Senior Division

NCC Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone is a renowned and respected conductor on the national and international choral scene, where her expertise and innovative approach to singing have empowered performers of all ages to achieve the highest level of excellence in musicianship, performance, vocal technique and artistic creativity. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Blackstone began her training as a pianist, violinist, singer and dancer. Exemplifying unique musical and technical mastery, she obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and graduated valedictorian from the School of Fine Arts at the University of Kansas (KU), under the tutelage of Dr. Jack Winerock and Claude Frank. During her time at KU, Dr. Blackstone attended the Aspen Summer Music Festival and School, studying piano and chamber music with Rita Sloan. Dr. Blackstone’s love for the choral art form led her to pursue a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, under the direction of Dr. Eph Ehly. Following her passion for teaching, Dr. Blackstone became the Director of Choral Activities at Westark College in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and emerged as one of the Midwest region’s most sought-after choral clinicians, judges, and show-choir choreographers. Completing her formal education, Dr. Blackstone received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of California Los Angeles with Dr. Donald Neuen. As part of her tenure, she won various competition and scholarship awards from organizations such as the American Choral Directors Association and the Choral Conductors Guild. Dr. Blackstone has served as the Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles-based Angeles Chorale, and has taught vocal and choral music at UCLA, Santa Ana College, and church organizations across the nation. Her conducting appearances include concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royce Hall and The Broad Stage, with international appearances in Oxford and London, England; Beijing and Xian, China; and Rome, Florence and Venice, Italy, including the Vatican City; as well as Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. This summer’s performances will include Korea and Japan. Throughout her career, her long-standing philosophy has been “performance excellence through personal excellence.” Combined with her expertise in the healing arts profession, Dr. Blackstone has advocated for an integrated, holistic approach to music education that embodies an eclectic array of modalities and methodologies, enriching her students mentally, emotionally and kinesthetically. In addition, Dr. Blackstone’s awe-inspiring energy revered as “positively contagious” has established her as an invaluable vocal instructor and in-demand performance coach on both coasts. Recent students have been accepted with scholarships at top-level programs across the country, including Indiana University, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Stanford, Harvard and the Manhattan School of Music. Her pupils have also enjoyed noteworthy success in the areas of film, theatre and the recording studio.

Daniel Strychacz, a Bay Area native, is a DMA candidate studying Choral Music at the USC Thornton School of Music. Daniel is the lead conductor of the Oriana Choir and serves as the department’s Festival Coordinator. Daniel also earned his Master of Music degree in Choral Music from Thornton in 2015. Before returning to Los Angeles, Daniel was the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, taught private voice and guitar lessons, and served as the Director of Children’s Choirs at Bay Area music education nonprofit Cantare Con Vivo, conducting four youth choirs and overseeing the program of nine choirs.

Gustavo Hernández García, tenor, began his singing career through the Young Musicians Program of UC Berkeley, where he studied with David Tigner. He has been a featured soloist for the Young Musician’s Program, Bay Area Singers’ Forum, North Bay Opera, and the Oakland Youth Chorus, through which he performed for former president Bill Clinton. Hernández has sung lead tenor roles in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Norma, and secondary roles in Idomeneo, Tosca, Die Zauberflote, Carmen, and in USC’s West Coast Premiere of Miss Lonelyhearts. Hernández’s forays into oratorio include singing the tenor solos for Mendelssohn’s Elijah; Handel’s Messiah; Mozart’s Requiem, Coronation Mass, and Vespers; and Rossini’s Stabat Mater. Hernández recently sang with the San Francisco Opera Chorus in Götterdämmerung and with the Los Angeles Opera Chorus in Die Fliegende Holländer. After receiving his Bachelor of Music degree from the San Francisco Conservatory in 2005, Hernández received his Master of Music degree in vocal arts at the USC Thornton School of Music.

Adán Fernández is an organist, pianist, vocalist, and conductor. He is the director of music and organist at Holy Family Catholic Church where he directs five choirs and implements Kodály instruction for two children’s choirs. He is also assistant conductor for the Claremont Chorale and is currently a doctoral candidate in music at the University of Southern California. As a board member of KASC, he also serves in creating all of the Kodály events in Southern California.

Kelly Adams has been studying music since she joined her elementary school’s French choir at age 5. She began her training in classical music at the San Francisco Conservatory, then progressed to musical theater and pop songwriting/performance. Kelly is a twice-over graduate of the University of Southern California; she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry, and a Master of Arts in Music Education. Kelly discovered Kodály in 2013 and immediately fell in love with its revolutionary methods and ideology. She studied under Dr. Kathy Hickey and Dr. Kurt Cereske, and continues to build Kodály-based curricula for Los Angeles music education programs. When she’s not teaching, Kelly performs, writes and records with the band Karmina, and sings in feature films (Pan, The Lorax, The Hive).

A native of Japan, Dr. Hiroyo Hatsuyama began her piano lessons at the age of three. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in Japan, Dr. Hatsuyama continued her music education studying with Professor Elena Shishko at the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, and Professor Kevin Fitz-Gerald at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. As the recipient of a full-tuition dean scholarship and teaching assistantship at USC, she completed both degrees, Master of Music in piano performance and Doctor of Musical Arts in keyboard collaborative arts, with a focus on chamber music. As a versatile pianist and harpsichordist, Dr. Hatsuyama frequently appears in recitals throughout the Los Angeles area. Her experience as an educator includes more than twenty years of teaching piano, chamber music, harmony, music history, theory, and aural skills in Japan and the United States. After teaching at the University of La Verne, she recently became a part-time faculty member at the Pomona California State Polytechnic University.

American conductor Luke McEndarfer is emerging as one of the most compelling forces in the choral world today, with a dynamic career shaped by 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. His artistic collaborations include work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Youth Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Opera Company, New York City Master Chorale, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, Opera Parallèle, Kronos String Quartet, and Stephen Petronio Dance Company. Over the years, he has prepared choruses and soloists for Gustavo Dudamel, Grant Gershon, James Conlon, Stephen Layton, David Alan Miller, Ibrahim Maalouf, John Rutter, Helmuth Rilling, David Willcocks, Eric Whitacre and the late Paul Salamunovich, among others. To date, his premiere conducting performances include music by Morten Lauridsen, Sharon Farber, James Wright, Stephen Cohn, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Daniel Brewbaker, Sage Lewis, Shawn Kirchner, Paul Gibson, Rufus Wainwright, and soon, Nico Muhly.

In 2004, McEndarfer was appointed director of the acclaimed Paulist Choristers, and in 2008 his vision to create the National Children’s Chorus took flight. Since then, the NCC has grown from only sixteen families in Los Angeles to nearly seven hundred in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., offering its students cutting-edge training and extraordinary musical experiences. Under McEndarfer’s leadership, the NCC has built an unparalleled educational platform, mindfully leading young singers from the age of five, and guiding them through to the college level. McEndarfer’s advanced vocal ensembles in the NCC are among the most accomplished youth choruses, with recent performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Royce Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. International debuts have taken place in Oxford and London, England; Beijing and Xi’an, China; and sites throughout Italy, including the Vatican City; as well as Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. In the summer of 2019, students will perform in South Korea and Japan.

Though the National Children’s Chorus has been his primary focus the last several years, McEndarfer’s background and experience encompass numerous conducting appearances on both coasts featuring adult choral and symphonic masterworks. Upcoming plans include the launch of new programs within this genre of choral music as a natural extension of his expanding scope of work with the NCC, and deep passion for the full choral repertoire. Equally at home in the studio, he has worked on several motion picture soundtracks, such as Escape from Tomorrow, Snowmen, and Paramount Pictures’ feature film Imagine That, starring Eddie Murphy. Television credits include conducting performances and studio appearances with CNN, CBS, ABC, and Fox, as well as NBC’s former Tonight Show with Jay Leno. McEndarfer has also conducted in performance with Josh Groban, and on Entertainment Tonight for the Oscars in 2014. At charity events featuring fashion shows by Oscar de la Renta, he has arranged musical presentations for Princess Charlene of Monaco, former First Lady Laura Bush, and other distinguished honorees.

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, the latter with full scholarship under the tutelage of Donald Neuen. Studying privately, McEndarfer was the conducting pupil of Kenneth Kiesler and Marianne Ploger at the University of Michigan, Lucinda Carver at USC, and the late Paul Salamunovich. September through June, McEndarfer manages a demanding bicoastal work and travel schedule that requires his presence in all NCC cities of operation.

NCC Associate Artistic Director Dr. Pamela Blackstone is a renowned and respected conductor on the national and international choral scene, where her expertise and innovative approach to singing have empowered performers of all ages to achieve the highest level of excellence in musicianship, performance, vocal technique and artistic creativity. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Dr. Blackstone began her training as a pianist, violinist, singer and dancer. Exemplifying unique musical and technical mastery, she obtained her Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance and graduated valedictorian from the School of Fine Arts at the University of Kansas (KU), under the tutelage of Dr. Jack Winerock and Claude Frank. During her time at KU, Dr. Blackstone attended the Aspen Summer Music Festival and School, studying piano and chamber music with Rita Sloan. Dr. Blackstone’s love for the choral art form led her to pursue a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Missouri- Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance, under the direction of Dr. Eph Ehly. Following her passion for teaching, Dr. Blackstone became the Director of Choral Activities at Westark College in Fort Smith, Arkansas, and emerged as one of the Midwest region’s most sought-after choral clinicians, judges, and show-choir choreographers. Completing her formal education, Dr. Blackstone received a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting from the University of California Los Angeles with Dr. Donald Neuen. As part of her tenure, she won various competition and scholarship awards from organizations such as the American Choral Directors Association and the Choral Conductors Guild. Dr. Blackstone has served as the Assistant Conductor of the Los Angeles-based Angeles Chorale, and has taught vocal and choral music at UCLA, Santa Ana College, and church organizations across the nation. Her conducting appearances include concerts at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royce Hall and The Broad Stage, with international appearances in Oxford and London, England; Beijing and Xian, China; and Rome, Florence and Venice, Italy, including the Vatican City; as well as Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. This summer’s performances will include Korea and Japan. Throughout her career, her long-standing philosophy has been “performance excellence through personal excellence.” Combined with her expertise in the healing arts profession, Dr. Blackstone has advocated for an integrated, holistic approach to music education that embodies an eclectic array of modalities and methodologies, enriching her students mentally, emotionally and kinesthetically. In addition, Dr. Blackstone’s awe-inspiring energy revered as “positively contagious” has established her as an invaluable vocal instructor and in-demand performance coach on both coasts. Recent students have been accepted with scholarships at top-level programs across the country, including Indiana University, University of Southern California, University of California Los Angeles, Stanford, Harvard and the Manhattan School of Music. Her pupils have also enjoyed noteworthy success in the areas of film, theatre and the recording studio.

Soprano Elisabetta Russo, has earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts and Chamber Music at the S. Cecilia Conservatory of Music in Rome. She perfected her singing technique with some of the most renowned bel canto artists of the world including Edda Moser, Renata Scotto, Renato Bruson and Alberto Zedda. “Best Female Vocal” at the 2011 Hollywood Music in Media Awards and winner of many other national and international contests, Elisabetta performed in Italy and abroad (Rome, Milan, Naples, Venice, Florence, Paris, Wien, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas, Toronto), with famous conductors and composers (Eugene Kohn, Bruno Aprea, Marco Boemi, Gianna Fratta, Ennio Morricone, Andrea Morricone, Nicola Piovani, Carlo Ponti, David Foster); directors (Ugo Gregoretti, Elisabetta Courir, Loredana Martinez, Giovanni Morricone and Italo Nunziata) and singers (Renato Bruson, Maria Agresta, Hélène Ségara, Andrea Bocelli). 
Among the most important roles she has played: Norina in Don Pasquale by Donizetti, Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte by Mozart, Tonina in Prima la Musica poi le parole by Salieri in Rome, Gilda in Rigoletto by Verdi in Milan and at the RAI Auditorium in Naples; Nannetta in Falstaff (starring Renato Bruson) by Verdi at Teatro Cilea, Reggio Calabria.

Performing all over North America and Europe, her recent appearances include singing for Couture Fashion Week in New York City, Italian National Day Celebration in Los Angeles, the Rossini Opera Festival Opening Series in Los Angeles, The Dennis Bono Show in Las Vegas, and LA Clippers game. Ms. Russo receives numerous special invitations to perform for individuals such as the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Armando Varricchio, and Consul General of Italy in LA, Antonio Verde. Ms Russo has performed on stages and in theaters in the US at Caesars Palace, The Colburn School, The Beverly Hilton, Italian Cultural Institute, Millennium Biltmore Hotel, Crown Palace Times Square, Staples Center and Arcadia Performing Arts Center.

Adán Fernández is an organist, pianist, vocalist, and conductor. He is the director of music and organist at Holy Family Catholic Church where he directs five choirs and implements Kodály instruction for two children’s choirs. He is also assistant conductor for the Claremont Chorale and is currently a doctoral candidate in music at the University of Southern California. As a board member of KASC, he also serves in creating all of the Kodály events in Southern California.

Kelly Adams has been studying music since she joined her elementary school’s French choir at age 5. She began her training in classical music at the San Francisco Conservatory, then progressed to musical theater and pop songwriting/performance. Kelly is a twice-over graduate of the University of Southern California; she received a Bachelor of Music in Music Industry, and a Master of Arts in Music Education. Kelly discovered Kodály in 2013 and immediately fell in love with its revolutionary methods and ideology. She studied under Dr. Kathy Hickey and Dr. Kurt Cereske, and continues to build Kodály-based curricula for Los Angeles music education programs. When she’s not teaching, Kelly performs, writes and records with the band Karmina, and sings in feature films (Pan, The Lorax, The Hive).

Dr. Vivian I-Miao Liu, a native of Taiwan, is a versatile collaborative pianist and coach. She has worked with the Intimate Opera, Long Beach Opera, Opera A La Carte, Opera Idaho, Opera Nova, Opera Pacific, Repertory Opera, Sun Valley Opera, Classical Singers Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Wagner Society of Southern California, Boys Choir of Harlem, LA Opera Lounge, LA Tapestries, Merrywoode Singers, Bakersfield Symphony, Calico Winds, California Quartet, Mládí Chamber Orchestra, Pokorny Low Brass Seminar, Redlands Bowl, Riverside Philharmonic, and LA Music Center’s Education Program. She has played auditions for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Pacific Coast Opera. Additionally, she has participated in the Aspen Opera Center, and Tyrolean Opera Program in Austria as a fellowship pianist.

On the concert stage, Dr. Liu has collaborated with musicians from the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Vienna Philharmonic, as well as singers from the Los Angeles Opera, Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Opera. She has performed internationally in Taiwan, Russia, Austria, and the United States, and has appeared on radio and television broadcasts. In 1998, she toured as a Young Artist winner of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan. In 2002, she gave her Carnegie Hall debut as a chamber music award recipient of Artists International.

Dr. Liu has earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Master of Music degree in keyboard collaborative arts from the University of Southern California (USC), in addition to a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in piano performance was earned at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan. In 2007, she directed and staged Poulenc’s monodrama La Voix Humaine at USC. Her teachers include Kevin Fitz-Gerald and Alan Smith at USC, Martin Katz and Graham Johnson at Songfest, Marc Silverman, and John Forconi at the Manhattan School of Music. With her passion for vocal repertoire, she is well versed in the diction of French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Latin.

Dr. Liu has served on the faculty for Songfest’s Young Artist Program, Intimate Opera Company’s Summer Youth Vocal Workshop, and LA Opera Camp. She has served as a staff accompanist at Manhattan School of Music as well as an opera coach at USC, Azusa Pacific University, and University of Redlands. Since 2011, she has been principal pianist for the National Children’s Chorus. In addition, she is on the faculty at Chapman University, and works closely with Los Angeles Opera’s Education Program.

American conductor Luke McEndarfer is emerging as one of the most compelling forces in the choral world today, with a dynamic career shaped by 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. His artistic collaborations include work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, American Youth Symphony, Los Angeles Master Chorale, Los Angeles Opera Company, New York City Master Chorale, Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra, the Joffrey Ballet, Opera Parallèle, Kronos String Quartet, and Stephen Petronio Dance Company. Over the years, he has prepared choruses and soloists for Gustavo Dudamel, Grant Gershon, James Conlon, Stephen Layton, David Alan Miller, Ibrahim Maalouf, John Rutter, Helmuth Rilling, David Willcocks, Eric Whitacre and the late Paul Salamunovich, among others. To date, his premiere conducting performances include music by Morten Lauridsen, Sharon Farber, James Wright, Stephen Cohn, Thomas Hewitt Jones, Daniel Brewbaker, Sage Lewis, Shawn Kirchner, Paul Gibson, Rufus Wainwright, and soon, Nico Muhly.

In 2004, McEndarfer was appointed director of the acclaimed Paulist Choristers, and in 2008 his vision to create the National Children’s Chorus took flight. Since then, the NCC has grown from only sixteen families in Los Angeles to nearly seven hundred in the cities of Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., offering its students cutting-edge training and extraordinary musical experiences. Under McEndarfer’s leadership, the NCC has built an unparalleled educational platform, mindfully leading young singers from the age of five, and guiding them through to the college level. McEndarfer’s advanced vocal ensembles in the NCC are among the most accomplished youth choruses, with recent performances at the Hollywood Bowl, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Royce Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall. International debuts have taken place in Oxford and London, England; Beijing and Xi’an, China; and sites throughout Italy, including the Vatican City; as well as Berlin, Vienna, Prague, and Budapest. In the summer of 2019, students will perform in South Korea and Japan.

Though the National Children’s Chorus has been his primary focus the last several years, McEndarfer’s background and experience encompass numerous conducting appearances on both coasts featuring adult choral and symphonic masterworks. Upcoming plans include the launch of new programs within this genre of choral music as a natural extension of his expanding scope of work with the NCC, and deep passion for the full choral repertoire. Equally at home in the studio, he has worked on several motion picture soundtracks, such as Escape from Tomorrow, Snowmen, and Paramount Pictures’ feature film Imagine That, starring Eddie Murphy. Television credits include conducting performances and studio appearances with CNN, CBS, ABC, and Fox, as well as NBC’s former Tonight Show with Jay Leno. McEndarfer has also conducted in performance with Josh Groban, and on Entertainment Tonight for the Oscars in 2014. At charity events featuring fashion shows by Oscar de la Renta, he has arranged musical presentations for Princess Charlene of Monaco, former First Lady Laura Bush, and other distinguished honorees.

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, the latter with full scholarship under the tutelage of Donald Neuen. Studying privately, McEndarfer was the conducting pupil of Kenneth Kiesler and Marianne Ploger at the University of Michigan, Lucinda Carver at USC, and the late Paul Salamunovich. September through June, McEndarfer manages a demanding bicoastal work and travel schedule that requires his presence in all NCC cities of operation.

Dr. Vivian I-Miao Liu, a native of Taiwan, is a versatile collaborative pianist and coach. She has worked with the Intimate Opera, Long Beach Opera, Opera A La Carte, Opera Idaho, Opera Nova, Opera Pacific, Repertory Opera, Sun Valley Opera, Classical Singers Association, National Association of Teachers of Singing, Wagner Society of Southern California, Boys Choir of Harlem, LA Opera Lounge, LA Tapestries, Merrywoode Singers, Bakersfield Symphony, Calico Winds, California Quartet, Mládí Chamber Orchestra, Pokorny Low Brass Seminar, Redlands Bowl, Riverside Philharmonic, and LA Music Center’s Education Program. She has played auditions for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and Pacific Coast Opera. Additionally, she has participated in the Aspen Opera Center, and Tyrolean Opera Program in Austria as a fellowship pianist.

On the concert stage, Dr. Liu has collaborated with musicians from the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Vienna Philharmonic, as well as singers from the Los Angeles Opera, Metropolitan Opera, and New York City Opera. She has performed internationally in Taiwan, Russia, Austria, and the United States, and has appeared on radio and television broadcasts. In 1998, she toured as a Young Artist winner of the National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra in Taiwan. In 2002, she gave her Carnegie Hall debut as a chamber music award recipient of Artists International.

Dr. Liu has earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts and a Master of Music degree in keyboard collaborative arts from the University of Southern California (USC), in addition to a Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music in New York. Her Bachelor of Arts degree in piano performance was earned at the Taipei National University of the Arts in Taiwan. In 2007, she directed and staged Poulenc’s monodrama La Voix Humaine at USC. Her teachers include Kevin Fitz-Gerald and Alan Smith at USC, Martin Katz and Graham Johnson at Songfest, Marc Silverman, and John Forconi at the Manhattan School of Music. With her passion for vocal repertoire, she is well versed in the diction of French, German, Italian, Spanish, Russian, and Latin.

Dr. Liu has served on the faculty for Songfest’s Young Artist Program, Intimate Opera Company’s Summer Youth Vocal Workshop, and LA Opera Camp. She has served as a staff accompanist at Manhattan School of Music as well as an opera coach at USC, Azusa Pacific University, and University of Redlands. Since 2011, she has been principal pianist for the National Children’s Chorus. In addition, she is on the faculty at Chapman University, and works closely with Los Angeles Opera’s Education Program.