Divas '23

Janelle Lauer began singing with her mother's band when she was three years old and hasn't stopped since. She attended the University of Iowa on a vocal performance scholarship and also studied Music Business at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. She has appeared in many productions at Theatre Cedar Rapids and was a long time performer for the popular Liar's Holographic Radio Theatre that was seen on Iowa Public Television. She has released three CDs Janelle Lauer Live at Liars (2003), Turn the Corner (2005), and Change (2008). She is also a founding member of SPT Theatre Cedar Rapids, works as a musical director at Theatre Cedar Rapids and many other area theatre companies. Janelle lives in Cedar Rapids and teaches private voice lessons.

Singer Lynne Rothrock's engaging mega-watt personality is as expansive as her remarkable knack for uncovering priceless, little-known musical masterpieces. Her savvy style with a time-honored classic is as warm and on target as her easy and immediate connection with an audience with any demographic.

She has performed in musical theatre, opera, nightclubs, and conert halls across the US, from Seattle Light Opera to Nashville's Bluebird Cafe, from Birdland in NYC to Chicago's Davenports Cabaret and the Dakota and Crooner's in Minneapolis.

Lynne's musical partnership with her late husband, IA Blues and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Ron DeWitte, thrilled audiences in their home base of Iowa, major venues around the Midwest and around the world as headline entertainers on cruise ships. Since Ron's death in 2018, Lynne is forging ahead - returning to her roots in cabaret and musical theatre. She is a graduate of the International Cabaret Conference at Yale University  and serves on the faculty of Michael Feinstein's Great American Songbook Foundation and Academy.

Lynne is as solid and nurturing as the Midwest soil that surrounds her Iowa hometown. She has a knack for making everyone around her break into smiles - whether gracing a stage with her clear, beautiful vocals and hilarious stage banter or drawing out the very best artistry from other singers. Invite Lynne to the party and expect to have a good time.

Joining Lynne and Janelle in Divas '23 is Iowa Blues Hall of Fame guitar player Bryce Janey, along with Julia Andrews on keys, Marita O'Connell on violin and vocals, Dave Ollinger on bass and the adorable Greg Kanz on drums.