Valerie Von Fange was raised in California, but was born and now lives in Virginia. One of eight kids from parents married over 50 years, she feels blessed to be part of a close family rooted in the Catholic faith.
Valerie’s musical start was in community and church choirs during her elementary years. At age twelve, her formal development began with classical piano. She attributes her passion for the instrument to her parents who never forced her to take lessons and being able to practice in a non-disruptive setting (ie: the garage converted into a play room). She anxiously advanced to Bach and Beethoven until it was time to leave for college.
In 1983, Valerie earned a Business Degree from Pepperdine University, a choice that would later give her nice job mobility. Valerie's first career move was in restaurant management. At that time, she continued her music, leading church choirs and providing piano accompaniment. In 1984, she landed her first job in high-tech. During her off hours, she could be found playing in church services, dances, concerts, retirement homes and dabbling in song-writing. She climbed the high-tech ladder from network operations to sales support to corporate training to sales engineering to marketing and then decided there had to be something more...
And so in 1999, after fifteen years of working in high-tech, Valerie was ready for a switch. Her next destination-- Northern Virginia, a full circle from where her life began. Her decision to move into high-school teaching was prompted by the intrinsic need to transfer knowledge.
After leaving the public education sector, Valerie continued to teach music and began working alongside her husband with his company, Antique Tables Made Daily, Inc. In turn, husband Tom lent his song-writing skills for one of her musical milestones— Steadfast Love, which Valerie recorded in Nashville and co-produced in 2005. Subsequently, Psalm 123 from the Steadfast Love CD was selected for the Catholic Music 2008 CD, featuring 34 Catholic artists across the U.S. and produced by Spirit Wing Records. About the same time CM2008 was released, Valerie also released Christmas in the Shenandoah, a compilation of Christmas hymns performed by Northern Virginia artists and produced by National Media Services. In 2008, the following Steadfast Love songs made the Top Ten Catholic Song picks receiving media exposure:
- Psalm 123 - Adoration Song List : #9
- A Hymn to Him - Easter/Alleluia Song List : #7
- When Smiles Fill My Eyes - Wedding Song List : #10
- The Grace Within - All Saints Song List : #2
Today Valerie is working on her second original CD... a couple song selections are available for listening... which is scheduled to be released in 2010. Valerie can be found performing in festivals, retirement homes, restaurants, wineries, conferences and concerts. She has been a featured musician/songwriter in the Arlington Catholic Herald, National Catholic Register, Faith & Family Magazine, Grapevine Magazine, CM/247 Radio, Catholic Music Express Radio, EWTN Backstage Television and Virginia Living Television.
Check out her discography page to hear song samples from her inspirational CDs.
