This year, Luke McEndarfer is celebrating his 20th year with the National Children’s Chorus, one of the world’s top children’s choirs that boasts a roster of over 1,200 students across eight global chapters. McEndarfer’s role as Artistic Director, President and CEO of the organization has given him a legendary journey, one that started in his Los Angeles area youth.
"At the age of six, I had a long list of toys that I wanted to have a few days before Christmas, [but] I had crossed out all of the items and just [wrote] ‘piano,’" McEndarfer said. "So [my parents] felt kind of moved by that and they got me started with lessons, and ever since then, music has just been a really big part of my life."
Forgoing a career option in medicine because he "didn’t really like blood," McEndarfer began his education at UCLA as an English major before becoming involved in the music department, picking up the conducting trade with some private lessons. Asked to send a conducting tape to music higher-ups at the college, he was invited to earn a Master’s Degree in conducting, learning "all the mathematics" that came with the art form as well as the professionalism required to excel in the industry.
He added that starting to conduct at a young age was a "very scary thing" due to being in charge of those with more age and experience. He felt "slightly awkward" about the proposition, but said that it was a "good lesson" in honing his instincts.
"Conducting is difficult to practice because a lot of it is mental … you practice in the mirror, or in visualization, and then you get in front of a group and you have to put all of that into practice," McEndarfer said. "When you’ve been preparing for months in your mind, it’s difficult because everything that you prepare might actually be wrong. And you’re going to have to switch it [up] … pull it together … so it definitely is something I feel that took many years and many performances to gain a sense of mastery."
Fresh out of school, McEndarfer was appointed as the fourth Artistic Director for the California Paulist Choristers, quickly picking up momentum with a performance at St. Timothy Catholic Church and a featured spot on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." Four years after the appointment, in 2008, McEndarfer and Cristina Demainy founded the National Children’s Chorus, transforming the Paulist Choristers into a new identity and vision to expand the choral mission into other cities.
Taking on conducting choral music, he added, was unique because of the added words that "are telling you directly what the piece is talking about," rather than a more open to interpretation orchestral piece. McEndarfer said that the utilization of "the human voice" is a worthy challenge because it is "the most vulnerable" instrument.
"There’s something very special about vocal ensembles because it utilizes actual [instrumentation] from a human being as opposed to [an] instrument outside of yourself," he said.
The other part of the opportunity was starting to work with children from ages 5-18, something he had zero prior training on. His first class was 18 students, choosing to treat them as he would anyone else.
"[I expected] all of the same elements of quality and the commitment to excellence that adults do, and [what I] found was that the students loved [that], they found it thrilling and they often exceeded my expectations in terms of what’s possible … the level of difficulty of what the children were able to accomplish was just crucial," McEndarfer said.
The young maestro kept his kids local, as their first concert in 2009 was at the then-newly constructed BroadStage in Santa Monica. Since that time, the chorus has expanded to include chapters in New York City, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, Dallas and Austin, as well as a global chapter.
Accolades have coincided with the growth, cresting with winning a Grammy Award in 2022 for Best Choral Performance for "Mahler: Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony of A Thousand.’" Other notable experiences for McEndarfer himself include conducting performances for Josh Groban, opening for John Legend and being featured on "Entertainment Tonight" during 2014 Academy Awards coverage.
Through both personal praise and lauded performances from his students, the conductor evolved his thinking from quality music being the goal, to the music being a byproduct of a healthy learning environment.
"Students were gaining a strong sense of themselves, gaining independence and a sense of knowing that they could achieve whatever they wanted to achieve if they were willing to put the work behind it and stay true to their vision," McEndarfer said. "So when I realized that was really what we were doing, the music [and] artistry was a byproduct of that. It was a humbling realization, but I think collectively in our team, [we knew] that’s the greater goal, which is something [that] stands to benefit society as a whole."
The 20th year for the Chorus includes a Spring Showcase concert at Bel Air Church on May 4, as well as a return to Carnegie Hall in New York City the same month. After growing such a strong choral program globally, McEndarfer has no plans on stopping, and is "doubling down" for the future to show how music can be "such a powerful source of support" for well-being.
"Our goal is to make sure that music is a component of the lives of families [and] enriches their experience … we believe strongly that music contributes to a sense of wellness, and I think that’s what we want most for our students beyond all of our success and accolades," he said.
To learn more about the National Children’s Chorus and to apply a child for the program, visit nationalchildrenschorus.com
