By the time I turned 15, I was listening to music avidly – even if my tastes usually departed from those of most teenagers who came of age in the rock-crazed 1970s. I loved much that classical music had to offer, including tenor Luciano Pavarotti, pianist Vladimir Horowitz, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. I became a loyal fan of such leading jazz artists as vocalist Al Jarreau (with whom I am pictured below), pianist Oscar Peterson, and flutist Hubert Laws.

Unfortunately, making music, which I also enjoyed, was taking up less and less of my time as I entered my junior year at The Lawrenceville School.. I was no longer playing the piano all that much, and my participation in choruses rarely meant more than performing occasionally in the youth ensembles at the Presbyterian Church of Lawrenceville.

I had no plans to join a choir at Lawrenceville, instead I wanted to become the starting single wing center on Lawrenceville’s football team, so I focused mainly on lifting weights, running and practicing snap after snap. The team’s head coach was my father, the late and great Ken “Dr. K” Keuffel, who also taught English (he wrote Winning Single Wing Football, which has become required reading for single wing coaches everywhere).

Sometimes, music educators enter your life in miraculous ways. Jim Lauffer was one such educator. He didn’t curtail my football aspirations, but he did want me to broaden my horizons.

Lauffer, who became the director of choral music at Lawrenceville, knew I had some potential as a chorister, having also conducted choirs at my church. One morning, as I was walking down one of the school’s hallways, he approached me and, with little preamble, said: “I needed another bass for the Glee Club, so I signed you up. See you at the next rehearsal.”

I was taken aback and uncertain I could cut it. Once rehearsals started, though, any doubts I had about contributing successfully to the club began to disappear. I was quickly hooked and looked forward to every performance. There were many reasons for my enthusiasm, including opportunities to perform on tour and to join forces with girls at other schools (Lawrenceville was all-male during my time there). Also, Dr. K strongly encouraged me to participate in Lawrenceville’s music programs and attended school performances religiously. For that, I’m forever grateful.

Anyway, back to Jim. He could be quite ambitious in his programming. During one concert, we sang excerpts from A German Requiem, Brahms’ beloved masterpiece. The experience of singing that piece’s exquisite lines transported me to that “lovely…dwelling place” and I have rejoiced in it ever since.

Sadly, Jim passed away in 2013. When I think of him now, I imagine that he and his colleagues are in heaven, singing in the greatest of choirs – and waiting for their students to join them. It’s an image that’s very much in line with the themes of comfort and hope that A German Requiem affirms so memorably.