Leonard De Paur

Leonard Etienne De Paur (November 18, 1914 – November 7, 1998) was an African-American composer, choral director, and arts administrator.

Leonard De Paur was born in Summit, New Jersey to Hettie Carson de Paur and Ernst Leonard. His musical studies began at the Manual Training Institute in Bordentown, New Jersey. He attended with Frederick Work, brother of John Wesley Work II and uncle of John Wesley Work III. De Paur began to compose and arrange while he was a member of the Hall Johnson Choir. He sang in the baritone section and served as assistant conductor alongside Jester Hairston. In 1936, De Paur became the musical director of the Negro Unit of the Federal Theater Project in New York City. During this time he was also enrolled at Columbia University and later went on to study at the Institute of Musical Arts, now the Juilliard School.

In 1941 he collaborated with the conductor Alexander Smallens and the orchestral accordionist John Serry Sr. in an oratorio production of Virgil Thomson's opera Four Saints in Three Acts at New York City's Town Hall. De Paur enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942, was promoted to Lieutenant, and became the music director of the play Winged Victory. During a stint in the infantry, he was assigned to an all male-chorus. The De Paur Infantry Chorus was made up of 35 men from the 372nd Glee Club. Their performances consisted of art song repertory, Caribbean folk music, spirituals, work songs and military songs. In 1946, the De Paur Infantry Chorus was signed to Columbia Artists Management and Columbia Records. The chorus now consisted of men from the 372nd Glee Club, other branches of Armed services, and civilians. For ten years the De Paur Infantry Chorus was the top performing group at Columbia. In 1957, De Paur discontinued the chorus and produced the De Paur Opera Gala, which featured Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts, George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess and Oscar Hammerstein's Carmen Jones.