In 2005, Kathryn Barnard established the Oakland Girls Choir to provide an opportunity for girls of all ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds to experience the joy of singing in community.

In 2009, with funding from The Buhl Foundation and The Heinz Endowments, Barnard started an outreach program in Wilkinsburg for Hosanna House in preschool students. Barnard saw a need in the Pittsburgh community for more choral music education, particularly for young people. Because of these outreach programs, and the accompanying vision, Oakland Girls Choir incorporated as Pittsburgh School for the Choral Arts (PSCA) in September of 2011.

Since its inception, PSCA has developed a comprehensive, 3 tiered, Kodaly based training choir program (Melodia, Harmonia and Via). A Women’s Choir (Women of Song) and a highly selective, chamber choir.

In fall 2015, we expanded our outreach to include Music Discovery and Choral Prep classes at Hope Academy in East Liberty.

In 2017 PSCA became the Pittsburgh Girls Choir (PGC). Those three words better reflect our mission and who we are. Our primary focus has always been and will continue to be serving a wide range of girls in Pittsburgh and “PGC” makes that clear to the choristers, their families, our funders and the communities we serve. As always, we believe in the power of every girl’s voice and the importance of our choirs to help girls’ express themselves powerfully and profoundly, as well as to become strong members of the community and to make a difference in the world.