Working with good people in the business

This Saturday brings one of the finest and most talented singers to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center.  In a show called “Broadway & Beyond,” J. Mark McVey will be featured with Heartland Sings out of Fort Wayne, Indiana.

J. Mark McVey is a singer who rose to international fame as Jean Valjean in the Broadway spectacular Les Miserables. As the leading actor in Les Miserables, he won the Helen Hayes Award for “Outstanding Actor” while performing in D.C.  He then moved on to be the first American singer to perform the role in London’s West End (England’s version of New York City’s Broadway.) Singing over 3,200 times as Jean Valjean, he also won the Ovation Award on the 25th anniversary tour of the smash Broadway hit at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

The list goes on and on with musical accomplishments for this singer. He has performed at Carnegie Hall, with The Boston Pops, recorded with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and on and on. But perhaps the biggest accomplishment in his life is that he is a Christian gentleman who speaks softly but sings with a big stick (if I may borrow from President Theodore Roosevelt.)  I know this first hand.

J. Mark was appearing with Ernie Haase’s Signature Sound when I first met him. We had booked their show, “Inspiration of Broadway”, three years ago. J. Mark was the featured add-on singer to the show, and as nice as Ernie Haase and his fellow singers were, it was J. Mark who I really connected with.

His father drove up to our Niswonger show from his home in West Virginia. I met him in the lobby before the show and we began conversing. I could tell he was a proud father. He and a friend had just arrived in Van Wert that day and were looking forward to hearing his son sing with Signature Sound.  I knew they had not had the chance to get anything to eat that day, so I invited him, his friend and J. Mark to eat with my wife and I after the show.

Sitting in Bob Evans Restaurant in Van Wert, J. Mark’s father told me how he sings in a church choir. He was interested that I directed a church choir. He then went further to state that I should ask J. Mark to sing at my church the next morning. I said, “Do you think he actually would?” He said, “You just tell him I said he should!”  hen J. Mark arrived at the restaurant, I gave him his father’s order and he said, “I would be honored to sing at your church.” Wow!

The next morning, he showed up at our church as I was warming up my choir downstairs and he volunteered to sing tenor in my choir.  Well, no one ever turns down someone wanting to sing tenor, especially someone with J. Mark’s credentials!  It was a difficult piece we were singing that morning and I was a little shy on tenors.  He pitch hit and fit right in.  He’s so good that he didn’t actually stick out, but added much power and depth to our sound.

He also gave our soundman a thumb drive with an orchestral accompaniment to a piece that fit just perfectly with our pastor’s sermon that morning.  He also gave his testimony before singing.  Needless to say, I was impressed and he made a huge impression on me and our entire church family.

This is the man we are bringing back to the Niswonger this Saturday night.  I put him in contact with Robert Nance, the director of Heartland Sings out of Fort Wayne.  This is a talented group of professional full-time singers and a chorus.  Robert, J. Mark and I talked early on about what type of show we wanted to create and this Saturday, you will see the results of that conversation, the planning and the rehearsing in what we call Broadway & Beyond.

It will be filled with some of the most beloved Broadway songs that J. Mark has had the pleasure of singing all over the world as well as other treasured American songs. That’s the “Beyond” part of the show.  It will all be backed up by a small orchestra and chorus. The show Saturday night will be the world premiere performance.  We are all hopeful it will be so well received that they can take it on tour later on.

One of the greatest pleasures of working a job like this is the wonderful people you meet in the world of music. J. Mark is one of the nicest and most talented and yet giving people I have met in the industry.  What a joy to bring him back to Van Wert and let him share his talents with you and Heartland Sings.

Tickets are just $20 to $35 and can be purchased at the Niswonger Box Office in advance or the night of the show. This is part of the Community Concert Series sponsored by Okuley/ Unverferth Dentistry with support by Central Insurance, E&R Trailer, Eaton Corporation, State Farm’s Tisha Fast Agency, Taylor Auto Sales, and the Van Wert County Hospital.

Next year’s Community Concert Series is now complete and we will be announcing the exciting line-up later this spring. We are proud to offer world-class concerts which help you discover new artists who you may or may not know.  This is the education part of our mission at the Niswonger Performing Arts Center. I invite you to come this Saturday and discover the world-premiere of Broadway & Beyond!

FINÉ.