An upcoming performance of The Allentown Band will be a homecoming for Grace Lerew.
Lerew, a trained opera singer and Parkland High School graduate, will bring a range of emotions when she appears with the band during free concerts Tuesday and Thursday.
“I love that opera has a unique way of expressing the most human emotions — love, heartbreak, and grief” Lerew said. “I’ve always been amazed at how accurately music can capture these experiences. Also, in real life, I’m a bit of an introvert. On stage, I get to be anyone I want to be even if it’s just for an hour or two.”
The shows promise to have something for everyone.
“It is truly wonderful to have Grace sing with the band,” said Ronald Demkee, Allentown Band conductor. “She is an incredibly expressive soloist, and the fact that her father plays in the band makes the experience even more special. This program has something for everyone — beloved operatic arias, exciting interludes and dance music from operas, and several show-stopping highlights from Broadway.”
Exposure to music began at an early age for Lerew. All her family members are musicians and her father, Jason, has been a member of The Allentown Band since 2019. playing in the clarinet section and sometimes also playing saxophone. He also is band director at Parkland High School.
“In middle school she really began to play the piano well, then in high school she really took off, qualifying for the Pennsylvania All-State Band, Orchestra and Chorus throughout her high school career. She was twice named to the All-National Concert band where she ranked as the top bassoon in the ensemble,” Jason Lerew said of his daughter’s accomplishments.
After high school, Grace Lerew attended Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, and completed undergraduate degrees in bassoon and voice, and a graduate degree in voice. She studied under Carol Vaness, a well-known opera singer and university professor. At 23, Lerew won first olace at the Metropolitan Opera’s Laffont Competition, a prestigious contest often viewed as an essential step for budding opera singers.
“Winning in Indianapolis was incredible,” Lerew said. “I sang arias from Massenet’s ‘Manon’ and Mozart’s ‘Idomeneo.’ I remember waking up that day and thinking, I’m going to win today. I was still pretty shocked that I actually did win — it was the first time I entered the competition and I was very young, so I wasn’t expecting that.”
Lerew worked at the Aspen Music Festival in Colorado and while there, she studied privately and performed with Renée Fleming, a singer, actress and five-time Grammy award winner. Among the numerous projects they worked on together included a contemporary concert based on Richard Powers’ novel “The Overstory,” which was narrated by Powers and Fleming. To date, the largest venue that Lerew has performed in is the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.No matter where she is performing, Lerew said opera continues to be intriguing and thrilling as there is never a dull moment.
“Opera can be more challenging in certain aspects compared to other forms of singing,” Lerew said. “We have to be well versed in Italian, French and German. Sometimes we get curveballs thrown at us — one of the pieces I’m singing [with the Allentown Band] … is in Czech, which required a bit more time to learn. Additionally, we rarely perform with a microphone. Because of this, you need to have great technique, you have to be able to sing in a healthy way, or you can damage your voice.”
As for her future, Lerew is not fully certain where her musical trajectory will lead her but she is embracing it as it happens. She will continue performing and auditioning in the fall. In the interim, however, she says she is excited to be performing in her hometown and is focused on her forthcoming shows with The Allentown Band.
Although she has performed with the band previously, this will mark her first time singing with them. She will be singing “Song to the Moon” from Dvorak’s “Rusalka” and “A Little Bit in Love” from Bernstein’s “Wonderful Town.”
Jason Lerew agrees that both performances will be extraordinary.
“It will be a great experience getting to see my own child share the stage with such great musicians,” he said.
If you go
Opera singer Grace Lerew will perform with The Allentown Band, alongside tenor Daniel Rodriguez and men’s chorus Summer Harmony, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, at Waldheim Park, alongside tenor and Daniel Rodriguez and men’s chorus Summer Harmony, and at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14, at Christ Lutheran Church, 1245 Hamilton St. Both concerts are free. Donations are welcome to help support the venue’s concert series. For more information: allentownband.com.
