Lawrence Marc Galera

1979 -

Lawrence Galera is director of the choral  and vocal program at Collegedale Academy in Tennessee, a position he has held since 2019. He previously taught at Blue Mountain Academy in Pennsylvania from 2011-2019 and Hinsdale Adventist Academy from 2003 to 2006.

Galera was born and raised in Hinsdale, Illinois, the youngest of three sons born to Jonathan and Mignonette Galera. Both parents are amateur musicians and music was an important activity in the home, with all three children starting music lessons at an early age and participating in school groups.

Lawrence started piano lessons at age four and soon after switched to violin, learning the instrument as a student in a local Suzuki Method program. He learned to play the euphonium in elementary school, the guitar in middle school, and took voice lessons during his years as a student at Hinsdale Adventist Academy.

Galera was equally involved in school activities while attending Andrews University from 1998 to 2003. In his freshman year he registered as a pre-medicine major but then changed to music and pursued a B.Mus. in music education. He studied voice under Stephen Zork, conducting with Morihiko Nakahara, and instruments with other members of the faculty. In his senior year, he was heavily involved as the First Event Director of the AU Easter Passion Play under the mentorship of Ron Whitehead. He graduated cum laude in 2003.

Galera returned to HAA to teach band, choir, and strings. Subsequently, he was accepted into the instrumental program at Indiana University, Bloomington, and graduated with a master's degree in 2008. He is currently a candidate for a D.M.A. in choral conducting at IUB.

ds/2019

Source: Information provided by Lawrence Galera, 2011; Gregory  Knibble in 2019..