By Rose Brennan 

SHELTON—On Sunday, October 4, the bright lights of Broadway are coming to the Naugatuck River Valley, by way of St. Joseph Parish on Fairmont Place. 

The parish’s annual fall concert, titled “A Broadway Melody,” will take place at 3 pm. All are invited to attend.

In the July/August issue of the Fairfield County Catholic, the event was mistakenly said to take place on Saturday, October 4, 206 — it should have read Sunday, October 4, 2026.  

Daniel J. Horstmann, who is serving as the concert’s artistic director, said the Broadway theme was envisioned as a part of the nation’s larger 250th anniversary. While it may not be a White House event, Horstmann believes that Broadway has its own place in the larger American zeitgeist. 

“There’s nothing more American than Broadway and musicals,” he said. “Everybody loves something from Broadway. I think when you hear those melodies, something just sparks in you a little bit … it transports you to another place.” 

The concert will feature both the children’s and adult choir from the parish itself, along with several vocal and instrumental soloists. It will also feature a mini pit orchestra to truly replicate the sound of a Broadway production. 

While he didn’t share the full setlist, Horstmann said he attempted to span all of the eras of Broadway theater—from George M. Cohan’s Little Johnny Jones, which hit the Great White Way in 1904, to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton, which opened in 2015 and was described as “America then, as told by America now.” 

This span of titles and eras is part of the appeal to a family-friendly parish audience, according to Jodi Keoghan, who has served as a cantor and soloist at St. Joseph on and off for several years and will perform in “A Broadway Melody.” 

“I think it’s something that everyone can relate to—not just your older generation, but the young kids of this day,” Keoghan said. “There’s a medley of songs that’s from Wicked,  and that certainly appeals to the younger generation and children who are familiar with those melodies. The classics that we are also doing, such as The Sound of Music and The Man of La Mancha, maybe the children are familiar with, but it certainly helps to educate them and hear beautiful music.” 

Keoghan, who is a classically trained opera singer, noted that conveying emotion in music can be challenging, especially when a performer is singing in an unfamiliar language. Nevertheless, the performer must still communicate those emotions to an audience, and it is especially powerful to do so in a language the audience does understand—like Broadway musicals. 

“When I sing, I am a totally different person, and that’s when I can command the stage and draw the audience into the performance so that they can feel the music that I am singing and the value of the words,” she said. 

Allison Fay serves as the music director at St. Joseph and will be leading the adult and children’s choirs in their respective numbers. She said she was excited to experience the camaraderie between the various performers during the concert, whether it’s their first or 10th performance at the parish. 

Fay said she looked forward to “the collaboration between people from the church and from outside of the church, and getting to hear a range of different voices (and) a range of different instruments.” 

Darwin Shen, a violinist, is returning to St. Joseph’s mini pit orchestra for “A Broadway Melody.” He believes this ensemble will be the largest instrumental group that has ever accompanied the singers—an exciting prospect for him. 

“I love working with the other musicians,” Shen said. “Many of them I’ve known for 20 years or more. Of course, it’s always wonderful presenting to the audience, but I’m also sure they will feel the joy and camaraderie amongst the musicians.” 

Horstmann is very excited to present the program to the larger community in October, because to him, it is an example of what makes St. Joseph Parish unique. 

“We’re just so fortunate to have a parish that’s so welcoming to the arts,” Horstmann said. “One of the reasons I love working there … is that it’s really more like a family. And I’m excited to widen that circle and invite others into that family and feel as if you’re sitting down to watch a show with your family.”  

(To RSVP to “A Broadway Melody,” please email [email protected]. Free will offerings will be accepted at the concert.)