About Us

The San Diego North Coast Singers is recognized for its exceptional artistic quality and the joyous and spirited performance of songs from diverse cultures. The non-profit youth chorus program was founded in 1993 by Sally Husch Dean, and was led by Artistic Director Melissa Keylock from 2018 to 2025. Former youth singer and longtime Capella director Michelle Risling currently serves as the Interim Artistic Director. The organization has grown to four ensembles, including three youth choirs serving singers in grades two through twelve, and a select women’s chamber chorus. This program was created to provide an excellent choral music education to local youth. 

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National and international tours as well as collaborations with professional musicians are regularly available to the advanced choirs. The young singers have appeared with the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, the San Diego Symphony, and the Mainly Mozart orchestra, performing such major works as Bernstein's Mass, Orff’s Carmina Burana, and Stravinsky’s Persephone.

In 2008, SDNCS commissioned and premiered a one-act children's opera, Mice and Beans: The Opera, based on the book by award winning author, Pam Muñoz Ryan. SDNCS celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2013 by hosting The Youth Creating Harmony Children’s Choral Festival, hosting five California youth choruses. In 2014 SDNCS’ second annual Youth Creating Harmony Festival brought renowned Venezuelan conductor Maria Guinand to present a workshop on Latin American Music. In 2015, NCS hosted a high school choral festival including choirs from San Diego and Los Angeles, and in 2019 the Youth Creating Harmony festival united intermediate choirs from South Bay, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Tijuana, Mexico.

The youth have performed at numerous festivals and conferences and toured to New York City, Los Angeles, Denver, West Virginia, Italy, Austria and the Czech Republic. In 2016, members of North Coast Singers represented San Diego during a musical and cultural tour to Cuba.