Dr. Thomas E. Lerew accepted an appointment as Associate Professor of Choral Music & Conducting in the School of Music at Liberty University in the fall of 2024. At Liberty, he teaches courses in conducting, choral music, and music education and conducts the acclaimed Liberty University Chamber Singers.

Prior to moving to Lynchburg, Dr. Lerew served eight years as Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choral Activities at Trevecca University in Nashville, Tennessee. Dr. Lerew is a strong proponent of choral music in the church and has conducted choirs serving the congregations of Presbyterian and Methodist churches in Arizona and Tennessee. In Nashville, he founded Voces Fidei (Voices of Faith), a semi-professional chamber choir dedicated to the proclamation of the gospel through the artistic performance of sacred choral literature. Other past conducting experiences include as assistant conductor of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra Chorus, artistic director of the regionally acclaimed Arizona Repertory Singers, and conductor of the University of Arizona Symphonic Choir, the premiere undergraduate choral ensemble at UA. Dr. Lerew has also taught vocal music and music theory in public high schools in both Pennsylvania and New York where his students placed in numerous regional and all-state honor choirs.

In giving back to the profession, Dr. Lerew has served the American Choral Directors Association on the boards of its New York, Arizona, and Tennessee state chapters as well as its greater Southern Region. He is presently the website & digital communications manager for Southern Region, Tennessee, and Arkansas ACDA chapters. In Arizona, Dr. Lerew was the editor of Antiphon, a quarterly publication by AzACDA and is a contributor to the review columns of ACDA’s Choral Journal. In addition to ACDA, he maintains active memberships in the Gordon Institute for Music Learning, National Association for Music Education, and Virginia Music Educators Association.

Dr. Lerew has conducted choirs throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe and is in frequent demand as a clinician, presenter, and guest conductor. He holds degrees from The University of Arizona, Syracuse University, and Houghton University and has studied conducting with Brandon Johnson, John Warren, Elizabeth Schauer, and Bruce Chamberlain. His primary research areas include repertoire selection practices, music learning theory in the rehearsal setting, and the use of technology in academic productivity.

He is a proud native of the family apple orchards of south-central Pennsylvania. Dr. Lerew and his wife, Kerry, take their greatest joy in their three young children.