Originally the Honolulu Children's Opera Chorus (HCOC), HYOC was founded in 1961 to provide children for the Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT)'s production of Giacomo Puccini's "La Bohème". So many children appeared for the audition that it was soon realised that Hawaii was in great need of a children's chorus. Since then, HYOC has grown tremendously. It now contains singers from Kindergarten to 12th grade in eight ensembles. To this day, HYOC shares a strong connection with HOT, and the operas that require children use singers from HYOC. The 2006 season operas "Il Trittico" ("Suor Angelica") and "Tosca" featured children from HYOC's Cantilena and Scelto ensembles. Past productions include 2005's "Turandot", 2003's "La Bohème", 2002's "Carmen", and 2001's "Pagliacci/Cavalleria Rusticana".