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Allen Lannom
was born in Illinois but spent most of his developing years
in California. He graduated from Occidental College as a speech
major with a minor in music. As a graduate student at his alma
mater, he taught speech, coached the debate team and directed
the Chapel Choir. During this time he also begin directing church
choirs, developing the North Glendale Methodist Church choir
into one of the finest in the state.
After graduate school, Lannom taught in the public schools,
opting for a music position rather than one in speech or English.
Wishing to expand his musical training, he took a leave of absence
from his activities and headed to New York to study at the Juilliard
School with Robert Shaw. During that year, he became Shaw’s
assistant director and met Julius Herford, a renowned music
teacher who was to become the country’s most influential
teacher of choral conductors. Lannom was largely responsible
for spreading Herford’s influence through West Coast work-shops
with conductors and pianists.
When Lannom returned to California, he assumed leadership of
the City of Los Angeles adult choral program. In this capacity,
he supervised 15 community choruses and conducted the com-bined
choruses in joint concerts, many of which were broadcast on
national networks. He also inaugurated a series of church choral
concerts that incorporated professional orchestras.
In 1951, Lannom was offered a position on the faculty of the
School of Music at Boston Univer-sity. For three decades, he
conducted choral organizations and taught voice and conducting.
His former students occupy prestigious positions in colleges,
public schools, and churches all over the United States. After
his retirement from Boston University in 1982, he became Director
of Choral Activities at the Boston Conservatory, a position
he still holds.
Lannom is best known for his work with the highly-regarded Masterworks
Chorale. He assumed leadership of the group — then known
as the Lexington Choral Society — in 1952. This community-based
organization developed over the years into a chorus of singers
from more that 40 cities and towns in Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
and Rhode Island. The group has performed most of the major
choral repertoire in concerts both locally and on international
tours.
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 he published a book of poetry.
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