Broadway actor sings with Siouxland choirs
By Joanne Fox Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, April 18, 2008
Broadway actor Timothy Shew exemplifies the saying: You can take the boy out of Iowa, but you can't take the Iowa out of the boy.
Shew may have a resume that includes parts from Jean Valjean in the Broadway show "Les Miserables" to Bruno in the soap opera "The Guiding Light," but he has never forgotten his Midwest roots. This weekend, he will sing with members of Bishop Heelan's Show Choir, Harmonia Mundi and the Westwood Rebelaires.
"I'm an old Iowa boy," he said with a hearty laugh, just hours before jetting off to London, England with wife Jane to visit son Jonathan. "I'm from Cedar Rapids and many of my family still lives in the Midwest."
The Sioux City connection came about when Shew was the guest artist at the Iowa Choral Directors Association conference and Chris Storm, Heelan's director of choral activities, approached him.
"He said, 'Hey would you be willing to come and sing with my group?' and I'm a yes kind of guy," said Shew, "so I said I would."
Education in particular has a special place in Shew's heart. He went to college in hopes of teaching music, but confessed he was "bit by the performing bug."
"But I always kept a hand in the education aspect," he said. "I've served as an adjudicator and done clinics and master classes all over the world."
Much of the reason behind that is Shew recalled instructors who impacted him.
"I remember people encouraging me and enhancing my career path when I was in school," he said. "So when Chris asked me to come, I cleared my schedule, just like I remember people jumping in and doing that for me."
For the past seven years, Shew has been playing the "Big Phat/Fat Man with a Bag" (Santa Claus) at Radio City Music Hall's "Christmas Spectacular" and recently completed an almost two-year run as Officer John Lonigan in "Wonderful Town" with Brooke Shields.
Shew made his film debut as Officer O'Rourke in the movie, "The Producers." He has performed the role of Jean Valjean for over four years in three productions on Broadway of "Les Miserables" and the tenth anniversary production in Australia. Shew has performed with symphonies and orchestras worldwide, most recently with Marvin Hamlisch at the Kennedy Center's 35th Anniversary Celebration.
For the last 15 years, Shew has produced "Broadway Sings on Park Avenue," a concert to benefit children affected and infected with HIV and AIDS and works extensively to educate and assist at risk kids.
Shew sent music to the Iowa singers ahead of time, even bravely confessing he was a "last minute Timmy," arriving in Sioux City the night before the performance.
"OK, it's not the ideal situation, but I still get to work with the kids," he clarified. "And we will work and work."
In addition to the joy Shew gets from working with the kids, there's the possibility that the vocalists will learn something from him.
"It gives them a chance to see someone on the front lines who's gotten the big parts and the little parts from a 30-year performing background," he said. "It's always good to identify a person with an event,"
Shew even offers advice for the students.
"I tell them, 'Anything else you can do other than be a performer, go after that!'," he said, laughing out loud. "But if there's nothing else that you're that passionate about, then you have to pursue it. You have to do it."
He continued, "I'd say it returns to that 'p' word -- passionate. Because if it's not real, it's not true, it won't work for you. And I'm a good example of it can happen to them. If they have the dream. If they really pursue it. And be passionate."
Bishop Heelan's Harmonia Mundi Show Choir along with Westwood's Rebelaires will be hosting a Broadway Benefit for St. Jude Children's Hospital on Sunday. Guest artists include Timothy Shew, Amy Hall, and Stephen Todd. The concert will be held at Westwood Community School's Auditorium, 1000 Rebel Way, Sloan, Iowa. Due to limited seating, there will be two concerts: at 4:30 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at Heelan and Westwood and at the door.
Meet the other performers
Stephen Todd is currently working towards a master's degree in vocal performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has recently been in the national tour of "Kiss Me Kate." He is also known across the U.S. for his work as a show choir choreographer, clinician and judge.
Amy Hall is one of five vocal music teachers at Waukee (Iowa) High School. She will be lending her piano skills for Shew and Todd's performances.
Shew may have a resume that includes parts from Jean Valjean in the Broadway show "Les Miserables" to Bruno in the soap opera "The Guiding Light," but he has never forgotten his Midwest roots. This weekend, he will sing with members of Bishop Heelan's Show Choir, Harmonia Mundi and the Westwood Rebelaires.
"I'm an old Iowa boy," he said with a hearty laugh, just hours before jetting off to London, England with wife Jane to visit son Jonathan. "I'm from Cedar Rapids and many of my family still lives in the Midwest."
The Sioux City connection came about when Shew was the guest artist at the Iowa Choral Directors Association conference and Chris Storm, Heelan's director of choral activities, approached him.
"He said, 'Hey would you be willing to come and sing with my group?' and I'm a yes kind of guy," said Shew, "so I said I would."
Education in particular has a special place in Shew's heart. He went to college in hopes of teaching music, but confessed he was "bit by the performing bug."
"But I always kept a hand in the education aspect," he said. "I've served as an adjudicator and done clinics and master classes all over the world."
Much of the reason behind that is Shew recalled instructors who impacted him.
"I remember people encouraging me and enhancing my career path when I was in school," he said. "So when Chris asked me to come, I cleared my schedule, just like I remember people jumping in and doing that for me."
For the past seven years, Shew has been playing the "Big Phat/Fat Man with a Bag" (Santa Claus) at Radio City Music Hall's "Christmas Spectacular" and recently completed an almost two-year run as Officer John Lonigan in "Wonderful Town" with Brooke Shields.
Shew made his film debut as Officer O'Rourke in the movie, "The Producers." He has performed the role of Jean Valjean for over four years in three productions on Broadway of "Les Miserables" and the tenth anniversary production in Australia. Shew has performed with symphonies and orchestras worldwide, most recently with Marvin Hamlisch at the Kennedy Center's 35th Anniversary Celebration.
For the last 15 years, Shew has produced "Broadway Sings on Park Avenue," a concert to benefit children affected and infected with HIV and AIDS and works extensively to educate and assist at risk kids.
Shew sent music to the Iowa singers ahead of time, even bravely confessing he was a "last minute Timmy," arriving in Sioux City the night before the performance.
"OK, it's not the ideal situation, but I still get to work with the kids," he clarified. "And we will work and work."
In addition to the joy Shew gets from working with the kids, there's the possibility that the vocalists will learn something from him.
"It gives them a chance to see someone on the front lines who's gotten the big parts and the little parts from a 30-year performing background," he said. "It's always good to identify a person with an event,"
Shew even offers advice for the students.
"I tell them, 'Anything else you can do other than be a performer, go after that!'," he said, laughing out loud. "But if there's nothing else that you're that passionate about, then you have to pursue it. You have to do it."
He continued, "I'd say it returns to that 'p' word -- passionate. Because if it's not real, it's not true, it won't work for you. And I'm a good example of it can happen to them. If they have the dream. If they really pursue it. And be passionate."
Bishop Heelan's Harmonia Mundi Show Choir along with Westwood's Rebelaires will be hosting a Broadway Benefit for St. Jude Children's Hospital on Sunday. Guest artists include Timothy Shew, Amy Hall, and Stephen Todd. The concert will be held at Westwood Community School's Auditorium, 1000 Rebel Way, Sloan, Iowa. Due to limited seating, there will be two concerts: at 4:30 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 and are available at Heelan and Westwood and at the door.
Meet the other performers
Stephen Todd is currently working towards a master's degree in vocal performance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and has recently been in the national tour of "Kiss Me Kate." He is also known across the U.S. for his work as a show choir choreographer, clinician and judge.
Amy Hall is one of five vocal music teachers at Waukee (Iowa) High School. She will be lending her piano skills for Shew and Todd's performances.
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