Boyhood Passion Endures

David Rockefeller, Jr.

Listening to the melodious bass/baritone tones in which David Rockefeller speaks today, you might never suspect that he was a soprano until he was around thirteen years old. But, he says unabashedly, that is the case.

Choral singing has been a big part of his life since he was encouraged by the director of a small Westchester County children’s choir as a boy. The choir, which was for girls as well as boys, showed him the social benefits of choral singing as well as those of music. It’s different, he says, with all male singers.

When young David moved to a boys preparatory boarding school, he was still a soprano, and found himself singing female parts when the drama demanded it. Eventually, his voice changed, but he remained in the Glee Club when he went to Harvard College where he sang with the Krokodiloes. In 1961, he was part of the Glee Club’s round the world tour, which is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary.

It shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows David Rockefeller that in law school he started a singing group, the Boston-based Cantata Singers. Choral singing became the theme of his non-business life.

Ten years ago, David and his wife, Susan, became acquainted with James Backmon and the New Amsterdam Boys and Girls Choir through Musica Viva, which is connected with the Unitarian Church of All Souls. Susan, a filmmaker, shot a short clip of a boy from the NABC mesmerized by the sound of the adult group, which led to further interest in the young people’s choir.

“I love to see others inspired by choral singing, “ Rockefeller says, “It did well by me.”