Jonathan Stewart, director of choral activities, recently came from teaching at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, and came to teach at Quincy University.

Stewart lived in many places growing up, such as California and North Carolina, but he was always drawn back to Missouri, where he was originally from. Stewart said he lived his entire adult life in Illinois, Missouri, or Oklahoma.

Stewart got his undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau. It was here that he also met his wife and started a family.

Growing up, Stewart loved science, math, and music. His father was a scientist and musician, and his mother was a music educator. He grew up singing and playing instruments with his family. Eventually, he had to make a decision which subject he would study. Of the subjects he loved, Stewart said music was the subject he had the most passion for.

Stewart started his music career as a church music conductor in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. After 10 years, he taught at community colleges and a four–year state college in Oklahoma.

“In a way, I feel like I came back home, because I came to Quincy. The university seemed to have a really strong student body, a really strong group of professors, and I was very impressed with the music program. I was super excited to be a part of something like that,” Stewart said.

Quincy, Illinois is located on the Mississippi River, similar to Stewart’s home of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The green grass, green trees, hills, streams, and humid climate were appealing to him.

“I think Dr. Jonathan Stewart is a great asset to this University. He has pushed me a long ways this year, he’s getting me to memorize a lot of songs for my senior recital since August,” Evan Conover, senior, said. “He’s doing a really good job with the choirs here at Quincy University. I think the concerts that he’s done this year are very well and we are planning on more concerts and we’re actually going to be doing a tour and visiting different high schools this year.”

“He’s just a character. He’s a very good musician, very good singer, he’s a very, very amazing vocalist and is an amazing teacher. He’s easy to relate to,” Hunter Hildebrand, freshman, said. “He gets to the point, but he doesn’t push it right away. He’ll ease into it, so it makes it a little easier to understand. He has a good tempo and he works with you to see if you’re getting it or not getting it.”

Hildebrand credits Stewart with helping him become a better musician as well as helping him be able to trust in his music teachers more.

Plans are underway for future concerts and Conover will have his senior recital on March 2, 7:00 p.m., in the QU Chapel.