Valerie Lemon | Events

And, much later, after studying drama and dance and frequently singing with Marvin Hamlisch in concert, rushing off to one in Philadelphia as a last minute replacement (Valerie had only hours before show time), desperately trying to memorize the lyrics of a song she had never before sung.

Romance writers would find a plot in Valerie's account of her relationship to her now-husband Bob Rendon, whom she virtually fell in love with at first sight and still considers the love of her life. There was a rocky period between their first meeting and their marriage years later, and Valerie recalls periods of loss and depression before the two of them joined their lives - and created a family. Bob is Vice President of Sound for Production Resource Group, and his annual grand event is the Tree Lighting at Rockefeller Center.

The birth of daughter Marianne filled a void Valerie hadn't even know was there, and she recalls that she loved the "mommy" role while raising her child, who is now a teenager and aspiring performer. But non-fiction writers might include Valerie in studies of women performing an ongoing balancing act as they move between commitment to family and a quest for personal fulfillment that takes them out of the home.

Valerie feels lucky that Bob is so supportive, willing and able to help finance her career (it is very important to her that she now be able to support her own projects), but at the same time, she is conscious of the ten years she put performing aside. Before that, while still I engaged, she had yielded to the urging of Val Ryder and created her first cabaret act, discovering she loved cabaret, the art form, the people, and the freedom of expression and of creativity involved in putting together a shaw.

Valerie relishes the exchange of energy between performer and audience when the "fourth wall" comes down. Years later, focused on family life, Valerie attended a friend's cabaret show and learned about the Cabaret Symposium at the O'Neill Center. Attending herself was a pivotal experience and Valerie speaks with enthusiasm of her master classes and the teachers she had there. With help and encouragement from others, she created a new show, The Way of the Heart, which she recorded as her debut CD.