New York, NY (Top40 Charts) In a dramatic and generous gesture today, an anonymous philanthropist contributed $1 million to the
National Children's Chorus (NCC), a performing arts program for students between the ages of 5 - 18, soon to be making its debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The gift will help provide vital, college-level musical education for youth in New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
"The
National Children's Chorus is quickly becoming one of America's cultural treasures," said NCC Artistic
Director Luke McEndarfer. "This generous endowment—one of the largest of its kind to a children's chorus—will sustain the NCC's outstanding programs and world-class performances. We are grateful for this investment in the dreams and aspirations of our talented students."
Over the past few years, NCC students have been praised for their excellent music reading capabilities and have been accepted at prestigious voice and composition programs nationwide, including Tanglewood
Music Festival, Idylwild Musical Festival, Interlochen and the LA Philharmonic Associate Composers program. Currently, the NCC is pioneering new ways to enrich the learning experience for all of its students, and will introduce novel initiatives in the coming seasons.
"We are humbled and honored that our donor believes so deeply in our educational mission, and is willing to partner with us in our future growth," said Executive
Director Cristina Demiany. "In 2009, the chorus consisted of a single class, geared solely towards learning music for concert appearances. Today we offer a comprehensive educational platform that includes sight-singing, musicianship in the Kodály Method, private voice training, composition and conducting instruction."
On March 13th, the NCC will make its debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in collaboration with the American Youth Symphony, singing Tan Dun's
Heaven Earth
Mankind (Symphony 1997). Presented by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the performance will serve as the Los Angeles premiere for the work. Other events this season include the NCC's Regional Auditions for students wanting to apply to the program, to be held on April 16th in Los Angeles and May 9th in New York. Season finale performances will take place April 29th at Royce Hall in Los Angeles and May 7th at Carnegie Hall in New York, both with music tracing the diverse cultures found along the ancient Silk Road. In July, the NCC will travel to Hong Kong and Mainland China for its second international tour with performances in Beijing and Xian.
For more information visit www.nationalchildrenschorus.com.
