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  • The National Children’s Chorus (NCC) Launches Opera Division and New VAIL OPERA CAMP Initiative Under the Leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer

    The National Children’s Chorus (NCC) Launches Opera Division and New VAIL OPERA CAMP Initiative Under the Leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer

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    NCC Appoints Johnathan McCullough as Opera Program Director and Dylan F. Thomas as Opera Program Coordinator


    NEW YORK, January 25, 2023 (Newswire.com)
    –
    The GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus is teaming up with its newly appointed Opera Program Director, GRAMMY®-nominated Johnathan McCullough, to launch the organization’s new VAIL OPERA CAMP initiative and Opera Vocal Studies program. 

    The VAIL OPERA CAMP is an all-encompassing program where the next generation of singers, directors, conductors, stage managers, and designers can go to hone their skills with guidance from faculty and guest artists working at opera houses around the world. This season, the NCC is opening enrollment to grade school and high school students across the country and is actively looking to recruit young artists interested in opera for summer 2023.

    This August, all participants will convene in Vail, Colorado, to mount a fully staged opera and learn opera history, stagecraft, design, and acting. The opera camp will offer fellowships in directing/stage management and artistic conducting, building a unique opera company for youth where students ages 10-18 will be able to gain practical experience that can be powerful for their futures as they continue studies in higher education. 

    For more information about VAIL OPERA CAMP and to set up an audition, please visit https://nationalchildrenschorus.com/opera-camp/ or scan the QR code (https://imgur.com/a/RjFsVt8). Scholarship opportunities are available for all families who qualify. Enrollment is open through April 1, 2023. 

    In addition to directing NCC’s VAIL OPERA CAMP, McCullough and Dylan F. Thomas (Opera Coordinator) will hold courses throughout the year for NCC members, covering a variety of topics, including opera history, acting, performance, and audition techniques. 

    “It is an honor to appoint GRAMMY® Award-nominee Johnathan McCullough to lead this exciting new program. He is a distinguished NCC alumnus and looks forward to rejoining the organization — this time as a Program Director,” said Luke McEndarfer, Artistic Director and CEO.

    The opera presented for summer 2023 will be “The Tinker of Tivoli,“ an original opera pastiche drawn from the works of Gioachino Rossini, including “The Barber of Seville” and “Cinderella.“ The storyline is adapted from the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Gallant Tailor,” by Michael Jacobsen. 

    The performance will be presented at the AVON Performance Pavilion at the base of the Rocky Mountains on the evening of Aug. 11. The event is free and open to the general public. It will be directed by Johnathan McCullough and conducted by Maestro Allan Laiño. 

    “I’m very excited to step into this new role directing the opera program of the very chorus that started my love for singing. The NCC is where I was first introduced to classical music, which then led me to pursue my first role with Los Angeles Opera’s Opera Camp. There, I discovered my passion for opera, which led to a professional career,” said McCullough. “I’m truly thrilled to build an unparalleled resource where students can choose to train in multiple areas of operatic disciplines. I’m also honored to have Dylan F. Thomas, a brilliant director, educator and co-founder of Valley Opera & Performing Arts, on staff throughout the year, leading acting classes for our students in his new role as Opera Program Coordinator.”

    To access high-definition photos that are freely available for distribution across all media platforms, please refer to this link: https://imgur.com/a/d6wb6wr.

    About National Children’s Chorus:

    The GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus, under the leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer and Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone, has quickly become one of the world’s leading children’s choirs. Among the most exciting and fastest-growing music institutions for youth in the nation, the chorus provides its unparalleled training to talented singers locally and abroad, with more than 35 choirs and 1,000 students based in the chapter cities of Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Austin, Dallas and Boston. Now in its second decade, the NCC’s groundbreaking Season 2022/23, entitled Resounding Voices, expands on the chorus’ recent success, featuring an array of special projects, demonstrating the organization’s firm commitment to eclectic programming, new music, world culture and extraordinary collaborations.

    About Luke McEndarfer: 

    Luke McEndarfer is a GRAMMY® Award-winning American conductor and one of the most compelling forces in the choral world today, with a dynamic career shaped by ambitious innovation, artistic creativity and musical excellence. Currently, he serves as Artistic Director, President and CEO of the National Children’s Chorus, one of the fastest-growing and most successful youth arts organizations in the United States. His conducting collaborations include work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Youth Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Opera Company, New York City Master Chorale, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, Opera Parallèle, Kronos String Quartet, and Stephen Petronio Dance Company. Over the years, he has prepared choruses and soloists for Gustavo Dudamel, Grant Gershon, James Conlon, Stephen Layton, David Alan Miller, Ibrahim Maalouf, John Rutter, Helmuth Rilling, David Willcocks, Eric Whitacre and the late Paul Salamunovich, among others. To date, his premiere conducting performances include music by Morten Lauridsen, Sharon Farber, James Wright, Stephen Cohn, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Daniel Brewbaker, Sage Lewis, Shawn Kirchner, Paul Gibson, Rufus Wainwright, and Nico Muhly. Visit nationalchildrenschorus.com/team/.

    About Johnathan McCullough: 

    GRAMMY®-nominated baritone and director Johnathan McCullough recently premiered his production of David T. Little’s Soldier Songs produced by Opera Philadelphia, which was nominated for an International Opera Award and won the Artistic Creation Prize at the inaugural Opera America Awards for Digital Excellence. The film is currently streaming on the Opera Philadelphia Channel and Marquee TV. He will make his Canadian directing debut this season with the Atelier Lyrique of Opéra de Montréal in a program entitled “Emily,“ centered around works written by Emily Dickinson, co-created by conductor and pianist Christopher Allen. 

    He has sung leading roles at Opera Philadelphia, Komische Oper Berlin, English National Opera, Opéra de Lausanne, Portland Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and many more. McCullough was selected by Renée Fleming to participate in the Weill Institute Song Studio at Carnegie Hall where he has also performed in concert. Upcoming singing engagements include Carnegie Hall Citywide Series recital with pianist Carol Wong; the baritone soloist in Britten’s “War Requiem“ at Walt Disney Concert Hall with the National Children’s Chorus and American Youth Symphony; and appearances in leading roles with Pittsburgh Opera, Boise Philharmonic, and Opera Philadelphia. 

    He holds a B.M., M.M., and Artist Diploma from the Curtis Institute of Music and has been engaged as a guest speaker with institutions including Yale, Curtis, UCLA, Mannes Opera, Young Arts: The National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts, and Pacific Opera Victoria. As a director, McCullough’s work has been noted by The New York Times as “a pacesetter for cinematic opera.” Visit  https://mcculloughbaritone.com/.

    About Dylan F. Thomas: 

    Dylan F. Thomas is the co-founder and Principal Stage Director of Valley Opera & Performing Arts, currently in its 17th season in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, where he has directed full productions of numerous operas, musicals, and concerts. Over the years, he has directed several family productions for the Pacific Symphony and Opera Pacific, where he also acted as both Resident Outreach Director and Education Stage Director, as well as Program Director for Opera Pacific’s Opera Camp. Metropolitan Opera soprano Ana Maria Martinez described Dylan F. Thomas as an artist who “thinks out of the box in an intriguing and captivating way … an inspiring director and mentor, particularly for young artists.” Visit https://dylanfthomas.com/. 

    Source: National Children’s Chorus

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  • The GRAMMY® Award-Winning National Children’s Chorus (NCC) Announces the Launch of Its 2022/23 Season Entitled Resounding Voices

    The GRAMMY® Award-Winning National Children’s Chorus (NCC) Announces the Launch of Its 2022/23 Season Entitled Resounding Voices

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    LOS ANGELES, December 14, 2022 (Newswire.com)
    –
    This month, the GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus (NCC), under the leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer and Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone, commences Season 2022/23 entitled Resounding Voices. 

    Inspired by powerful experiences over the past year, the NCC chose to curate a deeply meaningful season that celebrates the power and potential of the human voice. “In planning Resounding Voices, we looked back with reverence at our Lincoln Center collaboration in May with the Ukrainian Zhayvir Choir. Performing Eric Whitacre’s Sing Gently in a half-live, half-digital immersive rendition of the piece that transported the audience to the streets of Lviv, our students from around the country joined hearts and voices with children from thousands of miles away, unified by our artistry and vision for a peaceful world,” said Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer. “In reflecting on that experience, and watching the world around us, our team agreed that voices truly matter; that speaking up is important; and when enough people join their voices behind something great they believe in, it shapes and changes our world for the better.”

    2022/23 Season Overview

    Beginning a full year of unique and unprecedented artistic initiatives, the National Children’s Chorus in September released its first major album on the Lexicon Classics label, featuring the poignant opera Brundibár, by Czech composer Hans Krása. Captured on smartphones by students and chamber orchestra across the country during quarantine in 2020, this magical recording can be streamed and enjoyed on Spotify and Apple Music. Written in 1938 and performed by youth in the Theresienstadt concentration camp from 1943-1944, the story of Brundibár celebrates the power of voices joining together in the name of justice and righteousness, ultimately prevailing over tyranny through the lens of a children’s fairytale.

    Throughout December, students in all seven of the NCC’s Chapter Cities will celebrate the holidays with winter performances in Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, and Boston. Drawing from more than 1,000 choristers nationwide, each performance will feature a mixture of voices from various cities, as the children share their musical achievements and make new friends along the way. A special appearance at Macy’s Herald Square in Manhattan, in addition to debut concerts in Dallas and Boston, headline the chorus’ list of festivities.

    Repertoire for the NCC’s advanced Senior Division includes music that will be recorded in the summer of 2023 as the organization creates its first-ever holiday album, offering heartfelt expressions of the season from more than 15 cultures and traditions around the globe. The world premiere of Himig Pasko, commissioned by the NCC and written by Filipino-American composer George G. Hernandez, continues the chorus’ tradition of expanding the art form and solidifies its commitment to presenting music that reflects the rich diversity of its expansive membership. The Junior Division, comprised of students as young as five, will proudly sing eclectic programs, with each level challenged through exposure to new languages, sophisticated voice leading, and harmonic textures.

    In February, the National Children’s Chorus excitedly takes the stage at Walt Disney Concert Hall in a tour de force concert performance, presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic in collaboration with the American Youth Symphony. Under the baton of Maestro Carlos Izcaray, the NCC will sing Benjamin Britten’s colossal and deeply moving War Requiem. This work, completed in 1962, is considered to be one of the most significant pieces ever written for chorus, soloists and orchestra, as it depicts the haunting atrocities of warfare in the hopes of signifying the importance of global unity. 

    In mid-April, the National Children’s Chorus will perform in the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C. The event will be the NCC’s 4th appearance in what has now become an annual tradition, featuring students from around the country who greatly value participating in one of the city’s most vibrant and exciting community celebrations. Televised across the nation, participants will sing rousing selections under the baton of NCC Principal Conductor Dr. Allan Laiño. 

    In May, students will bring this journey to a grand culmination of performances, once again in each chapter city, including the Senior Division’s all-city event at Carnegie Hall’s Stern Auditorium. Annual scholarship galas in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C. will also take place in 2023, infused with the theme of All You Need Is Love. Aligning with the NCC’s planned recording projects at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios in London, the chorus sets its sights on raising record funds for scholarship recipients while lending special tribute to The Beatles and praising the innovation they brought to music that continues to inspire.

    In July, the National Children’s Chorus embarks on its 7th international tour to the United Kingdom with stops in Edinburgh, Wales and London. In addition to enjoying the cultural wonders of the itinerary, students of the Senior Division will sing in concerts along the way, collaborating with local choirs in dramatic concert settings. In London, the NCC will sing its premier performance of the tour where students will share the stage live with the world-renowned VOCES8. At the conclusion of the tour, the NCC will spend three full days at Abbey Road Studios and AIR Studios recording music for the organization’s planned holiday album that will be released on Spotify and Apple Music toward the end of 2023. 

    In August, the National Children’s Chorus will host its 3rd Vail Opera Camp, led by NCC Alumnus and GRAMMY® Nominee Johnathan McCullough, who serves as the organization’s Vail Opera and Operatic Studies Director. Students of the Senior Division will perform the comedic opera The Tinker of Tivoli at one of the most beautiful outdoor amphitheaters nestled at the base of the Rocky Mountains. Young opera campers will study acting, stagecraft, prop making, vocal pedagogy, opera history and the music of Rossini in what promises to be an exhilarating experience, combining top-level performance instruction with fun and thrilling activities in the beautiful outdoors of Vail.

    “Looking ahead, Season 2022/23 significantly advances the mission of the National Children’s Chorus,” said Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone. “Now more than ever, our vision is to bring children together with the singular goal of music as the ultimate medium for personal growth and self-realization. We know how important our work is within the lives of the NCC’s young artists, and strive to make our programs as accessible as possible as we continue building our educational programs.”

    For more information on the National Children’s Chorus, visit https://nationalchildrenschorus.com

    About the National Children’s Chorus

    The GRAMMY® Award-winning National Children’s Chorus, under the leadership of Artistic Director Luke McEndarfer and Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone, has quickly become one of the world’s leading children’s choirs. Among the most exciting and fastest-growing music institutions for youth in the nation, the chorus provides its unparalleled training to talented singers locally and abroad, with more than 35 choirs and 1,000 students based in the chapter cities of Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Austin, Dallas and Boston. Now in its second decade, the NCC’s groundbreaking Season 2022/23, entitled Resounding Voices, expands on the chorus’ recent success, featuring an array of special projects, demonstrating the organization’s firm commitment to eclectic programming, new music, world culture and extraordinary collaborations.

    Source: National Children’s Chorus

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