THINGS ARE LOOKING UP: Preparing for two area holiday concerts and a busy touring schedule, the American Boychoir is on firm footing after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings. The boys sing in Princeton December 5 and 18.

Nineteen months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and nearly closing its doors, the American Boychoir is back on its feet. The famed private school and choir founded in 1937, locally based since 1950, has two upcoming holiday concerts in Princeton, gigs with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a tour to China on its schedule. 

According to choir president Kerry Heimann, the school has come through Chapter 11 restructured, reorganized, and more efficient. “Our case was closed November 1,” he said last week. “We’re kind of feeling reborn. We’re finding our way in this new world and have a lot we’re excited about, so we’re hoping for the best.”

It was in April 2015 that the boarding school for fourth-to-eighth-grade boys filed for bankruptcy and announced it needed $350,000 to finish out the school year. Additional funds had to be raised as part of the annual fund drive. Parents, teachers, and members of the community rallied to raise enough money to keep the school going, but the boarding model had to be temporarily abandoned.

The choir has performed with such ensembles as The New York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and The Boston Symphony, under the batons of such conductors as James Levine, Charles Dutoit, and Alan Gilbert. A 2014 film based on the school titled Boychoir starring Dustin Hoffman, Kathy Bates, Josh Lucas, and Debra Winger failed to gain national distribution after debuting at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film featured performances by the choristers and appearances by staff members.

The choir sold Albemarle, its longtime Princeton location and the former estate of pharmaceutical magnate Gerard Lambert for $6 million in January of 2013. After selling, the school moved to the campus of the former St. Joseph’s Seminary on Mapleton Road in Plainsboro. The organization relocated in September 2015 to the Rambling Pines Summer Day Camp in Hopewell.

Since then, students from out of town have been staying with local families, most of whom are parents of current pupils or recent graduates. The student body, formerly at 50 students, currently numbers 30. But more are expected to join in January.

The transition to Rambling Pines has gone smoothly. “It has been a wonderful place for us to operate,” Mr. Heimann said. “The campus is so well developed as far as outdoor activities are concerned. It’s safe and it’s quiet. At this point, we’re looking for a long-term relationship with them — unless I win the power ball,” he added with a laugh. “But we do look forward to having a dormitory again.”

The school’s touring choir is the same size as it was before the bankruptcy filing. Music director Fernando Malvar-Ruiz said the artistic output of the choir has not changed. “If you hear the choir now and heard them eight years ago, there would be very little difference,” he said. “Artistically, I feel the choir is in as solid a position as it has ever been.”

The choir will be performing holiday concerts December 5 at Nassau Presbyterian Church and December 18 at Richardson Auditorium. At the December 5 event, the choir joins host Rob Kapilow on the series What Makes it Great? in collaboration with the radio station WWFM and performs Benjamin Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols. The December 18 concert features the same work, along with other classic holiday music and a sing-along. The following evening, the choir will sing at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Mr. Malvar-Ruiz said it is possible that the upcoming tour to China will become something the choir undertakes every two years.

“This is not only a good opportunity educationally and artistically, but financially as well,” he said. “The artistic outlook of the choir is as good as it has ever been, and in some ways we are better poised for the future. In many ways, we are ahead now in ways we were not when the bankruptcy came about. The whole season is booked, and we’re well into booking the next season and starting to book the following one. We’re starting to work two seasons ahead.”

The choir is singing three different scores with the Philadelphia Orchestra in the coming months: Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem, and Mahler’s Third Symphony.

“Facing bankruptcy is no one’s first choice,” Mr. Heimann said. “But the silver lining of the experience was that the community really pulled together and found a way to keep it moving regardless. It’s difficult to make changes, but bankruptcy forces your hand. It forced us all to really ask ourselves, what is the essence of the American Boychoir and the experience for our students? What parts do we need to make solid and what do we need to change?”