About Us
Our mission is to provide an excellent choral music education that enriches lives and fosters global understanding by offering exciting performances of songs from diverse cultures of the world.
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 is now led by Executive and Artistic Director Melissa Keylock and Director Michelle Risling. 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.
SDNCS is recognized throughout Southern California for its exceptional artistic quality and the joyous and spirited performance of songs from diverse cultures. 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 and the San Diego Symphony, 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.
"The San Diego North Coast Singers is one of the most important cultural institutions that we will ever have in this community"
Dr. David Chase
Choral Director Emeritus
La Jolla Symphony & Chorus