Members of the American Boychoir.

The American Boychoir School is a music boarding school located in Princeton, New Jersey whose students make up the largest non-sectarian boys' choir in the United States, the American Boychoir . The school has grade 5-8 students from all over the United States. Image File history File links Americanboychoir. ... Image File history File links Americanboychoir. ... A boarding school is a school where some or all students not only study but also live, amongst their peers but away from their home and family. ... Nassau Street, Princetons main street. ... Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Trenton Largest city Newark Area  Ranked 47th  - Total 8,729 sq mi (22,608 km²)  - Width 70 miles (110 km)  - Length 150 miles (240 km)  - % water 14. ... A choir or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. ...

The Choir

The American Boychoir is regarded as one of the nation's premier choral groups, singing in many concerts across the United States and internationally. The choir makes over 200 appearances in four to five major tours annually. In its prolific history, the choir has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, and several opera singers Jessye Norman, Frederica von Stade and Kathleen Battle. The choir has had numerous television appearances on NBC's Today show and is featured on 16 recordings. The New York Philharmonic is the oldest active symphony orchestra in the United States. ... The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the worlds leading orchestras. ... The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the worlds most renowned orchestras. ... Yo-Yo Ma (Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: MÇŽ YÇ’uyÇ’u) (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born Chinese American virtuoso cellist, considered one of the finest in the world. ... New Orleans-born jazz and classical artist and composer Wynton Marsalis Wynton Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter and composer. ... Jessye Norman (born September 15, 1945) is an American soprano opera singer. ... Frederica von Stade (b. ... Kathleen Battle Kathleen Battle (born August 13, 1948) is an American soprano. ... It has been suggested that NBC Radio City Studios, NBC Studios be merged into this article or section. ... Today, commonly referred to as The Today Show to avoid ambiguity, is an American morning news and talk show airing weekday mornings on the NBC television network. ...

In the 2004-2005 season, the boychoir performed at the 77th annual Academy Awards with pop diva Beyonce Knowles and with Jessye Norman before the United States Open (tennis) women's singles final. Other highlights included tours across the United States and into 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. The references in this article would be clearer with a different and/or consistent style of citation, footnoting or external linking. ... Beyoncé in 2004 with her five Grammys. ... The United States Open tennis tournament, commonly referred to as the U.S. Open (or as simply the Open in the U.S. only), is the fourth and final event of the Grand Slam tennis tournaments. ... Nickname: City on the Hill, Beantown, The Hub (of the Universe)1, Athens of America, The Cradle of Revolution, Puritan City, Americas Walking City Location in Massachusetts, USA Counties Suffolk County Mayor Thomas M. Menino(D) Area    - City 232. ... Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City located at 881 7th Avenue, occupying the east stretch of 7th Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street. ... James Levine (born June 23, 1943 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American orchestral pianist and conductor and most well known as the music director of the Metropolitan Opera in New York. ... The Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the worlds most renowned orchestras. ... The Philadelphia Orchestra, based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the Big Five symphony orchestras in the United States and usually considered among the finest in the world. ...

The American Boychoir is separated into two choirs: the Concert Choir and the Resident Training Choir. The Concert Choir, conducted by Fernando Malvar- Ruiz, performs and tours regularly while Resident Training Choir is made up of first year students that receive training in order to move up to the Concert Choir. Boys join the choir by auditioning while visiting the school, or auditioning after Boychoir performances at concert sites or after school programs.

History

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".[5] Founded originally as the Columbus Boychoir, the group moved to Princeton in 1950. It changed its name to the American Boychoir in 1980.^[1] Nickname: The Arch City The Discovery City Location in the state of Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio Counties Franklin, Delaware, and Fairfield Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D) Area    - City 550. ... Members of the American Boychoir. ...

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. [6] James Litton directed the American Boychoir from 1986 to 2001. ...

Recently, the school has suffered in reputation due to revelations of sexual abuse of students by former staff members, mainly in the early 1970s. In April, 2002, The New York Times uncovered sexual abuse which had taken place at the Boychoir School several decades earlier.^[2] ABCNews' Nightline confronted John Ellis, the former school president with these charges and Ellis stood by the school's lawyers position that young children had "consented" to the abuse. In court documents, the American Boychoir claimed that it had no duty to protect children in their care from sexual abuse by staff and that children who were abused were themselves negligent for not bringing the abuse to light. One of the students victimized was constitutional scholar Lawrence Lessig, who has represented another student, John Hardwicke, in his lawsuit against the school. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Nightline is a late-night hard news program broadcast by ABC in the United States, and has a franchised formula to other networks and stations elsewhere in the world. ... Lawrence Lessig Lawrence Lessig (born June 3, 1961) is an American academic. ...

On August 8, 2006, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled against the school's appeal of a lower court decision.^[3][4] 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.^[5][6] The school's lawyers requested the New Jersey Supreme Court to reconsider the decision, claiming the ruling represented a major extension of vicarious liability.^[7] August 8 is the 220th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (221st in leap years), with 145 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Jersey Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S. state of New Jersey. ...

On January 5, 2006, 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.^[8] The Governor of New Jersey is the chief executive of the U.S. state of New Jersey. ... Richard Codey, Governor of New Jersey Richard James Codey (born November 27, 1946 in Orange, New Jersey) is an American politician. ...

The allegations against the school have received great attention because they were exposed immediately after the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal. In the late 20th century, and especially at the turn of the 21st, the Catholic Church in several countries was confronted with a series of allegations concerning sexual abuse of children under the legal age of consent ¹ by Catholic clergy and religious. ...

In 2001, the school raised eyebrows among parents when it named an openly gay man, Vincent Metallo, to be the head choir director. Mr. Metallo enjoyed a brief tenure of mixed success before leaving to pursue his doctorate. He was replaced by Fernando Malvar-Ruiz.

The School

The American Boychoir School is located on a 17-acre campus in Princeton. Classes, rehearsals and meals all take place in a large brick Georgian mansion known as Albemarle. Three stories high, with 50-odd rooms, the mansion was once the summer home of Gerard Lambert, the founder of Warner-Lambert, a chemical company. On campus there are two dormitories, soccer field, outdoor swimming pool as well as a fenced, multipurpose tennis court with basketball hoops. Pfizer, Incorporated (NYSE: PFE), is a global pharmaceutical company based in New York City. ...

Students at the American Boychoir School receive both a normal, middle school education as well as extensive music training. Classes begin at 8:00 and continue until 12:35, lunch. The curriculum includes Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, Technology and Spanish. In the afternoon, the boys take written and aural music theory classes, receive vocal technique training and attend physical education class. Rehearsals start later in the afternoon and end at 6:45, with a one-hour rest period in between. Then the boys eat dinner and attend study hall. Middle school (also known as intermediate school or junior high school) covers a period of education that straddles primary education and secondary education, serving as a bridge between the two. ... Music theory is a field of study that investigates the nature or mechanics of music. ... Physical instruction at the U.S. Naval Training Station, Newport, RI, 1917 In most educational systems, physical education (PE), also called physical training (PT) or gym in less progressive settings, is a course in the curriculum which utilizes learning in the cognitive, affective and psycho motor domains in a play...

The school offers some intramural sports in which most boys participate, including soccer, basketball, cross-country running, tennis, flag football, and ultimate. In the United States and Canada intramural sports (informally, Intramurals, and more commonly Intramural recreation) refers to games and recreational activities organized within the walls of a school that build upon the skills learned in physical education classes. ... Football is a ball game played between two teams of eleven players, each attempting to win by scoring more goals than their opponent. ... Sara Giauro shoots a three-point shot, FIBA Europe Cup for Women Finals 2005. ... US Armed Forces cross country meet Cross-country running is a sport in which teams of runners compete to complete a course over open or rough terrain before other teams. ... A tennis net Tennis is a game played between either two players (singles) or two teams of two players (doubles). Players use a stringed racquet to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponents court. ... An Intramural game of co-ed flag football at the University of Texas at Austin Flag football is a version of American football that is popular across the United States and Europe. ... Ultimate (often called ultimate Frisbee) is a competitive non-contact team sport played with a flying disc. ...

The school is a member of the New Jersey Association of Independent Schools The New Jersey Association of Independent Schools (NJAIS) serves independent elementary and secondary schools throughout the state of New Jersey. ...

References

1. ^ Princeton Patron article.
2. ^ Diana Jean Schemo, "Decades of Sex Abuse Are Described at Choir School in New Jersey, New York Times, April 16, 2002.
3. ^ Institutional Liability and Statutes of Limitation in Sexual Abuse cases, Hardwick v. American Boychoir School, 902 A. 2d 900 (N.J. 2006), School Law Reporter vol. 48 no. 11 (Nov. 2006).[1]
4. ^ Text of NJ Supreme Court decision.
5. ^ http://www.towntopics.com/aug1606/story1.html
6. ^ High court clears way for school sex abuse suit ; Rules negligence protection law doesn't apply; BETH DeFALCO, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. The Record. Bergen County, N.J.: Aug 9, 2006. pg. A.04 [2]
7. ^ New Jersey Lawyer Online, News Brief 2006-08-21, "Lawyer: Boychoir decision expands vicarious liability" [3]
8. ^ Deborah Howlett, Newark Star-Ledger, January 6, 2006, "Charities lose sex-lawsuit -- Codey signs bill allowing legal action against pedophiles' employers", cite from here. Note that the linked citation's date is incorrectly stated as June 6. Correct date was retrieved from Star Ledger archive search.[4]

The New York Times is an internationally known daily newspaper published in New York City and distributed in the United States and many other nations worldwide. ... Heroes stamp using the Thomas E. Franklin photo The Record (also called The Bergen Record, although this has never been the newspapers name) is the second largest daily newspaper in the US state of New Jersey. ... The Star-Ledger is the leading newspaper in New Jersey. ...

External links

• American Boychoir School
• Friends & Family of ABS Alumni
• Child Protection Statement - official policy of the American Boychoir School
• American Boychoir School - Decades of Sexual Abuse - advocacy site
• Lawrence Lessig and the American Boychoir School - May 2005 article