Murray Lopdell-Lawrence joins school’s administration
After a nationwide search, the American Boychoir School has announced that Murray E. Lopdell-Lawrence as the new director of development and alumni relations.
Mr. Lopdell-Lawrence brings extensive experience in both arts administration and private school education. His background in the performing arts is as student, performer, administrator, and teacher. He has taught in three countries and four states where he has mentored students of all ages — from preschool through adulthood, including professional singers, musicians, and writers.
Born in New Zealand, he studied at Victoria University, Wellington, New Zealand and at the San Francisco Conservatory, San Francisco. His arts administrative background includes working for Chamber Music New Zealand where he managed national and international chamber music and organized national school choir and chamber music competitions, and for the San Francisco Opera where he managed the summer apprentice program for young professionals (Merola Opera Program).
He then taught at St Thomas Choir School, the only other residential choir school in the United States, for nine years. Since then he has been the head of three schools and served on national and international committees, been a guest speaker at national and international educational conferences, and observed schools and their performing arts programs throughout the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
With his experience in both arts administration and school leadership, he has supervised a wide variety of advancement and development activities with an impressive record of success. His background involves all aspects of development: cultivation, solicitation, annual appeals, endowment, planned giving, capital campaigns, event planning, marketing, branding, and publications.
Mr. Lopdell-Lawrence is joining the American Boychoir as it has moved to a new campus at the Princeton Center for Arts and Education. He will be looking to raise funds to complete the building renovations, as well as to grow a healthy annual giving program and endowment to ensure the ongoing financial strength of this peerless national musical and educational treasure — one of only five choir schools in the world.