Helen Welch and Jazz Trio To Bring “Divas Show” to Allegheny

Helen Welch
Helen Welch

MEADVILLE, Pa. – Feb. 23, 2011 – Jazz vocalist Helen Welch and her trio will perform her “Divas Show” – celebrating the music of the First Ladies of Song – at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 10, in the Gladys Mullenix Black Theatre at the Vukovich Center for Communication Arts at Allegheny College.

Welch will perform songs made famous by Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler, Etta James, Judy Garland, Patsy Cline, Nina Simone, Doris Day, Petula Clark and many others.

A native of England, Welch is known throughout the United Kingdom for her musical theatre roles and one-woman shows. She has also worked with some of the United Kingdom’s best-known big bands, including Opus One, Glen Miller Europe and the BBC Big Band.

Welch has performed in starring roles in a number of popular musicals including Hello Dolly!, Barnum, 42nd Street, Oliver Twist, Calamity Jane, Show Boat and Carousel. She also won a competition against 800 other singers for a starring role in the Broadway musical Smokey Joe’s Café.

Welch has guest starred with the Cleveland Orchestra, the Columbus Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra, the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. She has performed at numerous jazz festivals and music venues, including the Blossom Music Center and the Chautauqua Institution.

“The thing that makes all great performers special is their ability to make what they do seem easy and natural, and it’s anything but,” said Jack Schantz, former artistic director of the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra. “Helen Welch has this attribute and it hides the fact that she has tremendous musicianship — her intonation, phrasing and instincts are spot on. She’s the real deal.”

Tickets for the show are $20, or $35 for the show and a private after-concert reception. Tickets can be purchased online at www.allegheny.edu/events; by phone, with Mastercard, Visa or Discover, at (814) 332-3101; or in person in the Office of Conference and Event Services in Schultz Hall on the Allegheny campus. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.