account. The project has been such a success that Becker plans to take it to other cities around the country, pairing up next with 826 Valencia and McSweeney’s — the publisher and literacy education nonprofit founded by bestselling author Dave Eggers — to capture quintessential voices of San Francisco. “These are stories that people connect to on a deep level,” Becker says. “At the end of the day, a non-profit like 92NY that furthers the art of storytelling deserves to benefit from that kind of support.”
Learn more about Sounds of NYC and purchase a vinyl record in support of 92NY here.