Welcome to Olympia Youth Chorus!
Welcome to Olympia Youth Chorus!
Our Mission
Olympia Youth Chorus provides young singers with rich musical education, performance opportunities, and the benefits of a strong, creative community.
Olympia Youth Chorus at a glance
In 1995, OYC was founded by Cynthia Dinsmore, a local choral director with a vision to bring young singers from the greater Olympia area for one reason: to encourage and develop their their love of choral singing!
Dedicated to excellence, our award-winning program has been inspiring and educating young singers for 30 years.
Since our first rehearsal in 1995,
OYC has grown to become a staple of music education in our community. With five choirs in the program, Olympia Youth Chorus serves K-12 singers from over 40 local schools. Our choirs have been invited to perform regionally, nationally and internationally.
Rehearsals are held on Monday nights, September through May, in Olympia. Our season includes three main concerts, and community performances throughout the season.
Community collaborations include singing for Panorama City and local retirement homes, holiday events and celebrations, Tacoma Rainiers, and choir swaps with local school choir programs.
Travel opportunities are exciting features of our program! Our upper elementary singers may participate in choir festivals, and our older singers have the opportunity to travel for domestic and international choir tours.
Previous destinations have included:
New York City Tour & Broadway Masterclass: New York
Crossroads Children’s Chorus Festival: Tennessee
Somerset International Choral Festival: England, UK
San Francisco Tour with Stanford University Masterclass: California
Pacific Rim International Children’s Choir Festival: Hawaii
Performance Tour of Ireland: Ireland
Fort Warden Children’s Choral Festival: Washington
Our Core Values:
Artistic Integrity
We seek to inspire and motivate our singers through literacy and intentional practice. Our directors are professional music educators who teach musical skills and knowledge in a progressive manner.
Creativity
We commit to a program that is ever-evolving, and continue to discover and foster new voices, new ideas, and new ways to present choral music.
Collaboration
We believe that through collaboration we foster a sense of belonging for our students and families and create a thriving, connected community.
We provide opportunities to enrich our singers through participation in local, national and international touring, festivals, and showcase their accomplishments with performances at community celebrations and events.
Community Inclusion
We strive to reflect our larger community by mitigating barriers of participation, providing diverse music and cultural experiences, and encouraging kindness and acceptance- uplifting our choir members and the greater community through the work of our students.
Emi, singer
“I love all the opportunities for community outreach we get at OYC, such as singing with local college choirs, caroling at retirement homes, touring different schools, and so much more!”
Brynn, singer
“I really love the environment and the kindness of all the singers! I also enjoy being able to perform for others on stage- it’s such an amazing experience.”
