“The American Boychoir School is closing its doors after 80 years amid falling enrollment and its continuing financial struggles,” writes Cristina Rojas in Thursday’s (8/16) Star Ledger (Newark, N.J.). The choir performed frequently with orchestras in New Jersey and New York in addition to its own concerts. “ ‘Students whom we had expected to return decided not to do so, and our recruiting efforts for new students failed to materialize at levels we had seen in recent years,’ said Rob D’Avanzo, the chairman of the board of trustees…. ABS nearly closed at the end of the 2015 school year and filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection … D’Avanzo said, … ‘ABS does not have the cash it needs to open the school and cannot reasonably anticipate revenues that would allow it to finish the school year if it does open.’ … Throughout its 80-year history, the choir has performed for presidents, on television and radio, and at places like Carnegie Hall and the Academy Awards.… But the school also made news in 2002 when the New York Times detailed a pattern of sexual abuse of students…. A former dean of students, Thomas Curran, was charged with sexually assaulting an 11-year-old boy in 2014.”
Posted August 17, 2017
