By Kareena Dhillon
Staff Writer
Singing, running, and learning have one thing in common; they are all things Pnina Tofler spends hours every week doing.
Pnina Tofler, a freshman at Costa, is in a nationally ranked choir called the National Children’s Chorus in Los Angeles. Tofler is in the Premier Division which is ages 11-17. She has been a member for 5 years. Upon acceptance, members are expected to perform at the professional level and must have confidence as a solo and group performer.
“I’m really proud of her, I know this choir means a lot to her. She spends hours on it every week,” freshman at Costa and friend of Tofler, Rachel Clinton said. “I know that it’s a really great thing for her to do. I’m happy that she’s involved.”
The National Children’s Chorus is one of few youth arts organizations in the world to have its concert series presented by professional music halls, according to the NCC’s website. They hold concerts several times a year with a Fall and Spring Showcase. In addition to private vocal study, a full range of musicianship courses are included as part of the curriculum, according to the NCC.
Video: The National Children’s Choir singing “The First Noel” at a performance on October of 2016 at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The National Children’s Choir is one of America’s leading treble chorus. Courtesy of NCChorus.
“The NCC has affected me in where music is a huge impact in my life,” Diaz said. “It’s taught me to learn and expand my knowledge on the different cultures of music around the world.”
When Tofler was nine, her mother signed her up to audition for the program. According to Tofler, she always sang in the school choir so this wasn’t anything new to her. She sang a scale, a set of musical notes at a set pitch, at the audition. About two months later, she received an email of acceptance. Soon after, Tofler started going to practice at the Schoenberg Hall at Ucla, where she practices to this day.
“Pnina is an amazing student,” fellow singer Shaday Diaz at the NCC said. “She has a more sophisticated music taste for her age and has improved in her vocals through the years she’s been in it.”
Tofler has been an alto for a year and a half. In the junior division ages 5-12 parts are switched. However an alto is Tofler’s permanent part as she is in a much older division now. She also takes composition which is the highest music theory class offered. In that class Tofler writes music, and has even written a pop song.
“I was only nine so I feel like if I was auditioning now I would be more hesitant because I have so many more extracurricular activities,” Tofler said. “In the younger groups you have to memorize the songs. I feel like it’s really an advantage to have been in the younger group.”
With concerts throughout the year, Tofler has performed at Carnegie Hall, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Xian City Wall, Great Wall of China, Royce Hall, and the Lincoln Center. Tofler is going on a tour to Italy in early July of 2017 with the chorus. They will do performances and musical appearances in Venice, Florence, and Rome.
“Last year we went to China on a tour so most of our songs were in Chinese. This year we’re going to Italy so one of our combined pieces is in Italian,” Tofler said. “It’s changed so much, there were about thirty people at my audition and now there’s hundreds.”
Although Tofler doesn’t wish to make a career out of singing, she hopes to advance to the next division, Scholars, which is the highest and most experienced in the program. Tofler has volunteered at the auditions and marveled at how much the organization has changed in the years she’s been involved in the program, Tofler said.
“It’s more of like an extracurricular activity. Something that will help me advance as a person. I know it has. It’s made me more mature,” Tofler said. “We’re always doing different music and I really like it.”
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