The Tri-Cities Youth Choir is a new performance program for singers ages 10–18 who love music, singing, and performing. Students will rehearse weekly with experienced music educators while developing vocal technique, musicianship, music literacy, and sight-reading skills in a fun and supportive environment.
Participants will have opportunities to perform in Tri-Cities Opera productions, holiday events, and community performances throughout the season.
Rehearsals begin September 2026 and participation is completely free for accepted students thanks to funding from the Broome County Youth Bureau.
Want to receive more details about auditions? Fill out this form!
Does your child love to sing? The Tri-Cities Youth Choir gives young performers the chance to build musical skills, make new friends, and perform alongside one of the nation’s longest-running professional opera companies.
Designed for singers ages 10–18 (younger singers may be considered by audition), this exciting new program welcomes students with a passion for music and a willingness to learn — whether they are experienced performers or simply love to sing.
Best of all, participation is completely free for accepted students thanks to funding from the Broome County Youth Bureau.
Auditions: Saturday September 12 at noon at Tri-Cities Opera Center
Rehearsals: Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Season Dates: September 12 – December 14, 2026
Location: Tri-Cities Opera Center, 315 Clinton Street, Binghamton
Through weekly rehearsals, students will work with experienced music educators while developing:
Our goal is to create a positive, encouraging environment where students can grow both musically and personally.
Youth Choir singers may have the opportunity to perform in:
These experiences allow students to perform in front of live audiences, work alongside professional artists, and become part of the vibrant arts community in the Southern Tier.
All students will participate in a simple, welcoming audition process designed to help us get to know each singer and place them in the best environment for success.
We are looking for students who are enthusiastic, eager to learn, and excited to be part of a team.
Auditions will be held on Saturday, September 12 at noon, following the performance of children’s opera Hansel and Gretel at 11am. Singers do not need to prepare anything in advance.
The Tri-Cities Youth Choir is more than weekly rehearsals — it’s a community where young people can explore their creativity, build friendships, and discover a lifelong love of music.
Based on participant interest, as the program grows, additional opportunities may include:
We can’t wait to welcome young singers and their families to the Tri-Cities Opera community!
Creative Studio finds what students are interested in learning and create studios to teach them. We group participants with similar interests, goals, and ages. So far, we’ve explored basic music theory, ear training, singing, instruments playing (piano and cello), composing with music software, playing music themed video games, and more. It is about fun, communication, positivity, creativity, problem solving, and beyond.
Born and raised in Taiwan, Ü started piano lessons at the age of five, started cello lessons at the age of ten, received her BM in voice from the National Taiwan Normal University under the guidance of Professor Dau-Hsiong Tseng (aka the Godfather of Opera for Taiwan), and received her MM from Manhattan School of Music as a Collaborative Piano Major in Professor Thomas Muraco’s studio. With the ability to learn and memorize quickly, Ü has received often calls to cover for last minute emergencies. Ü has participated in over 40 theater productions and thousands of performances around the world as a conductor, mainstage singer, coach, instrumentalist, and more.
Starting from “Mathematical Thinking” taught by Keith Devlin from Stanford University out of curiosity during her spare time in 2015, Ü has taken several math and computer science courses online and turned this into another career in big data analysis which has helped individuals, companies, and government agencies. Realizing how music training could apply into computer science and problem solving, Ü hopes to share her discovery and joy with more people.
Midwest native Elizabeth (Beth) Duhr-Ramirez is a versatile singer and music educator. A BM Vocal Performance graduate of the University of Iowa, and graduate of the joint Resident Artist Training Program/Binghamton University MM in Opera degree, Beth has performed a wide range of repertoire, from the operatic stage to concert hall and cabaret.
Storytelling through song is a passion of Beth’s, which led to operatic performances with the Martha Ellen Tye Opera Theatre, City Opera of the Quad Cities, Cedar Rapids Opera, and as a concert soloist with Bemidji Symphony, Scranton Civic Orchestra, and the Susquehanna Valley Chorale.
As a music educator, Beth spent nine years teaching voice at the Performing Arts Institute of Wyoming Seminary. In addition, Ms. Duhr-Ramirez has taught both private and group voice classes for 19 years. A certified Music Together® teacher, Beth opened “Tri Cities Music Together,” offering caregiver and child music classes for children from birth through five years, in the greater Binghamton area, through 2020.
Beth currently teaches music to preschool students, at Saint Anthony’s Learning Center, in Endicott, NY, and maintains a private voice studio, with students ranging from eight to eighty years old.
Named as a nod to Binghamton’s famous carousels, Opera-Go-Round has been delivering the excitement of a fully-staged children’s opera to schools throughout New York State and northern Pennsylvania for nearly 50 years. Students engage with our singers and pianist to explore this unique art form with stories connected to curriculum standards and take away valuable social-emotional learning lessons.
Recommended Ages: 4-12 years old (Pre-K to 6th Grades)
Cost: $1,400 within 50 miles of TCO Opera Center, $1,500 over 50 miles from TCO Opera Center. Limited grant funding is available to address access barriers. Schools may be eligible for BOCES Arts-In-Education funding, up to the cost of the performance.
The program includes a 35-minute performance and 15-minute question and answer session with the Opera-Go-Round team.
Dates are available from late September 2026 through May 2027. Contact ogr@tricitiesopera.org for more information or to schedule your performance!
Tri-Cities Opera invites you to invite us to your senior center, assisted living, or residential care facility for a recital and talk featuring some of the greatest hits from the operatic and Broadway canons.
We know that for seniors and residents of residential care facilities, travel to our mainstage productions may be difficult or impossible. But that shouldn’t mean a lack of access to high-quality arts programming! Tri-Cities Opera will curate a thoughtful program with selections ranging from operatic favorites like Mozart and Verdi to the Golden Age of Broadway. Presentations will also include an educational element with a member of our staff sharing and taking questions about the operatic art form, the context of music performed, and the 75-year history of Tri-Cities Opera’s contribution to our regional arts community.
Exposure to music improves the quality of life and health outcomes of seniors and residents of care facilities. Music can lessen the effects of memory loss and depression and can improve the immune system. And, concert programs like ours that encourage residents and community members to enjoy music together can encourage socialization and decrease isolation. TCO is proud and excited to honor and serve the seniors of our region through this program.
Length: Approximately 45 minutes
Cost: $800 within 50 miles of TCO Opera Center, $850 over 50 miles from TCO Opera Center. Limited grant funding is available to address access barriers.
