Get to know TCU CB Tre’Vius HodgesTomlinson | Pick 182 National Children’s Chorus

1) Tell us about why you started the NCC in Los Angeles and how it’s grown?

As someone who grew up singing and learning to play the piano since six years old, music was always a big part of me. While I loved performing on stage in recitals and concerts myself, I also noticed how moved I could be when witnessing phenomenal music as a member of the audience. In my teens, I would often dream and fantasize about creating music for others so thrilling and inspiring that it would bring immeasurable joy to everyone who heard it. As fate would have it, during one particular concert at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in my early twenties (when English was my UCLA major, and law school just ahead), the opening measures of the orchestra that night were so beautiful that I said to myself, “This is it; this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.” There was a knowing that flashed within me at that moment which I now see as a calling, and I have never questioned it or looked back.

In deciding to create the National

Children’s Chorus in 2008, I wanted more than anything to provide a place for young musicians to express themselves, engage with world-class collaborators, and be immersed in extraordinary artistry. The result would be experiences for them that were meaningful, connected, and life- changing. To achieve my vision, the organization would have to operate on a level never before attempted in our industry. We would need a large infrastructure that could effectively train young voices consistently and coordinate logistics from across the nation, ultimately allowing students one of the best deep-ball defenders in the NCAA last season, and overall, he allowed just 28 catches on 81 targets for 365 yards, 75 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 42.5.” to take the stage at iconic venues and share their music together as one. Thus, the National Children’s Chorus was born, and while its humble beginnings can count only a few members, we now educate more than 1,000 children in seven chapter cities.

2) What have been some of the biggest challenges and successes in running and growing this organization nationwide?

I think the most obvious challenges at first were just convincing people of this idea. A cohesive national structure for a world-class children’s chorus had never been done before. It seemed way too big, and much too ambitious. The concept would also require a weekly bicoastal travel schedule for me, along with the associated costs of running