Singing & Board Member – Steve Dodge
While I was born in Southeast Missouri, I lived in Michigan for seven years before my family returned to Dexter, Missouri. I graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in Speech Pathology and earned a Master’s Degree in Special Education Administration from Central Missouri University. I retired from the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Section of Special Education, as a Director of Instruction. After a year of consulting, a good friend called and asked me to work in her new restaurant. She taught me about cooking, and that has become a passion of mine in retirement. After ten years at the restaurant, I decided I was ready to REALLY retire.
I previously served on the Board from 1996 – 2003. I thought I was finished with my board role when I was asked to complete the term of a member who had resigned. I agreed to do so because I feel like the chorus is poised for a period of exciting growth, and I wanted to take an active role in that growth and development. When the day comes that I no longer sing with the chorus, I want to feel confident that I have done everything I can to ensure its wellbeing and longevity.
My first HMC concert was the holiday concert of 1995, and I have sung in every concert since that time. My favorite part is the excitement and energy on stage as we wait for the concert to begin.
Heartland Men’s Chorus plays a vital role in the Kansas City Arts Community. For the last 34 years, the chorus has entertained with a variety of musical styles, while also being a voice for social justice and equality.
I feel like I live my life with a music score playing in my head all the time. My friends know that I have an uncanny knack for remembering lyrics. Singing provides me with an outlet for that music that is always swirling around me. I cannot imagine life without music.
– Steve Dodge
Cullen’s Corner
/in BlogWhat a year last year was! From the largest ticketed holiday show in HMC history to the sold-out “After All- 60 Years of Cher” spring show to the epic Disney Pride in Concert- we took a big leap in musical excellence, theatrical presentation, and audience growth! One of the biggest challenges I face each and every season is answering the question that everyone asks- “So, how are you gonna top that?” Even though I have over 50 original career productions under my belt, the pressure to produce something that singers and audience members alike will love is sometimes completely overwhelming.
Creatives often use a process at the beginning of their career rooted in imitating others. Through the learning process, programming moves naturally to assimilation and finally into the final stage of creative producing, innovation. No matter what, each time a producer or writer creates something for the stage, it takes a massive amount of vulnerability and trust grounded in experience and skill (still, always terrifying).
This season we are taking a fresh, innovative approach to our holiday show by creating an original theatrical storyline with characters and a plot to guide our audiences on a holiday adventure. “A Very Merry Christmas Pageant” is an original musical production that follows all members of HMC as they represent various parts of Kansas and Missouri and compete for the title of “Mister Merry Christmas”. You’ll find out the backstory of a few contestants as they partake in several elements of competitive pageants, all while being judged by three guest judges from the KC arts community. This hilarious and heartwarming production will keep you giggling in your seat as you listen to 140 voices performing an eclectic mix of music to get you in the holiday spirit. You’ll hear everything from “My Grown Up Christmas List” and “Do You Hear What I Hear” to non-holiday pop songs through a holiday lens, like Laura Branigan’s 80’s hit- “Gloria”! Now we just need to figure out how to fit all these singers on the Folly and Yardley Stage! As usual, myself and our leadership team stay so very grateful for the community support of HMC, and we can’t wait to bring our music with a message to Kansas City once again this 38th Season!
Shawn Cullen
HMCKC Time Capsule – Gala Festival 2016
/in BlogMeet New HMCKC Board Member: Chris Madden
/in BlogTwo new board members joined the HMCKC Board of Directors during Season 38. One of them is Chris Madden, who is no stranger to music. He is the Assistant Professor of Piano Pedagogy and Director of Undergraduate Studies at the UMKC Conservatory.
Chris is thrilled to join the board. He says, “Their mission to “build community, celebrate pride, and empower authenticity” is evident not only in the high artistic level of their performances but also in the many ways in which they serve the Kansas City community. These include sponsorship of a scholarship at the UMKC Conservatory as well as their Schools with Heart program, both of which demonstrate the chorus’s commitment to LGBTQ+ youth in the Kansas City metro. As a member of the Kansas City arts community myself, I look forward to supporting the organization in whatever way I can during my time on the board.”