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The American Boychoir School is a music boarding school and day school located in Hopewell, NJ, New Jersey. It is one of only two boychoir boarding schools in the United States, the other being Saint Thomas Choir School in New York City. The school serves boys in grades 4–8 who come from across the United States as well as many countries.[1] The school was fictionalized in the 2014 film Boychoir.
On April 10, 2015 the school filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy stating it needed $350,000 to finish the school year and $3,000,000 to come out of bankruptcy and open for the next academic year.[2] On April 14, 2015 the school announced it would end the school year early, on May 16 or 17, instead of reaching the normal time for graduation, the second week of June.[3]
The American Boychoir performs in concerts across the United States and at international venues.[4] On average, the choir makes over 200 appearances in four to five major tours annually. In its history, the choir has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, The St. Olaf Choir, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and several opera singers including Jessye Norman, Frederica von Stade and Kathleen Battle. The choir has had television appearances on NBC's Today show and is featured on sixteen recordings. One of its members in 1951–1952, Chet Allen was cast as Amahl in Gian Carlo Menotti's first ever opera for television, Amahl and the Night Visitors on the Hallmark Hall of Fame, then on NBC.[5]
In the 2004–2005 season, the boychoir performed at the 77th annual Academy Awards with pop singer Beyoncé Knowles[6] and with Jessye Norman before the United States Open (tennis) women's singles final. The choir also had tours across the United States and Canada, an appearance in Boston and at Carnegie Hall in celebration of James Levine’s inaugural season as Music Director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as six performances with the Philadelphia Orchestra.[7]
The American Boychoir is subdivided into two choirs: the Concert Choir and the Training Choir. The Concert Choir, currently conducted by Fernando Malvar- Ruiz, performs and tours regularly while Training Choir, currently conducted by Fred Meads, is made up of first year students that receive training in order to move up to the Concert Choir when they are ready. Boys join the choir by auditioning while visiting the school, or auditioning after Boychoir performances at concert sites or after school programs. An alumnus may join the Alumni Chorus, conducted by music director emeritus, James Litton.[8] Auditions are required for enrollment into The American Boychoir School.
The American Boychoir School is located at a summer camp in Hopewell, NJ as of September 2015, and has 31 boys in the school.
Graduates of The American Boychoir School go on to high schools around the country – public and private.[9]
The school is a fully accredited member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.[10] and Middle States Association.
The American Boychoir School is a non-profit, non-sectarian organization. The School welcomes does not discriminate in its admissions, scholarship programs or activities on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, gender or religion.[11]
The American Boychoir has two distinct summer music programs: Camp Albemarle and The American Boychoir Experience.
Camp Albemarle provides choruses, a musicianship training program and a small group vocal instruction training program.[12]
The American Boychoir Experience is for boys ages 9–12 only, and provides the experience of one week in the life of an American Boychoir student without the academic classes. This professional experience in choral training culminates in a Tour Bus event in addition to traditional summer activities.[12]
The week includes choral training, music theory, and a tour bus and media event. An audition is necessary to participate in The American Boychoir Experience.
The choir and school were founded in Columbus, Ohio in 1937, by Herbert Huffman who believed that "the experience of performing the great choral literature – and performing it at the highest professional levels – could have a profound effect on the academic, social and moral development of boys".[14] Founded originally as the Columbus Boychoir, the group moved to Princeton in 1950. It changed its name to the American Boychoir in 1980.[15]
Former choir directors at the choir school include Herbert Huffman (founder), Donald Bryant, Robert W. Haley, Howard Jewell, Donald G. Hanson, John Kuzma, Jim Litton, Craig Denison, Wallace Hornady and Nathan Wadley.
From 1985 to 2001, the choir was conducted by James Litton, an expert on children's choral techniques and vocal production. Regarded as one of America's prominent choral conductors, Litton led the boychoir in more than 2,000 concerts in 49 states and 12 nations. Litton also introduced the changing voice and established SATB sections in the choir. He helped recognize that all boys should continue singing regardless of their voice change.[16]
In April, 2002, The New York Times reported sexual abuse which had taken place at the Boychoir School several decades earlier by Choir Director Donald G. Hanson and other staff.[17] In court documents, the American Boychoir claimed that it had no duty to protect children in their care from sexual abuse and that children who were abused were themselves negligent for not bringing the abuse to light. One of the students who had claimed that he was victimized was constitutional scholar Lawrence Lessig, who has represented another student, John Hardwicke, in his lawsuit against the school.[18] In its court filings, the school claimed that Hardwicke, then 12, had consented to sex and said that he was negligent in not reporting the incident at the time.[17] Many other boys have now come forward and said they were sexually abused, either by staff members or other older students enrolled at the school. This abuse occurred in the 1970s, 1980's, and even into the late 1990s. The school has now adopted new policies to protect the boys from further sexual abuse, but has paid over $850,000 in settlement money to one victim to avoid further lawsuits.
On August 8, 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled against the school's appeal of a lower court decision.[19][20] The school had contended that the state's charitable immunity act protected it from liability in sexual abuse lawsuits brought by former students. The court found that the Charitable Immunity Act immunizes charities for negligence only; it does not bar statutory or common-law claims that are based on willful, wanton or grossly negligent conduct.[21][22] The school's lawyers requested the New Jersey Supreme Court to reconsider the decision, claiming the ruling represented a major extension of vicarious liability.[23] On January 5, 2006, then-Governor of New Jersey Richard Codey signed bill S540/A2512 into New Jersey law, ending the Boychoir's charitable immunity defense, and making New Jersey the 48th state to allow victims of childhood sex abuse to sue churches, schools and other non-profits for the actions of their staff.[24]
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