Utah Icon Michael McLean Brings Heart And Humor To Concerts @ SCERA
By: A.A. Cristi Oct. 15, 2019
Michael McLean's music theory professor was wrong. He told the would-be artist that he lacked what it took to succeed professionally as a musician.
In response, McLean transferred to another university, took composition classes from BYU professor Merrill Bradshaw and began writing music for commercials in Salt Lake City. From there he advanced to writing commercials for the Homefront campaign of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and secured a job as a producer for the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in 1976. He worked with the choir until 1993 and simultaneously produced albums of original music.
In time, California resident McLean became an acclaimed artist, particularly in Utah, where he is considered a musical treasure. The composer, performer, pianist and master storyteller will showcase his considerable talents at SCERA Center for the Arts and perform two concerts on Saturday, Oct. 26, a recently added 4:00pm show and a 7:00pm performance which is already sold out.
Reserved-seat tickets at $14 for adults and $12 for children age 3-11 and seniors age 65 and older. Tickets are available at www.scera.org, by calling 801-225-ARTS, or in the main office at SCERA, 745 South State, Orem, open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m.
McLean's concerts are highly personal and share tender messages from his life and others that suggest a way to the light at the end of the tunnel. His songs of love, peace and hope can be heard on more than 25 albums and resonate in his "Forgotten Carols" Christmas concerts. For thousands of audience members, "The Forgotten Carols" has become an annual holiday tradition.
Among McLean's achievements has been his musical "The Ark," with BYU professor Kevin Kelly. It debuted at the Plum Alley Theatre and participated in the Festivals of New Musicals in New York City in 2000. It was later produced off-Broadway in 2005. Another highlight was persuading famous actor Jimmy Stewart to star in a made-for-TV movie called "Mr. Krueger's Christmas."
His work has received Clio awards, Addy awards, national Emmy finalist awards and the Bronze Lion at the Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, his allegorical oratory, "The Garden," written with Merrill Jenson and Bryce Neubert, has been performed in Jerusalem, France, South America, Russia and The United States.
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