“You have to create the bridge between the instructor and the student. Talk about your passion about the music, why you're performing it, why the piece is so special, and mix some humor in there. Once that engagement happens, everything you teach is automatically transferred because all the performers want that excellence for themselves, which is different than just telling people what to do. When you can inspire them to really want it, that's when the results become infinitely spectacular.”

Luke McEndarfer is a GRAMMY Award-winning American conductor and one of the most compelling visionaries in the classical music world today. His dynamic career spanning over two decades has been shaped by an unwavering commitment to ambitious innovation, artistic creativity, and musical excellence. Currently, he serves as Artistic Director, President and CEO of the National Children’s Chorus, one of the fastest-growing and most successful youth arts organizations in the United States.

In 2004, McEndarfer was appointed director of the acclaimed Paulist Choristers, and in 2008 his dream to create the National Children’s Chorus took flight. Since then, the NCC has grown from only sixteen families in Los Angeles to over one thousand across the country. McEndarfer’s Senior Division vocalists are GRAMMY Award-winning, having received music’s highest honor for Best Choral Performance in 2022. In 2020, McEndarfer initiated the building of a new annual opera camp in Vail, Colorado, that would grow to engage developing voices in the art of opera, curated with an extraordinary curriculum designed exclusively for youth education.

McEndarfer’s background and experience encompass numerous conducting appearances on both coasts featuring adult choral and symphonic masterworks. Equally at home in the studio, he has worked on several motion picture soundtracks, such as Escape from Tomorrow, Snowmen, and Imagine That. Television credits include conducting performances and studio appearances with CNN, CBS, ABC, and Fox, as well as NBC’s Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Since the age of six, McEndarfer has studied piano extensively, winning competitions and musical honors with the Music Teachers’ Association of California. He is a two-time graduate of UCLA, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and a Master of Music degree in conducting.

To get in touch with Luke, you can find him on Facebook or Instagram (@LukeMcEndarfer) or find the National Children's Chorus on their website (nationalchildrenschorus.com), on Instagram (@nationalchildrenschorus), or on Facebook (@nationalchildrenschorus).

Email [email protected] to contact our hosts.

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Photo in episode artwork by Trace Hudson