A Christmas treat to listen to at the NPAC

I just finished listening to a video clip the Niswonger marketing team sent out, announcing that Wednesday (December 21) is the single release of tickets for “Broadway & Beyond” featuring J. Mark McVey.  If you can take about four minutes of your time, I encourage you to click on that video clip and listen to Mark sing “Mary, Did You Know?”  It is an exhilarating rendition of this contemporary Christmas song asking the question of Mother Mary if she really realized the significance of what the birth of her son, Jesus, really meant. Mark really nails it musically and emotionally!

From this point, I could go off onto a sermon, or talk about the musical aspect of the performance.  I think I’ll leave the sermon to a trained minister. J. Mark McVey is not only an amazing singer who gained international notoriety as Jean Valjean in Broadway’s Les Miserables, but also a tremendous gentleman.

I got to know Mark when he first visited the Niswonger in 2014 while performing with Ernie Haase & Signature Sound. It seemed like a rather unusual combination of Southern Gospel and Broadway, but it sure worked!  I was blown away musically, but also inspired by Mark after the concert. You see, Mark’s elderly father, along with a friend, drove up for the concert in Van Wert from West Virginia. We all met at Bob Evans after the concert for some coffee and a piece of pie. One thing lead to another and, before long, we were talking about how Mark’s father still sings in a church choir and how pleased they are when Mark returns to sing with them. It wasn’t long before Mark’s father told Mark he should sing at my church the next morning. I thought Mark would say he needed to rest before flying out, but to my pleasant surprise, Mark said, “I would be delighted and honored.”

So, the next morning, I just told our pastor at First UM that I had a special surprise for everyone. Mark is a truly Christian man and had a special song with accompaniment on a ZIP drive that went perfectly with our minister’s message that morning.  What a blessing!  Not only did Mark share a solo with us, but I was short on tenors that morning and Mark volunteered to pitch in and sing tenor with our choir. What an honor!

I have met many professional performers over the years in this business, but I don’t recall ever meeting someone so willing to share not only his musical message, but also give his life testimony.  It’s a little risky from a professional standpoint to do what he did that morning, but I gained so much respect and admiration for J. Mark McVey that morning that I booked him again. Actually, Mark called me up while I was grocery shopping in the Marsh Supermarket. We made plans right there in the grocery!

The result of that shopping trip and conversation led to the show “Broadway & Beyond” with the Heartland Chamber Chorale and singers from Fort Wayne. Robert Nance, producer and director of this musical ensemble in neighboring Fort Wayne, had been talking to me about singing at the Niswonger, too. I thought this would be a perfect marriage of performers.

You can be the judge on March 18 when you come to see “Broadway & Beyond.”  Take a listen to Mark singing on our email blast we sent out or just google J. Mark McVey singing Mary Did You Know.  I’ll bet you will want to hear him live at the Niswonger.  If you don’t already have the Community Concert Series, just buy a single ticket to this one.  You will be glad you did!

I can’t thank you enough for the enormous support so many of you have given to those of us involved in the Van Wert Area Performing Arts Foundation at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center.  WE look forward to a spectacular second half of our season with concerts like “Broadway and Beyond” as well as others.  And don’t forget the biggest concert of all time: our Gala Concert featuring the Boston Pops with Bernadette Peters. What a night that will be! Ticket sales open up on January 4.

Merry Christmas to all of you! I hope the celebration of Jesus’ birth brings joy. I’ll see you down the road with the Time Jumpers and Vince Gill on February 4.

FINÉ.