Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir

Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir offers a choral program where participants sing, perform, and compete, including through the Golden Gate International Children's and Youth Choral Festival. During the Golden Gate Festival, choirs take part in daily massed choir rehearsals, a boat cruise of San Francisco Bay, and a dance following the final concert. From July 13–18, 2026, participating choirs in the Golden Gate Festival sing, learn, and live with their peers.

• Ages: 5–18 years old
• Schedule: Office hours Monday–Thursday 10:00 am–6:00 pm and Friday 10:00 am–5:00 pm; Golden Gate Festival runs July 13–18, 2026

Founded in 1991, the Golden Gate International Children's and Youth Choral Festival is sponsored every three years by Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir and attracts choirs from all over the world to perform, compete, and build international friendship. Since its founding, the festival has brought more than 3,000 young musicians from 19 countries together, performing for more than 50,000 audience members from throughout Northern California, and is described as one of America’s most celebrated gatherings of young singers. The festival is the only opportunity for children’s and youth choirs to meet and compete on an international field in the United States and emphasizes building respectful community among singers, with homestays for visiting international singers provided by the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir community. The organization serves singers from over 23 communities across multiple Bay Area counties and attracts children and youth ages 5–18 from throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

The program includes Kinder Choirs for children in TK/Kindergarten, a Training Department for children in grades 1–7 with placement required for ages 7 and above, and a Performing Department for youth in grades 5–12 with an audition required. The leadership team includes Artistic Director Eric Tuan; Executive Director Jill Dineen; Finance Director Ron LeGaux; Development Manager Natalie Titone; Production and Camp Director Tate Bissinger; Program Director Anastasia Morris; Registrar Greg Rosas; Office Manager Jessica Rauf; Program Manager Marina Zubareva; and conductors Anne Daniel (Kinder Choir, Training 1), Maggie Ruenzel (Training 2a), Tim Silva (Training 2b), Elizabeth Wagman Emigh (Training 3), Nancy Linford (Training 4), Eric Tuan (Ensemble and Ecco), Andrew Brown (Concert Choir), and Robert Geary (Ancora).

The mission of Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir states a belief in building inclusive community, empowering voices, and engaging young people in creating harmony by pursuing the choral arts at the highest level. One chorister parent, Kelly Kirkpatrick, describes the program as a place for finding a voice and developing a deep love and appreciation for music and its power to lift the audience, tell stories, and promote change. SF Classical Voice in August 2019 noted that the Ensemble of the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir was “especially on point at every turn” and encouraged audiences to seek out their performances. Founding Artistic Director Robert Geary states that bringing children together from distinctly different cultures can help them connect as real people, create bridges of understanding, and give them a genuine experience filled with joy.

Last updated June 5, 2026.