It’s been a few months since we concluded our second unforgettable San Diego Youth Choral Festival held June 25–30 at University of San Diego (USD), and we are looking back fondly on it and the positive impact it has had on the 115+ participants who joined us.
Five youth choirs from across the country came to San Diego for this six-day, five-night festival. Participating choirs included: Barrington Children’s Choir (Illinois), Cantabella Children’s Chorus (Bay Area, California), Pennsylvania Youth Chorale, Phoenix Boys Choir (Arizona), Rise Up Children’s Choir (Utah), and choristers from the San Diego Children’s Choir.
Given the success of our inaugural Youth Choral Festival in 2024 – with the truly magnetic guest conductor Cindy Ellis – we asked her to return as our 2026 guest conductor. She was, to no surprise, “the highlight of every chorister’s experience,” as a choir director shared. Directors also noted that her teaching methods and techniques are ones they can learn from and practice in their own rehearsals.
Guest conductor Cindy Ellis
Each day was filled with a high-energy rehearsal (sometimes two) and a day trip to one of San Diego’s most iconic locales (with perfect weather): the San Diego Zoo, La Jolla Shores Beach, and Balboa Park. Singers also took the stage at the historic Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, with organist Michael Munson, to hone in on their cohesion as a performing group and to provide Park visitors with a free, uplifting concert. One director described singing at the Spreckels Organ Pavilion as her “wow” moment. Choristers also got a taste of the San Diego arts scene with personalized workshops by Kathleen Hansen and male barbershop group, Royce’s Voices, and Center for World Music’s Omo Ache, a Cuban dance group.
The Festival choirs perform at Spreckels Organ Pavilion on June 28, 2026
After one evening’s rehearsal, the group shared “oos” and “ahs” as they gathered on the west end of campus just in time to watch Sea World’s drone show, Ocean of Dreams, featuring hundreds of illuminated drones forming ocean-themed shapes above the bay.
The festival’s chosen repertoire by Cindy Ellis and Festival Director Ruthie Millgard featured the theme of light with choral works from Mexico and Central America, and the world premiere of Mariposa, a commissioned work by acclaimed Mexican composer, Maria Granillo that engaged instrumentalists from Mainly Mozart Youth Orchestra.
By the end of the festival, choristers had come together as a cohesive ensemble, performing for enthusiastic audiences at two culminating concerts. Along the way, they cultivated teamwork, gained skills as musicians, and experienced that joie de vivre that comes from traveling with one’s peers.
Singers perform at the final festival concert at California Center for the Arts, Escondido on June 29, 2026
Of the festival experience, choir directors shared:
“Thanks' isn't enough for this experience. All the choirs did so well. The food was excellent. Activities were awesome. And of course Cindy was phenomenal. Yelp should have choral festivals as a category [because] I'd definitely give it five stars.”
"We are going to be hard-pressed to find a festival that is as fun AND musically-rewarding as this one was, so we will absolutely be back!”
“This was one of the best tour experiences I’ve ever had with a group.”
Such feedback reinforces the value of shared cultural experiences and collaboration. Being situated in one of the most culturally and biodiverse regions of the country, not to mention the sheer beauty of the coast and the playfulness it inspires, San Diego is a natural setting to make this kind of impact possible.
You can see the culmination of the Festival singers’ hard work (and the magic that came from it) with performance videos from the festival’s concert at the California Center for the Arts Escondido (CCAE) on June 29, 2026.
Afterward, singers celebrated with non-stop dancing, conga lines, and limbos at the post-concert afterparty in the CCAE courtyard.
Our sincere thanks to our 2026 participating choirs and their singers for coming to San Diego for this experience, and to the hard work from all involved to make this memorable second Festival possible.
Looking ahead to 2027
Our 3rd San Diego Youth Choral Festival will feature SDSU’s very own Dr. Arian Khaefi leading a selection of choral works historically underperformed in the USA and a newly commissioned work by Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi. If you are in San Diego in June 2027, save the dates for performances on June 27 and June 28, 2027