The Miami Children’s Chorus (MCC) was established in 1965 as South Florida’s first community children’s chorus and has, for nearly six decades, offered high-quality choral music education and performance opportunities for young people. MCC has long been a creative home where children and youth discover not only their voices, but their power as artists, collaborators, and members of a vibrant musical community.
Founded originally as the Miami Choral Society, the organization first served adult singers before expanding to include youth ensembles in the early 1970s. As the adult chorus evolved into a separate organization, MCC emerged with a singular focus on young voices. From 1990 to 2019, under the leadership of Timothy A. Sharp, MCC built a national and international reputation for artistic excellence. During this period, choristers participated in a wide range of high-profile artistic opportunities, including a decade of performances with the Florida Grand Opera, appearances with the Cleveland Orchestra, and collaborations with artists such as Queen Latifah, André Rieu, Ethan Bortnick, and Barry Manilow.
Today, MCC is led by alumna Liana Salinas and Sophia Miller, whose shared leadership centers the belief that children’s voices are powerful, expressive, and worthy of being heard on their own terms. MCC’s work prioritizes the artistic growth, agency, and joy of young singers, empowering them to show up as confident musicians and collaborators. Alongside this core commitment, MCC continues to create opportunities for choristers to engage with professional artists across a wide range of musical styles and settings.
MCC has also built a strong legacy of touring and cultural exchange. Choristers have performed throughout the United States and internationally in Canada, Europe, Africa, South America, and Australia. Performance venues have included the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage, Carnegie Hall, St. Mark’s Basilica, Canterbury Cathedral, the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and the Sydney Opera House.
A cornerstone of MCC’s artistic mission is its commitment to new music for young voices. Through its New Works for Children’s Voices project, MCC has commissioned more than fifty original works for youth chorus, nearly half of which are now published and performed by ensembles around the world—expanding both the repertoire and the possibilities for children’s choral music.
At its core, the Miami Children’s Chorus exists to share the joy of singing, to celebrate the artistic potential of South Florida’s young people, and to continually stretch what children’s chorus programming can be. Through performance, collaboration, and community engagement, MCC invites young singers into an artistic life that is rigorous, joyful, and deeply human.
