Son inspires his father to join choir

But that’s not the case for Bob and Adam Law. For this pair from Mantua, it was the son who inspired his father to sing.

“It’s usually the other way around,” said Bob, who serves as the chief financial officer for the city of Woodbury.

Father and son are both members of The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale, a world-renowned group founded in 1968. Called “America’s Ambassadors of Song,” the boys choir — complemented by a men’s chorale — is considered one of the best in the world. The choir has two major seasons: Christmas and spring. For the holidays, the choir puts on three concerts in the area. On Saturday, Dec. 10, they will perform at The Church of the Holy Trinity in Philadelphia at 8; then the boys will sing at St. Rose of Lima Church in Haddon Heights on Sunday, Dec. 11; and on Friday, Dec. 16, they will hold a concert at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Wayne, Pa.

It was Adam’s music teacher who first took notice of his singing talent. She told his parents — Bob and Jane — that he should audition for the Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale.

“She suggested he might have a gift,” said Bob. “She said we should look into the choir, but we didn’t tell Adam yet. We saw a story in the paper that the choir was singing at The Kemble United Methodist Church in Woodbury, and we went to see them.”

During the concert’s intermission, the choir’s music director, Jeffrey R. Smith, asked if there were any boys in the audience who wanted to do a mini audition.

“Adam asked if he could audition. We thought, ‘Are you kidding?’” Bob said. “God must’ve meant for all of this to happen.”

He did a full audition a month later and was accepted into the choir’s Cadet program. He eventually joined the Performing Choir as an Alto 2. The boys sing Soprano 1 and 2 and Alto 1 and 2, while the men sing the tenor, baritone and bass parts.

But, Bob stressed, the boys are definitely the main event here. The men are there as “an add on, an accent to the choir,” he said. “The boys sing more than we do.”

Bob joined the chorale in January. Watching his son perform in the choir, he realized he also had a passion for music.

“It’s such a blessing to be able to sing with my son,” Bob said.