Balancing the Stage and Service: Quinn Shadko ’05

Alumni Office (A): Can you introduce yourself and your journey from Breck to where you are now?

Quinn Shadko ’05 (Q): I'm Quinn Shadko, and I graduated from Breck in 2005. I started at Breck when I was in kindergarten, so I was a lifer. After Breck, I went to Rice University in Houston, Texas. I studied classical voice, and my double major was in linguistics. Then I went to grad school in New York at NYU for my masters in vocal performance with a specialty in musical theater. I lived out in New York for a while, did that whole thing, and then came back to the Twin Cities area about ten years ago.

Ever since then, I have been living a double or triple life, combining working in the arts and working at different nonprofits. I do so many different things that are performance-based in nature, including singing, acting, and voiceover work. Most recently, I've worked at MacPhail Center for Music in downtown Minneapolis with an organization called Giving Voice Initiative, which works with singers who have Alzheimer's and dementia and their care partners, exploring how music can help build community and be an outlet for singers living with that disease.

I've also done some work in program management for performing arts organizations. I worked at Park Square Theatre managing their education department for a while, and I did marketing and social media at the Schubert Club. As far as performance goes, I have performed with a lot of theaters around town, Theater Latté Da, the Guthrie, Park Square Theatre, and the Minnesota Opera, where I continue to perform.

A: You said you have two parallel careers. Can you tell us some of the major accomplishments that you have from both sides? 

Q: From a performance perspective, I feel like some of my big accomplishments have been getting to perform in an Off-Broadway kids' show and the national tour of a musical, Clifford the Big Red Dog, which was a blast. I got to work at a bunch of local theaters that I loved attending when I grew up, the Guthrie, Hennepin Theatre Trust, and Minnesota Opera being among them. Being a part of the Twin Cities Arts Community as a performer has been a huge honor for me.

In terms of voice-over work, that was a job that I didn't even really know existed when I was a kid. So, I would add that to the equation, just using my gifts or skills as a performer to be in a couple of different realms at the same time and not necessarily having to just pick one. Being able to work at MacPhail during the day and then go sing a show with Minnesota Opera at night at the Ordway – that's the kind of full life that I've always wanted to build.

Working with the Giving Voice initiative has been a huge accomplishment of mine. We just had a 10-year anniversary concert at Orchestra Hall on Sunday. And it was celebrating the accomplishments of these amazing singers, who many people look at them and say, “You have Alzheimer's, you can't do this. You can't do that.” And what we try to do is celebrate all the amazing things they can do, which is so much. The cool thing about music is, even if somebody has forgotten what they had for breakfast or what their child's name is, if you tap into those songs that they loved as a kid or that played at their wedding, you'll see their old self just really shoot through. I feel really honored to have been a part of that and to connect with individuals who are using music as a vehicle to transcend a really difficult experience.

A: Are there any shows or concerts or anything this summer in Minneapolis or the Twin Cities that you're excited about that readers should know about?

Q: My gosh, that is such a good question. I think Little Shop of Horrors will be great at the Guthrie. Their summer musical is always really phenomenal. Theater Latté Da does something called the NEXT Festival every summer. It’s a way to develop new works, and then a lot of those new works get brought to fruition as a full show. I was lucky enough last year to be a part of a Christmas show that started as one of those workshops. The Minnesota Orchestra always has phenomenal summer programming, and I know the new conductor has been open about wanting to celebrate June as pride month. 

A: Are there any lessons that you learned at Breck that you use in what you do today?

Q: I would say being a person of integrity and a lifelong learner. No matter where you are in your career, as an individual, having those different sides to you was something that Breck always really nurtured and I think that's a very unique thing in a school in a community. I think that's what sets Breck apart: it has academics that are amazing, but more importantly it wants to create adults who are well-rounded and citizens of the world.

Something else that has come from Breck is knowing that everybody comes from a different place and that we all have different gifts to contribute to the world and to society. I really loved how Breck celebrated each individual student for what they brought to the table.

A: Are there any faculty, coaches, or staff members that really made a positive impact on your life?

Q: Tom Hegg our Theatre Director, and Lisa Doering, who was our choral director at Breck instilled in me a love of the arts that I couldn't put a price on, and they showed that they were worthwhile pursuits. Watching the two of them instill a love of the arts, music, and theater in students so young and the way they nurtured and built that in each student was really, really special. Jane Bartow was a third-grade teacher at Breck, and she instilled this love of reading and writing in me that I'll never forget. She actually came to one of my performances five years ago. 

I would also like to mention Father Bellaimey and Michael Moos. Something they all have in common is that big heart and love for their students, and both of them made a big impact on me and my life. Papa B created the first Gay Straight Alliance when I was a high schooler. Now you think, “Of course there's a Gay-Straight Alliance,” but when I was in high school, that was a very new thing, and he was such an ally for all of the kids in high school who wanted to explore their identity. He allowed us to really open up a conversation that needed to be had. I will never forget him having that safe space for everybody to go to and teaching those of us who identify as allies what it means to really show up for your community and your friends.

 

Quinn lives in Minneapolis, where she’s an active member of the Twin Cities arts community, both onstage and off. In the coming year, you can catch her as the voice of HealthPartners on the radio or TV, performing with Minnesota Opera and chasing after her one-year-old daughter, Maeve.