National Children's Chorus

Michael Yeh _{on Google}

Jun 13th, 2013

[My review and many other positive reviews of the NCC have been mysteriously removed from Yelp...]
Our boys have been with the National Children's Chorus for 3 years. It has been an incredible journey of growth, discovery, creativity, and personal enrichment for both of them. At the outset, our younger son seemed to have more of a natural talent and inclination for singing - he was 6 years old at the time. Our older son joined 1 year after his brother did, at the age of 8. Over time, our older son has embraced singing as his passion (much of this can be ascribed to the influence and inspiration of Dr. Pamela Blackstone) and his development as a musician has been breathtaking for me to watch.
In February 2012, the National Children's Chorus performed Mahler's 9th symphony with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. It was a magnificent performance, and everyone in our family felt so proud that our boy (one of the two youngest on the stage) was up there, next to the percussion section, performing alongside world-famous musicians. I simply do not know how he could have had such a life-altering experience without the NCC. It fueled his interest in music, and from time to time I see him wearing his Mahler T-shirt with a smile.
My wife and I have never once had to ask the boys to practice. They do so on their own, with eagerness and joy - indeed they have even been heard practicing in the bathroom.
The NCC holds 3 major concerts each year. The past year held some incredible moments. We flew my Irish in-laws down from San Francisco for the Celtic Soul concert in March, during which they and the entire audience were deeply moved by the performance of "Danny Boy". Last Christmas, most of the Los Angeles members flew out to New York to join eminent soprano Lisa Vroman and the New York City "division" of the NCC for the Candelight holiday concert. I enjoyed the deep harmonies of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". To this day I think of what an achievement it was to pull of that concert - musically and logistically - just a labor of love for the directors, which really paid off in terms of both the quality of the performance and giving the children a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
Last month, the season wrapped up with the Americana concert. Our younger son developed a high fever, became delirious, and had to be sent home from school 2 days before the concert. As my wife put him in the car to bring him home, he was tearfully mumbling "I can't miss the concert... I've been practicing so hard... These are my favorite songs..." (I was really impressed with the level of dedication!) Anyway, after 2 days of bedrest and a good amount of Tylenol, he was up there on stage, singing "You're a Grand Old Flag", which even had some choreography to it. The children were positively beaming at the end - their love for the music was plain to see.
The NCC is an ambitious endeavor. Where I come from, that is a good thing. The NCC is not about being cute - it is about being excellent. Excellence can only develop through training, skill, discipline, focus, and commitment. And with these things come accomplishment, growth, and joy. The artistic directors have an incredible vision that I admire. I am thankful for their dedication and their distinguished qualifications, and above all for the fact that they chose to direct their creative energies for the benefit of our children and the others in the NCC.