By Sydney Franklin 04.25.2014

Eight of Milligan’s performing arts students had the rare opportunity of singing for a Broadway professional on campus today.

 

J. Mark McVey, who played Jean Valjean in over 3,000 performances of Broadway’s Les Miserables, offered a mini-master class in lower Seeger this afternoon. He spoke on his experiences being a Christian in the secular entertainment industry, finding work and how to stay fresh in a role after repeated performances.

 

“The majority of my career was spent doing Jean Valjean,” he told the session of 24 people. “I got to deliver a message of grace 365 days a year. It doesn’t get much better than that.”

 

McVey also taught students how to handle rejection in the competitive business.

 

“If you put all that pressure on the shoulder of Jesus Christ, you won’t have a problem,” he said. “You have to start your day saying thank you to Jesus and give him all the praise.”

 

McVey listened to performances by Benjamin Davenport, Emily May, Amber Vaughn, Laura Mixon, Jeanette Hartsough and Tiffany, Amanda and Brianna Florian. Each student picked a piece of musical theater to perform and was accompanied by a solo pianist.

 

“I think that the students here performed incredibly,” said McVey. “All of them have a wonderful sense of who they are and that’s incredibly important from an entertainment position.”

 

Vaughn, who performed an excerpt of “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” from Sweeney Todd, appreciated McVey’s critique.

 

“It was not my best performance,” she said. “But I felt like his critiques were spot on and I could really connect with what he was telling me. It’s something that I can apply to my work.”

 

Dr. Charlotte Anderson, music professor and coordinator of today’s event, said this opportunity was a big deal for Milligan’s voice students and music department as whole.

 

“It’s huge for them and it’s huge for me,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot and I feel better about what we’re doing here because they’ve made us feel like we’re doing the right thing.”

 

McVey was most impressed by the students’ confidence and song choices.

 

“You could see that they are working and making certain that they get that element of themselves comfortable and confident before they lead into their character,” he said. “That means they are getting good education and instruction from their teachers.”

 

McVey will give two concerts tonight at First Christian Church at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. The performances are free and open to the public. All donations benefit the Trinity Arts Foundation and WCQR Radio.

 

To learn more about McVey’s Broadway career, visit his website at http://www.jmarkmcvey.com/about.php