Director Has Vision of Choir Lasting 500 Years, With Help

Despite parent volunteers and a staff of three, the All-American Boys’ Chorus largely has been kept going by one man, founding Director Father Richard Coughlin. Now, at 66, Coughlin says he is “very much concerned” about how the choir would continue in the without him.

“Things have been going well for me,” Coughlin said recently. “I take a good solid hour’s walk. I’m trying to stay in shape. But concerts are strenuous for me. I’m very much concerned with how this will continue.”

For the record, it should be noted that Coughlin still draws the most money in the choir’s Jog-a-thon, its annual fund-raising event.

Still, he has visions of the choir lasting 500 years, so he wants to plan ahead.

About $65,000 of the chorus’ $500,000 annual budget comes from the Jog-a-thon, the only fund-raising event in which Coughlin will allow the youngsters to participate, according to Tony Manrique, the choir’s associate director. Concert and albums fees bring in about $310,000. The remainder is contributed by booster clubs and through private donations.

“We make most of our money doing what we do--singing and performing,” notes Manrique. Still, Coughlin added, “we’ve gone over $500,000 in what we’re spending, and we are constantly finding ways to spend more.”

The choir has elected to move in three funding directions--to establish a director’s chair, a building fund, and an endowment.

“I’ve wanted to establish a director’s chair to fund a future artistic director of the chorus,” Coughlin said. “That’s one of my specific aims. We have a modest amount--$5,115. I want to build it to $1 million.

“When it comes time, I hope they will search the country. I’d like to partake in the search myself along with advisers, and find someone who may take the chorus to a far higher plane than I’ve been able to do.”

The building fund contains about $9,500 and is intended ultimately to fund a campus. “I always envisioned that some day we’d have a building of our own,” Coughlin said. “I’ve always felt we should be a day school, with reading, writing, arithmetic and chorus. . . .

“My only misgiving is taking the boys out of society. I don’t want to take them out of the world. Of course, doing concerts, they meet the movers and shakers in the country.”

To keeping the chorus going, the director has established an endowment that is still far short of its goal.

“The fund we’ve established is at about $140,000 so far,” Coughlin said. “Right now have been having a few meetings hoping to interest the influential people in the county. We’re encouraged. I’m hoping for enough of a fund--we’re talking about $5 million and beyond--so that we can ensure that the chorus can continue indefinitely.

“But there are misgivings. We have a definite philosophy and we’re hoping to receive some help and yet maintain our philosophy. Our philosophy looks to serious vocal training and also to have the choir open to everyone at no tuition. We’ve never had to charge a tuition, so that youngsters who are not able to pay are able to be on par with everyone else.”