ROBYN LANA, Managing Artistic Director
Sandra Thornton, Associate Artistic Director

The Cincinnati Youth Choir, recognized as a leading youth choral program in the U.S., was founded in 1993 by Managing Artistic Director Robyn Lana. This educationally based choral ensemble program develops singers who learn artistry through education. All of the conductors are music educators who incorporate the philosophies of Carl Orff, Zoltán Kodály, Émile Jaques-Dalcroze and Jerome Brunner. CYC became Ensemble-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM) in August 2001. With the residency, the choir regularly collaborates with the CCM Music Education Division, the CCM Opera Department, and the CCM Division of Ensembles and Conducting, and continues to build upon the rich history of the former CCM Children’s Choir, founded in 1983 by Dr. Karen Wolff. CYC maintains its own concert series, performing from September through June and often hosting guest artists and choirs. Ensembles in the program regularly collaborate with children’s choirs from around the United States.

Regionally, CYC has performed with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Pops, Vocal Arts Ensemble, May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Opera, Kentucky Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Choral Society, and CCM ensembles. In addition, CYC has recorded with the Pops for two nationally released compact discs, Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture and Nutcracker, the latter reaching number two on Billboard’s Classical Chart.