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AMERICAN BOYCHOIR ANNOUNCES
ACTING RESIDENT TRAINING CHOIR DIRECTOR FOR '05-'06 CONCERT SEASON
Princeton, NJ (August 25, 2005) The American Boychoir School is pleased to announce that Nathan A. Wadley (ABS '91), has been appointed the Acting Director of the Resident Training Choir for the 2005-2006 concert season. Lynnel Joy Jenkins, Resident Training Choir Director, is currently on leave from The American Boychoir School to pursue doctoral studies in choral conducting at the University of Arizona. Ms. Jenkins has also been granted a leave of absence from Westminster Choir College of Rider University, where she serves as Assistant Professor of Music Education.
Mr. Wadley's choral training began at the age of ten, when he became a chorister with The American Boychoir under the direction of James Litton. Last year, he returned to his musical home to fill the role of Proctor, accompanying the Choir on two tours and one trip to The 77th Annual Academy Awards Ceremony. Now, Mr. Wadley will fill some very different shoes. "Having been a student at The American Boychoir School, it is an honor to return to such an amazing musical institution as a music director," said Mr. Wadley. "With the Resident Training Choir, I am entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the lives of remarkable young men through their passion for singing. This incredible opportunity to teach our boys not only how to sing, but to truly enjoy music, is the greatest testament of what The American Boychoir has given to me, and what I hope to be able to give in return."
"The Resident Training Choir," Mr. Wadley continued, "is intended to prepare choirboys for their experience as members of the Concert Choir. Bearing this in mind, my goals are primarily to work very closely with Mr. Malvar and Dr. Litton to ensure the boys' success, and to instill in them a deep love of choral music through their experience as members of this unparalleled ensemble. Combining my education and training as a conductor with my experiences as a choirboy, it is my wish to connect with each of our new singers in a way that will make his time at The American Boychoir School truly memorable."
A gifted choral conductor and music educator, Nathan Wadley holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music as well as a Masters Degree in Choral Conducting from Southwest Missouri State University, where he was awarded a graduate assistantship under Dr. Guy B. Webb. In addition he holds Level I and Level II certificates in Kodály pedagogy. Mr. Wadley has conducted such operas as Hänsel und Gretel, Trial by Jury and Novelllus, Novellus with the SMSU (Southwest Missouri State University) Opera Workshop and The Marriage of Figaro with the Springfield Regional Opera. He has also appeared in the United States and in Europe as an Assistant Conductor for the SMSU Concert Chorale, and has been a featured Conductor on three of their recordings.
Fernando Malvar-Ruiz, Litton-Lodal Music Director, had this to say about Mr. Wadley's recent appointment, "I have known Nathan since I joined the school five years ago. From the moment I met him, he impressed me with not only his musical intuition but his personal character. Nathan is the first ABS alumnus to become a music director at the American Boychoir School and, obviously, he has an intimate knowledge of the Choir and its inner workings. It is with great pleasure that I welcome back Nathan Wadley to the American Boychoir in his new capacity. I look forward to a fantastic year from the Resident Training Choir under his leadership."
James Litton, Nathan's former choirmaster and current Music Director Emeritus adds, "Nathan Wadley is one of the finest choristers that I had during my sixteen years as Music Director of The American Boychoir. He has natural musical and vocal gifts, and he has continued to develop these gifts well. As a chorister, he performed many outstanding solos in concerts and on recordings. I am very proud of his decision to major in vocal performance and choral conducting in college and in graduate studies."
"He now is ready to move into professional conducting, and it gives me the greatest pleasure to know that he will become the Acting Director of The American Boychoir School's Resident Training Choir next season, thus returning to his musical "roots," and passing on his musical training and experience to the next generation of American Boychoir choristers."
In addition to his new position at the Boychoir, Mr. Wadley will continue to serve as full time Music Teacher and Choral Director at the Waldorf School in Princeton, NJ.
Founded in 1937 and based in Princeton, New Jersey, The American Boychoir is the nation¹s most widely touring and frequently performing choral ensemble. The Choir averages 150 performances annually including concerts with some of the world's finest orchestras. Its members boys in grades 5 through 8 - come from around the country to pursue a rigorous academic and musical curriculum at The American Boychoir School, the only non-sectarian residential boys' choir school in the country. The students represent 20 states in the U.S., as well as the countries of Colombia, South Korea and Switzerland.
This program is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding has been provided by the New Jersey Cultural Trust.