Natalie: Lori, you have been a part of Pacific Chorale since the beginning — first as an accompanist under John Alexander, then educator and Founding Director of Pacific Chorale’s Children’s Chorus, now Southern California Children’s Chorus (SCCC), and as an enthusiastic supporter and champion of choral music in Orange County more broadly. What makes Pacific Chorale stand out as an organization you are passionate about supporting?

Lori: I was honored to work as the accompanist for the Pacific Chorale for nearly two decades. The Chorale, and with John Alexander, changed my life as a musician. I also made a ton of friends during my time in the Chorale – we worked hard and we had just so much fun together even though we were from different walks of life. The consistency of the Chorale, the excellence of the Chorale at that time in my life was just an extraordinary experience. It is important for me to give back to an organization that has shaped my life, and my career, so profoundly.

Natalie: Your generous $30,000 matching gift for the Pre-Season Appeal inspired over $25,000 in new donations to Pacific Chorale this fall. Thank you! What motivated you and John [Loftus] to step forward in this way?

Lori: John and I believe in stepping forward when something truly matters to us, and Pacific Chorale means the world to us both. We met and got married because of Pacific Chorale, in fact! Years ago, we began an initiative to put pianos in schools because we understood how important it IS to have excellent instruments to help develop the musical training of children. Supporting the Chorale with this match felt like a natural extension of that belief: when we invest in choral music, we are investing in the community that grows around it.

Natalie: How do you see Pacific Chorale helping to provide opportunities for future singers and grow future audiences?

Lori: Pacific Chorale is full of promise. The singers are sounding better than ever before. It is my belief that as soon as you can get kids singing in a choir like SCCC, the experience sets them up for success to be fine musicians. More importantly, the kids become well-rounded, sensitive individuals in a world that is increasingly distracted. I am so proud to see so many of my kids who participated in SCCC now singing with the Chorale; it’s a wonderful sort of “pipeline” we are building between the two organizations. In my view, the existing collaborations between SCCC and the Chorale, as well as proprietary programs like Pacific Chorale Academy for kids in grades 2-6, are essential in bringing more people to our concerts because of course, families want to come and see their kids onstage and experience the personal growth where choral music leads us.

Natalie: What would you say to someone who cherishes Pacific Chorale’s performances, as you do, but hasn’t yet joined as a donor?

Lori: This is a very critical question and thank you for asking it. When someone says, “I love the Chorale, but I can’t give that much,” I always tell them that every gift makes a real difference, especially for a small organization like Pacific Chorale. At a larger organization, a modest donation can easily get absorbed into a vast budget, and it can be hard to see the direct results of your support. At Pacific Chorale, your $100 donation will bring a student to their first performance through the Intro to the Arts program; your $500 donation allows a high school student to gain confidence singing in front of their peers for a week at Choral Camp before they set their sights on a music degree at Cal State Fullerton. We also need to remember that our support today, no matter what the level, keeps this art form alive for the next generation. If this generation doesn’t invest in live performance, we risk losing it. We need to ask ourselves: what are we leaving behind?