By Jeff Petersen

Observer Staff Writer

He found he was more into singing than soils, into performing than pigs, into acting than agriculture.

Even though he grew up ranching, Todd Tschida, 23, got out of his "safe spot." Now an Eastern Oregon University theater major, music minor from Ontario, he's among the students performing in "A Night on Broadway" Friday and Saturday — he'll solo on "Mama Says."

Tschida's no stranger to theater-goers. Perhaps you remember him from the leading role Percival Blakeney in "Scarlet Pimpernel." He also played prominent parts in "Annie Get Your Gun" and "Flea in Her Ear."

Growing up ranching cattle and growing alfalfa, he did a lot of FFA activities, including being Oregon's only entry on the national FFA chorus. He remembers going on many FFA trips, not so much for the agriculture aspects but for the chance to take the guitars along and perform with friends in state talent contests and other venues.

Tschida started college as an agriculture education major at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario and did every main stage production there.

Growing up on a ranch, he said, contributes to his music and acting mostly by having a firm grasp in what people are all about.

"You meet a lot of regular, everyday people, and that helps me deal with the material now," he said. "A lot of it is about people working with people and meeting new people."

Such experiences in theater can be emotionally uplifting. Take last year's performance of "Parade," about racial and social issues and the mob mentality — the lynching of an innocent man.

"The music was very powerful, and it moved the whole choir in a certain direction very fast, and sharing that brought us all closer together."

So what does the future hold? When he graduates from EOU this June, Tschida said he hopes to try his hand at performing professionally while at the same time traveling and seeing some of the world.

For now he'll help bring the Broadway experience to La Grande. He feels Broadway is the chamber choir's signature sound "because we have a lot of belters in this group."

Broadway music is very difficult and challenging.

"I always feel if we can do ‘A Night on Broadway,' we won't be afraid to do anything else," he said.

It's all about reaching for the stars, trying something new and at first maybe uncomfortable, he said.

"Nothing great comes when people stay in their safe spot."

Related story...

Directors challenge students to blow the lid off limits, reach full potential

Directors Peter Wordelman and Michael Frasier seek to continually challenge their

students.

In designing the big element of the Night on Broadway program, Wordelman and Frasier tried to push the limits of what their students could do.

Many are more into contemporary music theater, and this show gives them a blast from the past with the bell song from "Hello, Dolly" and the finale from "Oklahoma!"

In one place in the concert, it's an old school look at harmonic writing with a seven-part piece divided among 44 people.

And the challenges don't end there. Many of the numbers — "Madame Guillotine" and "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" among them — end on high C.

"One of the things that makes teaching so fun is you can put students in different creative experiences," Wordelman said, from singing with orchestral accompaniment to gospel concerts.

Soon the chamber choir will have the huge challenge of trying to sound like a Spanish choir, with pitch and specific rhythmic elements of each piece determining the success of the final performance.

It's like trying to order breakfast in an entirely new language. But challenges make the world go round.

As choir member Todd Tschida said, "Every choir member and every choir is different." Peter is good at helping us work together and turning our weaknesses into strengths."