Each season, the Met welcomes hundreds of performers, from singers to actors, dancers, and instrumentalists. But some of the most endearing artists on the roster are also the youngest: the Met Children’s Chorus, who are a key component of many of the company’s most popular productions, from their place among the Parisian revelers in Puccini’s La Bohème to the Three Spirits in Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

When the Met stage went dark for 18 months during the pandemic, however, the Children’s Chorus, comprising children ages 8–14 and led by director Anthony Piccolo, lost nearly two-thirds of its roster, leaving just 25 stage-ready children when performances resumed in the 2021–22 season. Over the last two years, the Children’s Chorus has undertaken a major recruitment effort to help meet the demands of a repertory house like the Met. “When we looked at the numbers,” Piccolo says, “we all agreed we simply had to have more children.” The recruitment drive called for an “all-hands-on-deck” approach, with nearly every corner of the company joining the effort—from performing at this year’s Spring Open House to pitching media pieces to advertising in the nightly Playbills to putting out calls on social media.

This past summer, Piccolo hosted auditions for 75 prospective children, in which he assessed not just their musical ability but also their demeanor, whether they could work on a professional stage, and if they had the confidence to perform in front of an audience of nearly 4,000. “They’re working with seasoned pros, some of them world famous,” says Piccolo. “The children have to be able to hold up their end of the bargain.”

Then, in June, The New York Times published an article about the chorus’s audition process, which prompted Piccolo to open a new round of auditions. Out of the 150 total auditioners, Piccolo selected 20 as his newest recruits, making this the most fruitful audition season in recent memory and bringing the roster nearly back to pre-pandemic levels. “I’m very excited to work with this new crop of children,” he says. When the new cohort arrived at the opera house this past September, Piccolo sorted the children into three classes, based on their age, where they will learn the fundamentals of breathing, how to sing with relaxed technique, and some stage basics.

For two of the newest members of the ensemble, the first weeks have been both exciting and fulfilling. “I really wanted to sing on a stage,” says ten-year-old Oliver Chen, who credits The New York Times article for encouraging him to audition. “There’s no better place to sing than the Met.” Chen, who hopes to be a marine biologist and a musician when he grows up, also plays the upright bass in his school’s orchestra, and he says that experience has helped a lot with keeping in tune while singing in the Children’s Chorus. “It’s been really fun so far, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the ensemble."

Desi Sandoval, 11, is also eager to get started. “I’ve always wanted to sing and express myself,” says Sandoval, “and every time I walk through the front doors of the Met, I get a warm feeling inside.” An aspiring actor, with some musical-theater experience under his belt thanks to his school’s productions, Sandoval also hopes he could one day be an opera singer—and he’s particularly excited to learn how to sing high notes. Above all, both Chen and Sandoval are ready to be part of something bigger than themselves. “I feel really special that we’re helping bring the Met to a higher standard,” Sandoval adds.

Deven Agge, 13, a senior member of the ensemble, can’t wait to meet his new chorus mates. Agge has a lot of wisdom to share with the new arrivals, having performed in everything from repertory classics like Bizet’s Carmen to last season’s rare revival of Strauss’s Die Frau ohne Schatten, as well as starring as one of the Spirits in The Magic Flute, a role that he reprises this December. “I’ve learned how to project my voice across the auditorium, how to work with other people, and how to connect with people across many ages and different backgrounds,” he says. His best piece of advice for his new chorus mates? “Just take a breath and sing.”

Musical skills are just one outcome of the Children’s Chorus. Piccolo sees firsthand how much social enrichment the children receive through classes and rehearsals. “The harmony among these children is amazing. They’re best friends.” The new choristers are already reaping the social benefits. “The other kids are so nice,” Sandoval shares, “and I’m already making friends.” For Agge, the rewards come both on the stage and off. “I have a lot of friends here, and it’s also fun for my friends outside the Met,” he says, and he feels like a real star when family and friends cheer him on from the crowd. The program has been equally rewarding for parents, too. “When the children reach the end of their tenure in the program,” Piccolo says, “the parents have said over and over, ‘This has been a gift to my kid.’”