Dr. Thomas E. Lerew is Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Trevecca University in Nashville, Tennessee, where he directs the school’s traditional choirs and teaches conducting and aural theory. He presently serves as the Choir Director at the Christ Presbyterian Church – Old Hickory. Prior to Trevecca, he pursued the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Choral Conducting at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He also holds the Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the Setnor School of Music, Syracuse University and the Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Music Education with an emphasis in piano from the Greatbatch School of Music, Houghton College.
While in Tucson, Dr. Lerew conducted the Arizona Repertory Singers as their 2015-16 season interim music director. During the Spring 2016 semester, he served as a sabbatical replacement conducting the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir, the premiere undergraduate choral ensemble at UA. Additional conducting experiences have included director of the Chancel Choir at Christ Church United Methodist in Tucson, the Music Director of the Green Valley Community Chorus, and Assistant Conductor of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus. Dr. Lerew has conducted choirs in performance in Canada, Germany, Poland, and throughout the United States and has received consistent recognition for his work in promoting the choral arts through strategic and outreach initiatives. Recently, he was selected as a graduate-level participant in the conducting masterclass for the Western Division of the American Choral Directors Association.
Dr. Lerew has several successful years of experience teaching vocal music and music theory in public high schools in both New York and Pennsylvania, where he also served frequently as a vocal adjudicator. He continues to pursue his educational interests in teaching aural and notational music literacy in the choral rehearsal setting. His DMA dissertation document was titled Programming For Success: A Study of Repertoire Selection Practices By Undergraduate-Focused, Religiously-Affiliated, Collegiate Choral Programs Nationally Recognized For Performance Excellence.
In giving back to the profession, Dr. Lerew has served the American Choral Directors Association on the executive boards of its New York, Arizona, and now Tennessee, state chapters. In Arizona, he was the editor of Antiphon – The Official Publication of AzACDA. Dr. Lerew is also a contributor to the review columns of ACDA’s Choral Journal. In addition to ACDA, he maintains active membership in the National College Choral Organization, Chorus America, the National Association for Music Education, the College Music Society, and the Gordon Institute for Music Learning.
Dr. Lerew’s primary conducting instructors include Bruce Chamberlain, Elizabeth Schauer, John Warren, and Brandon Johnson. His ultimate career aspirations are to invigorate the next generation of choral music artists and vocal music educators by creating profound musical experiences and serving as an educational role model as a collegiate choral conductor. Dr. Lerew is a proud native of the family apple orchards of south central Pennsylvania. He and his wife, Kerry, presently reside in Nashville with their two children.