Mountain Views News          Saturday, May 10, 2014

SECTION BSATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014 
AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY & THE STATE 
SECTION BSATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014 
AROUND SAN GABRIEL VALLEY & THE STATE 
LOS ANGELES 
CHILDREN’S 
CHORUS 
HOLDS 
AUDITIONS 
JUNE 5-8, 
2014 

Renowned Chorus 
Seeks Talented Boys 
and Girls Ages 8 to 12 
Who Love to Sing 

Los Angeles Children’s Chorus (LACC), 
one of the nation’s leading children’s 
choirs, is holding auditions for boys and 
girls ages 8 (by September 1, 2014) to 12 
on June 5-8, 2014, in Pasadena. Previous 
singing experience is not necessary, but 
audition appointments are required. 

LACC’s program focuses on 
training children who may not 
necessarily have had previous singing 

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experience, but who love to sing. 
Successful candidates will demonstrate 
the ability to match pitch, follow 
instructions, and thrive in a structured, 
but supportive learning environment. 
Children audition in groups of five to 
ensure their comfort, and no preparation 
is necessary. 

Under the artistic direction of Anne 
Tomlinson, Los Angeles Children’s 
Chorus, currently in its 28th season, 
provides a comprehensive music 
education and performance program 
for children of diverse cultural 
and economic backgrounds in Los 
Angeles County. LACC comprises 6 
progressively experienced choirs with 
choristers ranging in age from 8 to 18 who 
hail from 50 communities throughout 
Southern California. (Younger singers 
are encouraged to enroll in LACC’s First 
Experiences in Singing classes for 6- and 
7-year-olds offered in Pasadena.) 

Rehearsals for entry-level choirs are once 
a week at Pasadena Presbyterian Church. 
In addition, all children starting in 
Apprentice Choir take musicianship 
classes (a seven level curriculum) and 
receive individual vocal training. They 
receive mid- and end-of-year evaluations 
as well. Repertoire is selected to fit each 
choir’s skill level and focuses on classical 
works, but also encompasses folk music 
from around the world, spirituals, gospel 
songs and jazz, as well as new music. 

High-profile performance opportunitiesare an important and integral part of the 
program and include two culminating 
Winter and Spring concerts each year, 
plus performances at major civic events. 
LACC’s premier choirs perform with 
the Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA 
Opera, Los Angeles Master Chorale, 
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and 
the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, among 
other prestigious music presenters. 

There is a $50 charge per audition. 
Audition scholarships are need-based 
and scholarship applications are 
available upon request. Auditions will be 
held at Pasadena Presbyterian Church, 
located at 585 East Colorado Boulevard 
in Pasadena, California 91101. 

For more information or to make 
an audition appointment, please 
call (626) 793-4231 or visit www. 
lachildrenschorus.org. 

HILLSIDES MOTHER AND DAUGHTER 
LEARN WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT THIS 

MOTHER’S DAY 

(PASADENA, CA) For some women, 
Mother’s Day is a joyous occasion to honor 
their moms. For others, it’s more a rite of 
obligation. And for still others, who are 
dealing with a chronic illness of a mother, 
the holiday takes on a special poignancy. 

Hillsides Chief Advancement Officer 
Nancy Garni was diagnosed with leukemia 
in January. She’s undergone three rounds 
of chemotherapy, is soon to face a fourth, 
and is awaiting a stem cell transplant that 
will give her the best chance of a recovery. 
Besides being a driving force at Hillsides 
where Garni has worked for more than 25 
years, she is also a mother. Her daughter, 
Kati Farina, is 23 and also works at 
Hillsides. 

Mother’s Day has always meant a lot to 
Farina because she is an only child and was 
raised primarily by her mother after her 
parents split up when she was two. But this 
year, said Farina, “I’ve never been more 
grateful to have my mom in my life. I’ve 
realized that everything I have and who I 
am today, is because of her. She is so kind and generous, 
and has such a strong spirit. I am so happy to be able to 
be with her that day and enjoy the time with her.” 

The months since Garni’s diagnosis have not been 
easy for Farina, but she says she has gained strength 
from the way her mother has handled her illness. “Her 
commitment to and persistence in beating this [disease] 
makes me even much more appreciative of being her 
daughter,” she said. 

Garni draws her strength in part from her decision to 
control what she can in her life. “I refuse to be defined as 
a sick person,” she said. “Every day, I get up, and think 
about two – three things I want to get done in the day, 
and this sustains me.” 

She’s a person of faith, she adds. “I have to believe there 
is a cure on the horizon for me.” She also feels she is in 
the best hands possible – those of Dr. Stephen Forman 
at City of Hope in Duarte, CA. Dr. Forman is a co-
leader of the Hematologic Malignancies Program and 
an international expert in leukemia and lymphoma. 

In addition, Garni is focused on giving back, just as she 
has for the last quarter of the century at Hillsides. She is 
dedicated to spreading the message about the need for 
stem cell donors for patients with leukemia and other 
blood cancers. “This keeps me focused on hope, rather 
than on the reality of my disease,” she said. 

Both mom and daughter have discovered that unforeseen 
benefits have come along with the illness. “I try to see 
it as a blessing as it’s helped me crystallize what’s really 


important in my life, my family: Kati, and my husband 
Mike,” said Garni. 

Farina’s priorities have changed as well. “The trauma I’ve 
experienced has been like nothing else, and it’s jolted 
me into realizing I have to take care of myself,” she said. 
She now makes sure to eat healthy and most nights after 
work, walks the three-mile loop around the Pasadena 
Rose Bowl. 

For Mother’s Day, Farina, Garni, Garni’s husband, and 
some friends will be going out to one of Garni’s favorite 
restaurants for lunch and then will sit in Garni’s English 
garden at her home in Pasadena, CA for dessert and 
presents. 

Both are real treats for Garni. Due to the risk of infection 
caused by a low white blood cell count, since starting 
treatment she has been unable to go out in public or 
enjoy her garden where she used to spend hours tending 
her hydrangeas, rhododendrons, and lavender plants. 

Garni’s blood cell count is currently stable enough for her 
to spend time in the garden on Mother’s Day and to even 
don a pair of gardening gloves and help her daughter and 
husband do some planting. 

 “We’ve both learned to appreciate the moment,” said 
Farina. “That’s what we will be doing, surrounded by 
family and friends, this Sunday.” 

Above: Nancy Garni and her daughter, Kati Farina. 
Photo courtesy of Jerry Camarillo, fotoaztecstudio.com. 

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