Iowa Youth Chorus

Our Vision The individuals we serve will flourish as part of an internationally acclaimed organization that inspires personal development, celebrates diversity and fosters international goodwill. As advocates for the performing arts, we are partners with our community and with the world. Our Mission We will nurture the human spirit by enriching the lives of youth through musical excellence, helping them reach their fullest potential and live enriched lives through vocal music. Our History We’ve been making beautiful music since 1981. Eugene Wilson and Millie Haynie founded the Des Moines Children’s Choruses in 1981 with the vision of creating a community organization that would cultivate musical greatness in children. The first choir formed was Youth Chorale for singers aged 14 to 19, and in the following two years a Children’s Chorus and Preparatory Choir were added. During the 1980’s and 90’s the choirs continued to grow and the organization expanded its geographical scope by adding satellite choirs in other central Iowa communities. In 2000, we changed the name to Iowa Youth Chorus to better reflect our broader scope and role as Iowa’s premier youth choral organization. The Des Moines Children’s Chorus and Iowa Youth Chorus have participated in many national and international festivals and tours. What began as Sunday afternoon rehearsals in a downtown auditorium has touched the lives of thousands of children, youth and adults – not just in Central Iowa but around the world. We are proud to be embarking on 41 years of raising Iowa’s finest voices!

The Iowa Youth Chorus is committed to providing Iowa area children the opportunity to participate in and benefit from the joys of music. We train singers, we nurture their voices and ambitions.

The Approach: The Iowa Youth Chorus artistic staff seeks to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment in which children and youth can learn the fundamentals of choral singing - music reading, ensemble and performance skills coupled with healthy vocal technique. A wide range of performing experiences in both formal and informal settings with large or small audiences provides singers the opportunity to share their gifts and accomplishments with the wider community.

The Curriculum: All choirs are instructed in age appropriate music-reading skills, including pitch and rhythm notation, part-singing, and expressive markings. Basic vocal technique elements such as breathing, posture, tone and diction are presented at each level and with increasing complexity. Through a wide range of choral repertoire spanning time and cultures, singers will learn ensemble skills such as blend, balance, intonation and style.