Tim Baker, Shallaway ready to welcome former U.S. president Barack Obama in song
Barack Obama addressing the crowd at Mile One Centre in St. John’s on Tuesday evening. (Adam Walsh/CBC)
When former U.S. president Barack Obama takes to the stage at Mile One Centre in St. John’s on Tuesday, he’ll be given a warm, musical welcome.
Singer-songwriter Tim Baker will be performing three songs from his debut solo album, songs that describe life in Newfoundland and Labrador.
“I felt I was supposed to be a musical ambassador, or an interpreter, so I thought I would play a few songs about the place that we were welcoming him to,” he said.
Baker said he was supposed to be recording in a studio in Montreal this week, but cancelled those plans when he was offered the chance to sing for Obama.
Kellie Walsh leads the Shallaway Youth Choir as they rehearse before their performance for former president Barack Obama on Tuesday evening. (Sherry Vivian/CBC)
“I figured I would probably never get another opportunity to meet [Obama], and I’m a huge fan,” he said.
“It’s very exciting — probably, there’s no one famous I’d rather meet.”
Baker will also be joined by the Shallaway Youth Choir for two of his songs, a group that he was a member of himself when he was younger.
Shallaway artistic director Kellie Walsh says she and the choir have been hard at work on Baker’s music — as well as the Canadian and American national anthems — but they’ve also been discussing the significance of the performance.
Tim Baker says it’s very exciting to perform for Obama. (Sherry Vivian/CBC)
Walsh said this will be “one of the most extraordinary experiences” the choir has ever had, one that goes beyond music.
“It talks to everything this choir is about, which is about building community, about culture, about leadership,” she said.
“When it comes to music making and what Shallaway’s all about, this is probably on the very, very top of anything we’ve ever done.”
Walsh said it’s inspiring for both her and the young singers to see a “big thinker” effecting positive change in the world.
Baker talks to members of Shallaway at a rehearsal ahead of their performance for Obama. (Sherry Vivian/CBC)
Erica Budden, 17, says it’s an “invigorating” feeling to get to sing for the former president.
“It’s a very ‘you’re never going to get to do this again’ kind of feeling, so [I want] to relish it,” she said.
Eli Quinn, 17, says it ranks highly among the special opportunities he’s gotten with the choir.
“We’ve done so many cool things, travelling to Africa, singing with the Tenors.… [This is] pretty close to the top,” he said.
From left, Claire Donnan, Erica Budden and Eli Quinn will be part of the choir that performs for Obama on Tuesday. (Sherry Vivian/CBC)
Claire Donnan, 16, says it will be exciting just to hear Obama speak, let alone perform for him.
“We get to be there, and that’s amazing, and I’m just so blown away,” she said.
Alan Doyle will also be performing as part of Tuesday’s event.
Obama is visiting St. John’s as part of a speaking tour across Canada, telling the story of his two-term presidency and offering insight into the current state of affairs in the United States.
“It was a bit of a dream” to book Obama for St. John’s, said Janis Byrne, chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade, which arranged the event.
Obama was making appearances in Montreal and Halifax, Byrne said, and they figured it was worth a shot to ask for a stop in St. John’s. The board submitted an application that got approved just last month.
Janis Byrne, chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade, says the board was delighted when their request for a tour stop in St. John’s was accepted. (Marie Isabelle Rochon/CBC)
“And voila, it got accepted,” Byrne said. “We were delighted.”
The discussion will be moderated by Zita Cobb, chair of the Shorefast Foundation, which Byrne said should make for some “fascinating” conversation.
“Like president Obama, she’s a visionary, so we thought, what better match to be on stage?
“In today’s geopolotical climate, it’s just to wonderful to have a statesman and a visionary like president Obama come and speak to us.”
Mile One Centre lists ticket prices ranging from $100 to $325, plus taxes and surcharges.