Luke McEndarfer on 20 Years of Transformation at National Children's Chorus and a New Album, Illumine
Luke McEndarfer
No matter what line of business you're in, building a new enterprise from the ground up isn't for the faint of heart. From defining your mission to marketing, payroll, and growth strategies, there's a lot to consider — and a lot of opportunities to give up when the challenges feel insurmountable.
Conductor Luke McEndarfer encountered many of those moments in his early days leading the National Children's Chorus, where he's served as artistic director and CEO for 20 years. As he looked to expand the choir's reach beyond a handful of participants in Los Angeles, he hit a low point: needing to borrow money from his mother to pay the venue rental fee for an upcoming concert.
But giving up on the organization — and its talented young singers — was never an option, as McEndarfer shares on a new episode of the Classical Post podcast.
"At the end of my life, in the last minute or two that I'm here on this earth looking back, I would rather know I did everything I could to make this vision come true and failed, than to think I held something back and would never know what would have happened if I really went for it. So I'd rather fail than not give it my all and then never know."
To say McEndarfer's vision for the group has come to life would be an understatement. Under his leadership, the National Children's Chorus has become one of the leading children's choirs in the world, with more than 1,200 students across eight chapter cities performing concerts at leading venues around the globe every season. The ensemble won a 2022 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance and just released its first album, Illumine, which they recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra at the iconic Abbey Road Studios.
In this episode, McEndarfer and I talk more about his 20 years with the chorus and what's on the horizon for the ensemble in 2024. Plus, he shares the ways human connection inspires him to make music, how getting up early helps him hone his creativity, and why the best investment you can make in your life is a really good bed.
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