Douglas Lawrence

Douglas Lawrence was part of that unusual group of people for whom one career simply isn’t enough. His varied and prolific contributions to music and ministry blessed many for more than 60 years. Doug was born on September 26, 1942 in El Segundo, California to Floyd and Marjorie (Hesser) Lawrence. He received both his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music from the University of Southern California. His teachers included Charles Hirt, Gwendolyn Koldofsky, William Vennard and Robert Marsteller. He went on to serve in the academic community at five institutions of higher learning, including El Camino College, Occidental College, Chapman College, and the University of Southern California.

Doug had a long and storied solo career as a bass baritone, singing in all the greatest concert halls with almost every major symphony orchestra and opera company in the world, under the direction of an A-list of Classical music’s most illustrious conductors, including Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Colin Davis, Carlo Maria Giulini, Erich Leinsdorf, Raymond Leppard, James Levine, Andrew Litton, Sir Neville Marriner, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Eugene Ormandy, Seiji Ozawa, Sir Simon Rattle, Helmuth Rilling, Gerard Schwarz, Robert Shaw, Sir Georg Solti, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Edo de Waart, to name several. He appeared as principal soloist for many years at the Carmel Bach Festival.

Doug sang in Hollywood studios for many years, performing for the soundtracks of dozens of movies such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and supplied singing voices for many of Hollywood’s biggest stars. He provided the voice-over for video games, and in television he was involved in nearly 200 network programs over a 20-year span, including everything from The Steve Allen Show to The Simpsons. He also conducted Brian Mann’s rich score for the film The Theory of Everything in 2004.

For more than 60 years Douglas Lawrence’s influence was primarily felt as a conductor, visionary, and advisor to the churches of North America and parts of Asia and included major program enhancements at two of the largest Presbyterian churches in the world. Considered an authority on changing worship practices in the evangelical church, he was often asked to consult with churches anxious to begin a “blended” worship style. He was the Artistic Director and Conductor of the San Francisco Bay Area’s Schola Cantorum. He spent a dozen years as the Director of Music at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. For more than twenty years he served as Minister of Worship at Menlo Park Presbyterian Church on the San Francisco Peninsula.

After moving to Lawrence, Kansas in 2008, Doug continued his work as a singer, conductor, and consultant. He soon became the Director of Music at Trinity Episcopal Church, a ministry he actively held until just a month before his death. As a member of the local community in Lawrence, Doug was active in Rotary, Boys and Girls Club, consultant to various churches, and produced videos for local businesses.

Douglas Howard Lawrence passed on December 1, 2022 in his beloved home here in Lawrence, Kansas, surrounded by family. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Margie Lawrence; son Steven (Tina) and daughter Annelise. His eldest daughter, Julia Lawrence Silvestri (Tony) preceded him in death. Other family members include grandchildren Thomas and Emma Silvestri; Henry and Diane Silvestri; Kelly and Tara Welch (Kate, Dan and Selene) and cousin Janice Bennett.

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 p.m., January 21, 2023 at First United Methodist Church in Lawrence. A memorial services will also be held at 10:00 a.m., January 28, 2023 at Menlo Church in Menlo Park, California.