Member Spotlight: Three Generations of Music Discovery

- By Bobby Nicholas III - 

We were making some calls to members here at WERS, and eventually began speaking to Annette Manasse from Waltham. We recognized her last name matched that of a friend and volunteer of the station, Lauren. After making the connection, we learned that Annette was Lauren’s mother, and have both been supporting us separate of each other for years now. I got the chance to sit down with the mother/daughter duo to get their story on how they grew up with this special music bond.

Annette was raised in a Jewish household, and her parents played Jewish/Klezmer music all the time, "as well as a smattering of liturgical music." She would “rebel against [her] parents’ Jewish music,” as she initially found it old and boring. However, as she grew, the music became a bigger part of her life. To this day, she tunes into Chagigah every Sunday morning; sometimes “jumping out of bed at 8AM to get to the radio” so she doesn't miss a song. After Chagigah, Annette listens to Standing Room Only. She fell in love with musical theater since she attended Pal Joey as a young girl; even wanting to be an actress at one point. This has stuck with her throughout her life, which influenced her daughter.

Lauren has WERS on throughout the day in her house for her whole family. It’s become a daily ritual for Lauren, her husband and kids to try and guess George’s mind twister each morning before school and work, often getting stumped. On weekends, they have “pizza and Playground” time, where the kids help her make a pizza and jam out to The Playground. Lauren even “leaves WERS playing for [her] pets when everybody is out of the house”; a new demographic for us here at the station.

With influence from their grandmother, Lauren’s boys are starting their musical theater careers. It is always a treat for Annette to see her grandchildren on stage, and she knows they are going to be big stars when they grow up. She anticipates that they will be featured on Standing Room Only one day.

Do you support WERS, and have a story to share? Email creative@wers.org for more information.