Joan Trombetta Lanza was the beautiful girl from Port Richmond with the voice from heaven. The very mention of Lanza’s name is followed by people smiling and recalling that Lanza sang so beautifully at a wedding or concert they attended and they would never forget that voice of hers.
And that is exactly what her husband Lou wants. “I didn’t want Joan’s voice silenced any longer.”
On October 12, 2001, Joan passed away at the age of 64, and her voice and talent and love touched so many people that a record 2,500 people came out to pay their last respects to the women who had the voice of an angel.
Almost immediately after her passing, people would ask Lou if he had any recording of his wife’s singing. They yearned and ached to hear Joan sing the Christmas favorite, “O Holy Night” and her most beloved rendition of “Ave Marie”, a staple at every wedding that was her signature piece.
But all Lou had was some live recordings he collected over the years. In all their years together, a marriage that Lou states was a privilege; he relates that being married to Joan was a dream come true. He and others always urged her to cut a professional album, but her humbleness stopped her-her complete joy was not only singing for her friends and family-but also singing with her family.
Lou is a violinist and a 43 year member of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Their children Lou III and Cara also have their parents’ talented genes and sang and performed with their mother as well. Today, Lou III is a professional jazz vocalist with five recorded albums and Cara is a clinical psychologist.
Lou had about 75 audio tapes and 35 video tapes of his wife’s’ performances, and from that footage, Lanza was able to create three masterpiece compact discs of Joan Lanza’s singing.
This Sunday, May 4 at 10:30 a.m. Mass, Joan Trombetta Lanza will sing again at Mother of Divine Grace Church as her family only releases three recordings titled, “Christmas Memories”, “In Remembrance” and “The Sound of Music”-all songs performed live by Joan Trombetta Lanza.
And to make it more magnificent, Lou commissioned sculpturer Carl Levotch to create a relief piece of the Blessed Mother Virgin Mary with St. Jude and St. Cecilia by her side, to be blessed and dedicated for the vestibule of Mother of Divine Grace Church in Joan’s memory.” Those are Joan’s favorite Saints,” said Lou. “That’s who she always prayed to.”
The CD’s will be sold for $10 each, with all proceeds going back to MDG Parish in Joan’s memory. The Lanza family will also have the CD’s available for sale at the annual MDG Italian festival set for the end of May.
The life of Joan Trombetta Lanza
From the age of 12 she began singing at her beloved MDG church for weddings, funerals and Christmas concerts. She sang with her father’s big band and began taking piano, accordion and the flute-the latter she learned at Little Flower High School for Girls, becoming the schools first flutist and achieving the honor of playing with the All-Catholic High School Orchestra.
She entered the Philadelphia Conservatory of Music, (now the University of the Arts) and graduated with a B.A. in Piano and minor in Vocal Arts. Soon, after graduating in 1957, Joan began teaching at Camden Catholic High School. Over the years she was involved in teaching children piano, directing choruses as well as directing various high school productions of Broadway shows.
A funeral…then a wedding
Joan Trombetta met Lou Lanza at a funeral of a violinist who died in an airplane crash. Both attended the viewing with their mothers and Joan came up and introduced herself to Lou. She heard about him through a girlfriend who labeled the good looking musician as a playboy. Lou’s mother said to her son after the introductions-”Now why don’t you get yourself a beautiful nice girl like her?” and Lou replied, “Ma, I’m not ready to get married.”
Six months later, Joan called Lou about helping her brother, Vince, get into the Army Band which Lou was a part of. Lou asked her if she was single and with an affirmative answer, he planned a date with her and he never forgot it was the day after President John F. Kennedy was assassinated… He then asked her out on a second date because he really liked her and thought about her all the time. When he set up date number three-that was it, he proposed and she accepted and they were married on July 2, 1966 at MDG-a day Lou recalls as one of the hottest in history. “It was 103 degrees on my wedding day!”
The sound of Joan’s voice
Joan’s singing brought joy to the thousands who heard her perform and the three recordings to be released this Sunday are her legacy. “Since she passed away,” Lou muses, “it’s been a desire of mine to make people remember what a beautiful voice Joan had.”
Maybe Joan’s legacy and life’s work is said best by family friend and veteran radio personality Bob Perkins who immortalized Joan Trombetta Lanza with these words, “Joan Lanza left a legacy that lives on through her husband, children, family members and friends who were familiar with her ability to spread love and joy through her personality and music. They also observed her dignity and class while doing so. Outstanding souls don’t always have to be out front seeking recognition. Sometimes the great ones are subdued, and go about their work by doing what to them comes natural.”
