These children's choirs met four years ago. Now they are finally singing together
The story outlined the most dangerous things to do during the pandemic, ranking them from bad to worse. McEndarfer wasn't surprised by most on the list, like flying and going to a restaurant. But the activity rated most dangerous, in top spot stopped him in his tracks. It was singing.
'That was a devastating blow to choruses around the world, especially with the insight that this was not going to last just a couple of weeks,' says McEndarfer, the Grammy award-winning conductor of the US National Children's Chorus, one of the largest youth choruses in the world. 'Imagine being a child engaging with so much joy on a daily basis, and then having that ripped away from you.'
But instead of dwelling on this new – and far quieter – reality, he decided to make the most of a grim situation by connecting his choir members with another chorus about 12,000 kilometres away over Zoom.
So, in 2021, the National Children's Chorus (NCC) and Australian Children's Choir (ACC) met online for an hour-and-a-half to showcase their digital musical projects, and to share how the pandemic was impacting them.
'There were several students who cried and were very vulnerable and open about their emotions,' McEndarfer says. 'Other students would then offer support and comfort. It was really beautiful to see – students who were a world away from each other connecting. They probably would have never met if it weren't for this unique situation. It was really healing.'
Now, about four years later, the two choirs will meet in person for the first time. Some 300 members of the NCC and ACC, ranging between the ages of 10 and 18, will share the stage at Melbourne's The Edge on July 16, culminating in a massive joint performance.
For Vincent Anderson, who was one of the NCC choristers on the Zoom call, the upcoming performance feels like a full circle moment.
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