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CYC

Our goal is to bring together young singers who aspire to learn, grow and perform to create music joy.

Capriccio Youth Choir fosters the joy of singing and challenges dedicated singers in grades K-12 to sharpen their sight-singing skills, develop knowledge of music theory, and improve vocal technique through high-quality music education practices.

Register now to join us for our 2026-27 season! Details below.

CYC choirs provide successful learning and performing opportunities through mastery of quality and challenging repertoire in a safe and nurturing environment. Young musicians apply the skills of self-confidence, teamwork, positive work ethic and emotional sensitivity as they cultivate these qualities and apply them to other areas at school, home, their community, and beyond.

We are excited to offer ensembles for singers from kindergarten through twelfth grade, including changed voices.

COME CELEBRATE THE ART OF SONG WITH US.

All singers currently in grades K-12, both unchanged and changed voices, are invited to join us!

We believe that all who want to experience the joy of singing are welcome to participate in our choirs. We foster the love of singing with the importance of a supportive community environment.

No audition required.

Come join our singing family!

To register your singer in grades 2-12, click here.

If your singer is in kindergarten or 1st grade, click here for the Cantiamo registration form.

After registering, you will be contacted with a welcome email outlining next steps!

A new CYC offering this season for our youngest singers! An exploration of singing for kindergarten and first grade singers.
This playful music class is designed for singers ages 5–7 who are ready to explore the joy of music—forte (loud!), piano (soft!), and everything in between! At Cantiamo! (which means “Let’s sing!” in Italian), we learn the foundations of music through singing, movement, rhythm games, and imaginative play.
Along the way, we’ll discover musical magic like tempo, dynamics, and melody—all while having a ton of fun! Each week, young musicians build confidence, express themselves through sound, and learn to listen and play together in harmony. No experience needed—just curiosity, creativity, and a love for making music.
Come crescendo (grow!) with us — one beat, one song, one smile at a time!
10-week class
Wednesday nights, August 26 – October 28, 2026
6:00-6:45p

Class will be led by Devon Handler

$150 class fee, payable via Venmo (@capricciocolumbus) or via Zelle (614.867.7898)
Register here! Deadline for registration is Friday, August 14, 2026.
Cantiamo! is a non-performing exploration experience. We are excited to offer this opportunity for our youngest singers to discover music joy for themselves without the pressure of performing for others. What a JOY for these young singers to grow as confident individual artists. We can’t wait to experience singing together!

Our CYC choral experiences are for singers in grades 2-12. All voices are welcome here!

Primo Voce – a beginning choir for singers just starting their vocal journey.

Cantare – a developing treble ensemble singing unison and two-part repertoire.

Opus – an intermediate treble ensemble singing two- and three-part repertoire with a focus on accomplished music literacy.

Virtuoso – an advanced treble ensemble performing three- to four-part repertoire with a focus on advanced musicianship.

Spiritus – an advanced chamber ensemble of mixed SATB voices.

Tour Choir – a select group of singers from Virtuoso and Spiritus ensembles who participate in our bi-annual performance tour (next tour is Summer 2027)

The Youth Choir rehearses on Wednesday evenings from the last week in August through the end of April with breaks in December and March.

Rehearsal times are specific for each choir. Please contact us for more information.

The CYC tuition covers a full season of instruction as well as music, a music bag, and a rehearsal shirt.  Performance attire costs are additional and vary based on the ensemble.  Financial assistance and payment plans are available.

Our organization works hard to cover costs without passing it along to our singers. We believe strongly in providing quality music education and a supportive arts community as affordably as possible.

2026-2027 Season Tuition rates:

$450 – Primo Voce

$500 – Cantare

$550 – Virtuoso/Spiritus

Our 2026-27 season calendar is posted below.

Follow our social media outlets for releases of performances and other upcoming projects.

  • Sunday, August 16th: Singer & Family Kickoff
  • Wednesday, August 26th: First Rehearsal
  • Saturday, October 3rd: All Choir Fall Retreat
  • Wednesday, November 4th: Final Location Rehearsal
  • Wednesday, November 18th: Final Dress Rehearsal
  • Sunday, November 22 @ 4:00 p.m., Fall Concert
  • Friday, December 4th @ 7:00 p.m.: Sounds of the Season Zoo Lights Performance (Virtuoso & Spiritus Choirs)
  • Sunday, December 20th @ 5:30 p.m.: Nutcracker with Ballet Met Performance @ Ohio Theatre (Virtuoso & Spiritus Choirs)
  • Wednesday, January 6th, 13th & 20th, 2027: Open Rehearsals for new and returning singers
  • Saturday, February 27, 2027: Virtuoso & Spiritus Spring Retreat
  • Wednesday, April 14, 2027: Final Location Rehearsal
  • Wednesday, April 21, 2027: Final Dress Rehearsal
  • Sunday, April 25, 2027 @ 4:00 p.m., Spring Concert
  • Saturday, May 29, 2027: Alumni Choir
  • Sunday, May 30, 2027: End-of-Season Celebration
  • Summer Sing 2027: Details to be announced early 2027 for singers entering grades K-8.
  • Tour Choir 2027: Details to be announced Summer of 2026

CYC Tour Choir is looking forward to our next adventure in 2027!

We are continually collecting support for our tour program. Please consider donating here to help reduce the cost for our singers and provide this opportunity to those that cannot otherwise participate.

Our 2025 tour took us to Greece to perform internationally for enthusiastic audiences, participate in a service project and experience the beautiful culture. Our previous tours included New York City and a performing service tour to Washington, DC, using our musical gifts to perform for and honor the service of active-duty and veteran armed forces. Any CYC Tour Choir endeavor is an exciting opportunity to experience choral music with our amazing singers and share music joy with collaborators and audiences in a different location!

Capriccio Youth Choir prioritizes experiencing MUSIC JOY and the benefits of being in song and in community! All this also offers singers an opportunity to share the stage with some of Central Ohio’s most accomplished vocal musicians and conductors. Under Founding Artistic Director Alyson Bates, the Capriccio Youth Choir has performed with Central Ohio Symphony, the Ohio Wesleyan University Choral Arts Society, BalletMet Columbus and Cincinnati Youth Choir as well as sang with the Cincinnati Youth Choir in addition to its appearances at Capriccio Columbus concerts.

Capriccio Youth Choir enjoys collaborating with a variety of composers to bring our choral music to life. Our Virtuoso ensemble premiered a collaborative commission, Fair-Weathered Friend, by Jennifer Lucy Cook to celebrate our 15th anniversary season (spring 2026). We have enjoyed conversations and sharing music with composers such as Sherry Blevins (We Will Take a Stand) and Melanie DeMore (One Foot/Lead with Love).  A virtual collaboration of Moira Smiley’s Rise to It Now during our 20-21 season allowed CYC singers to perform with the South Shore Children’s Chorus as well as other choristers from across the country during the pandemic. Our choirs enjoy the opportunity to host composer collaborations such as with Columbus-native composer Kevin Foster (2016). This workshop festival included extending the opportunity to area high school choirs as well as the combined performance of a commissioned work of Foster’s.

As a larger family of choirs, all Capriccio ensembles (youth and adults) also hosted internationally renowned composer Stacey V. Gibbs in a similar festival (2015), concluding with a performance conducted entirely by Mr. Gibbs. Spiritus Choir then had the honor of premiering Try Real Love, an arrangement from Mr. Gibbs, the following month.

Other special performances include the Virtuoso and Spiritus choir’s performance of Bengi Lele, a commissioned work of Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory sponsored by Chorus America in the spring of 2015, and the combination of all choirs in November of 2014 to perform the Ohio premier of Lumen, a work by Abbie Betinis.

CYC Members