Who is Helen Welch?

Helen Welch is a critically-acclaimed vocalist whose live stage performances explore a diverse range of musical compositions, starting with the 1930s up through present-day. Whether she’s singing Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan, or Elton John, Sting and Randy Newman, Helen’s sophisticated vocals and humor leave audiences breezily enchanted. The “Helen Welch experience” is perhaps best described by a fan who wrote on her Amazon page, “If you have a chance to see Helen perform, do it! You are in for a special treat.”

A native of England, Helen is well-known throughout the United Kingdom for her musical theatre roles and 1-woman shows. Upon moving to the U.S. in 2003, she began appearing in venues throughout the Northeast and immediately began cultivating a devoted group of fans. Helen possesses a knack for choosing songs that stand the test of time and making them her own. The audience hears them and falls in love all over again.

When she’s not on-stage, she is busy developing her own musical stage productions. Additionally, she released her first compact disc collection in 2006. Her second, due out in 2010, will feature a mix of contemporary selections.

Helen is equally at home performing in intimate spaces for small groups as in outdoor amphitheatres in front of thousands. She appears in the region’s most celebrated entertainment establishments including Severance Hall, Playhouse Square Center, Akron Civic Theatre, Blossom Music Center, Nighttown, Cain Park and many more. She frequently guest-stars or headlines with world-class musical organizations such as The Cleveland Orchestra, The Columbus Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Pops Orchestra and The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra to name just a few.

Keeping the Genius of Ella Fitzgerald Alive

The Ella Fitzgerald Society, in 2009, granted Helen permission to include the late legend’s music in her stage performances. Helen spent many hours reviewing the catalog which included original sheet music, over which Lady Ella herself had made notations.)

Early Years

Helen Welch was born and raised in Norwich, England. She made her television debut at age 3 on the popular children’s program Romper Room (“I see Helen!”). Helen began studying the flute at age 11 and soon displayed abundant musical aptitude. While still in high school, she earned a teaching diploma at the London College of Music and began teaching flute at the same school she attended.

Feeling that a more traditional career was expected of her, Helen left teaching to pursue a business career. After several years in the trenches, she realized that singing was her true passion. She has pursued it professionally ever since.

On to Broadway

Helen’s stage career got off to fast-start. She landed starring roles in a string of popular musicals including Hello Dolly!, Barnum, 42nd Street, Oliver Twist, Calamity Jane, Show Boat, and Carousel. She also made her pantomime debut as ‘Maid Marion’ in Robin Hood, a traditional English Christmas show. (Renowned English actor and a former “Dr. Who”, Colin Baker, played Helen’s wicked uncle.)

During this time, Helen met her late song-writing partner Tim Freebairn, and there began a magical, musical partnership. The pair enjoyed immediate success when they represented Britain in the Irish International Song contest and won Best Song and Best Female Vocalist. Afterwards, Helen and Tim developed a 1-woman cabaret show entitled First Ladies of Song-- a celebration of the world’s legendary vocal divas. First Ladies ignited a connection among audiences and went on to be performed throughout England.

A short time later, Helen decided on a whim to enter a singing competition--- the grand prize of which was a role in the smash-hit Lieber and Stoller musical Smokey Joe’s Café on Broadway. Eight-hundred girls vied for the opportunity, but it was Helen who most impressed the judges and won. She rehearsed briefly with the London cast before jetting to New York to join the Broadway production. A BBC camera crew accompanied Helen and captured the entire experience on film, which was made into a television documentary for the BBC.

London Calls

After Helen’s Broadway contract ended, she was presented with a number of opportunities, one of which was to work with some of the UK’s finest big bands including Opus One, Glen Miller Europe and the BBC Big Band. Unable to bypass this invaluable experience, she moved to London, and soon performed regularly in some of the West End’s most popular performance spaces, including The Savoy, The Ritz and The Grosvenor House Great Room.

Helen also became a regular in London’s major recording studios. Her voice can be heard in many commercial jingles, films and television productions, and also the background on recordings of well-known international artists. She was tapped to record a ‘house’ track for the German pop market. When the producers of the James Bond movie franchise were exploring a new theme song, they asked Helen to record the demo.

Helen was thrilled and honored when the directors of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra (NYJO) asked her work with its student members, who are considered to be the cream of Britain’s upcoming musical crop. At one point, the NYJO was scheduled to perform with Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall. During rehearsal, Dankworth, doubling as concert director, asked Helen to stand in for Cleo!

Producing and Directing

In addition to being a consummate stage performer, Helen Welch is also president of Big Wow Productions [accurate?]. The company has developed the following shows, all of which star Ms. Welch:

Stage Productions:

• Divas I: Divas I, which debuted in 2005, is a salute to legendary female vocalists of the past 50 years including Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Etta James, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler and more. Divas 1 played to sell-out crowds.
• Divas II: Helen’s 2006 follow-up to her smash-hit shows, Divas I, honors another round of superstar songstresses, including Barbara Streisand, Karen Carpenter, Natalie Cole, Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark and Dinah Washington.
• Swingin’ on Broadway: Take some of your favorite Broadway melodies, add a 16-piece big band and……POW! This is Broadway with a difference and it swings! Swingin’ on Broadway debuted in 2006.
• Notes from the Silver Screen: This 2006 premiere showcases classic tunes from the silver screen that have left an indelible mark on the music business. You’ll hear works from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Casablanca, Two for the Road, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music and many more!
• Jingle Bell Swing: This holiday spectacular debuted at Playhouse Square Center in 2006 to fervent audience reception. Jingle Bell Swing features big band, swing and gospel renditions of traditional and popular holiday songs. Helen, in all her holiday finery, is backed by an explosive 16-piece big band, back-up singers and Santa himself!
• The Look of Love: Helen brings passion, romance and relationship humor to the stage in this intimate, sophisticated musical production. Audiences will be treated to love songs spanning several generations and genres. There is literally, something for everyone. The Look of Love premiered in 2008.
• L’Chaim! To Life: This 2009 production was developed for the Cleveland Jewish Community Center. It celebrates the music of Jewish singers, song-writers, composers and lyricists.

CDs:

• One Dream: In September 2006, Helen made her first recording with The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra and her quartet. The CD, entitled One Dream is an eclectic compilation of Broadway hits: Something’s Comin’ / Somewhere (West Side Story) and The Trolley Song (Meet Me in St Louis); classic pop tunes: Walkin’ After Midnight and This Could Be The Start of Something Big; and compositions co-written by Helen: One Dream is Better than None. It also features Helen’s version of Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart, arranged by Nelson Riddle. Helen received personal permission from Riddle’s daughter to use the original arrangement of Zing! on her recording. Besides Judy Garland, Helen is the only other person to have recorded this arrangement. More on One Dream.

Performance Highlights: 2007

• March: Helen made her debut at Packard Music Hall with Steinway artist Joe Augustine.
• April: Severance Hall debut with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra and the Cleveland Jazz Orchestra in a concert entitled Side by Side.
• July: Helen made her Columbus, Ohio debut her quartet on July 11th. Later than month, she made a 2nd debut with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra during their summer JazZoo! series at the renowned Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. Helen made her 3rd debut that month at Blossom Music Center with the Blossom Festival Orchestra in a celebration of Gershwin conducted by Loras Shissel.
• November: Performances with the Kent State University Jazz Band (headliner) and The Cleveland Jazz Orchestra at Akron’s Civic Theatre. Jingle Bell Swing, by now in its 2nd year, returned with a total of 5 performances between Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Performance Highlights: 2008

• February: Helen made her debut at the Stocker Arts Center in Elyria with her Valentine’s cabaret The Look of Love. Later, she debuted with the Akron Symphony Orchestra in an outdoor concert at Akron’s Lock 3 Live.
• July: Helen returned to Columbus to sing with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra during the summer jazz festival.
• August: Performance with the Bemus Pops Orchestra on the Bemus Point, NY floating stage, and also 2 concerts during Chautauqua Institute’s renowned summer series.
• October: Helen reunited with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra and an all-star cast for a 6-night run of The Roaring 20’s.
• December: Christmas saw 7 performances of Jingle Bell Swing at the Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, OH, the Warner Theatre in Erie, PA, and the Struthers Library Theatre in Warren, PA.

Performance Highlights: 2009

• February: Helen returned to the Stocker Arts Center in Elyria for 2 performances of her show Divas! She was also the headliner at Lakeland Jazz Festival at Lakeland Community College, Ohio.
• April: Debut at the Packard Concert Hall with the Packard Concert Band
• July: Performance with the Buffalo Symphony under the direction of Arie Lipsky.
• August: Helen and her quartet traveled to Ashland Ohio for a performance of Divas!at the popular Guy C. Myers Memorial Band Shell. Divas! was also performed with the Dave Stevens Big Band on the floating stage at Bemus Point, NY and at the Pepsi Amphitheatre in Erie PA.
• October: Helen and her trio performed a series of 3 cabarets: Divas!, L’Chaim!-To Life and Movie Magic at Kennedy’s Down Under at Playhouse Square Center.
• December: Jingle Bell Swing will be performed 7 times with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra between the Southern Theatre in Columbus and the Akron Civic Theatre.