The San Francisco Girls Chorus was born of the need for girls’ voices to sing girls' roles in San Francisco Opera productions. Since its official founding in 1978, SFGC has helped to establish choral music for young women's voices as an art form in the US. Now in its 28th year of providing leadership in the vocal arts to nearly 300 girls from 7 to 18, SFGC is recognized as one of the nation’s leading choruses. SFGC’s recordings with the San Francisco Symphony have won three Grammy Awards, and SFGC received its second ASCAP Award for Adventuresome Programming in 2004. SFGC is the only youth chorus to win the national Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, and the only youth group chosen for the California Arts Council Touring Roster. The Chorus’ artistic contributions rest on a foundation of excellence in music education, with a program of choral music, music theory and performance skills aspiring to the highest artistic and professional standards.