ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli ðə hˌɑːnəlˈuːluː tʃˈɪldɹənz ˈɑːpɚɹə kˈoːɹəs ˈeɪtʃkˈɑːk, hˈaɪɑːk wʌz fˈaʊndᵻd ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd sˈɪksti wˈʌn tə pɹəvˈaɪd tʃˈɪldɹən fɚðə həwˈaɪiː ˈɑːpɚɹə θˈiəɾɚ ˌeɪtʃˌoʊtˈiː ˈɛs pɹədˈʌkʃən ʌv dʒɐkˈoʊmoʊ puːtʃˈiːnɪz lˌæ bˈoʊhiːm.
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.