|
The Allen C. Lannom Endowment Trust
Advancing the Choral Art into the next millennium |
 |
About the Endowment Trust
Allen C. Lannom has been a leader in choral music for over fifty years. He has had a distinguished career in which he has conducted public school, church, community, and college and university choirs. In addition, he has taught choral conducting and courses in choral literature and techniques at Boston University and the Boston Conservatory. Upon his retirement from Boston University School for the Arts, Mr. Lannom was appointed Professor Emeritus. Many outstanding choral conductors are honored to call Allen Lannom their mentor. He is recognized nationally for his commitment to excellence in the choral art and is a Past President of the Eastern Division of the American Choral Directors Association.
The Executive Board of the Massachusetts American Choral Directors Association has discussed for several years the best way to honor Allen for his outstanding leadership in choral music. Many of us have studied and sung with Allen and have appreciated the quality of his teaching and conducting. He has given us a vision for excellence and provided us with the tools to achieve that in our choral organizations. Some of us have received direct benefit in our own chorale ensembles because Allen has inspired our students as he has led them in workshops and performances of large choral works with full orchestra. Allen C. Lannom has been both mentor and friend to choral conductors all over the United States.
We wanted to establish a fund in Allen's name that would be used to provide choral conductors with the types of experiences and opportunities that would increase their ability to achieve excellence in choral conducting. To that end, we decided to pursue the establishment of the Allen C. Lannom Endowment Trust.
The purpose of the Trust is to advocate for the choral art by providing funding for the mentorship of choral conductors that will enhance their musical understanding and artistry in conducting. Conductors can often feel isolated and it was felt that the Trust could be instrumental in providing funding for communities of conductors from all types of choral interests. Allen could continue to have a positive impact on choral music through the Endowment Trust. This is appropriate for someone who has modeled for us what it is to be a life-long learner and mentor.
It is in that spirit that we seek to establish a means for continuing his important contribution to the choral art. If you would like to join us in contributing to this effort, please print and fill out the Donation Form found here, enclose a check made payable to the Allen C. Lannom Endowment Trust, and mail to:
Faith Lueth
8 Irving Drive
Walpole, MA 02081
All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Faith M. Lueth
Past President, Massachusetts Chapter
American Choral Directors Association
Purposes of the Endowment Trust
 | To honor the lifelong contribution of Allen C. Lannom to the choral art and to recognize his commitment to choral excellence, his generosity in mentoring young conductors, and his regard for the study of the musical score. |
| To advocate for the choral art by providing funding for the mentorship of choral conductors in ways that will enhance their musical understanding and proficiency in the art of conducting. |
| To provide funding for conductors to increase their understanding of the choral art through a variety of experiences and opportunities beyond the classroom. |
| To encourage the establishment of " communities of conductors" from a variety of choral settings that would meet on a regular basis to share ideas about choral music and its performance. This funding might facilitate the inclusion of nationally recognized conductors, artists, or composers who are not part of the local "community of conductors." |
| To underwrite the cost for a conductor to participate in a workshop or similar setting in order to provide mentorship or to provide learning in a specific area of the choral art. |
| To provide funding for collaboration between conductors and their choral ensembles in a way that furthers the concept of mentorship. |
| To provide financial assistance for choral conductors to learn the art of orchestral conducting through working with an orchestra and an appropriate mentor. |
About Allen C. Lannom
Allen Lannom has significantly influenced both singers and choral conductors for over fifty years.
A graduate of Occidental College, he has conducted public school, university, community and church choirs.
As a graduate student, with his mentor Dr. Howard Swan he became a member of an informal group of choral conductors which met regularly for three years to share ideas about choral music and its performance.
Mr. Lannom studied at the Julliard School with Robert Shaw. As Shaw's assistant, he met Julius Herford, the country's most influential teacher of choral conductors. Lannom was largely responsible for spreading Herford's influence through West Coast workshops with choral conductors.
As director of the City of Los Angeles' adult choral program, he supervised fifteen community choruses and conducted the combined choruses in joint concerts. He also inaugurated a series of church choral concerts that incorporated professional orchestras.
For three decades Mr. Lannom conducted choral organizations and taught voice and conducting at Boston University School of Music. Upon his retirement in 1982 he was appointed Professor Emeritus. Lannom then became Director of Choral Activities at the Boston Conservatory for seventeen years.
Mr. Lannom has been Minister of Music at Plymouth Church in Framingham, Massachusetts for three decades. He retired in June of 2005 as Artistic Director of the Masterworks Chorale. In that capacity he established the organization as a significant part of the cultural life of Greater Boston. Lannorn successfully initiated a student program that allows high school students and their conductors an opportunity to perform a major choral work with orchestra and members of the Masterworks Chorale.
In 1998, Lannom received two accolades: the Lifelong Service Award from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and the Lifetime Achievement Award from Choral Arts New England. A respected speaker and writer, he has made presentations at major musical, educational and religious conventions, written articles that have been published in two books and several magazines, and has published a book of poetry.
(See Mr. Lannom's C.V. on the Masterworks Chorale web site here.)
Last revised March 22, 2006 .
