The Cleveland Orchestra Children’s Chorus was formed in the spring of 1967 to provide a high-quality choral group for the many orchestral works written for children’s voices, and to offer choral training to school children in the Cleveland area. Today, the Children’s Chorus performs annually with The Cleveland Orchestra and Cleveland Orchestra Chorus at Severance Hall.  Recent seasons have also seen performances with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Orchestra, and the Cleveland Orchestra Youth Chorus.

Over the decades, the extensive performance history has included such major works as Bach’s St. Matthew Passion, Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, Britten’s War Requiem, Berlioz’s Te Deum, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust, and Mahler’s Symphony No. 3. The children also regularly sing at University Circle's Holiday CircleFest each December and perform at the Orchestra’s annual Christmas Concerts.

The Children’s Chorus presents an independent concert each spring featuring a diverse repertoire of children’s chorus literature, where they share the stage with the Cleveland Orchestra Children's Preparatory Chorus. The Chorus has also performed regularly at community events such as the One World Festival at the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and the Mother and Child exhibit at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and has sung the national anthem for Cleveland Indians, Cleveland City Stars, and Cleveland Browns home games.

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The Cleveland Orchestra Children's Preparatory Chorus was formed in 2005 by Dr. Ann Usher. This training choir focuses on establishing a foundation of vocal technique, musical literacy, and musicianship through quality children's choral literature. By developing musical skills and performing in public, the children acquire poise, increase self-esteem, and establish a solid foundation in vocal production techniques. Members of the Preparatory Chorus strengthen their vocal production and choral performance skills and learn sight-reading using movable “do” solfège and Kodály/Curwen hand signs. Students also develop leadership skills that will help them strengthen the other choirs in which they participate. The Preparatory Chorus typically gives two performances each season, once in the fall and once in the spring.