Shawn attended Illinois State University and received his bachelor’s degree in music theory/composition and music history, and a master’s degree in choral conducting. After graduating college, Shawn worked at Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, serving as video editor and graphic designer, and later, music assistant. Those duties including accompanying, arranging and orchestrating pieces for various services and concerts. After a semester teaching vocal jazz at his alma mater, Illinois State, Shawn and his wife, Anne, went into full-time music ministry. GospelFest Ministries continues to produce annual summer and Christmas productions, local concerts, a syndicated radio program and custom arranging and engraving. He also has released several CDs featuring classic gospel music with his group, The GospelFest Singers. Shawn continues to serve as accompanist and ensemble director at Grace Presbyterian and is also the director of “Grace Family Christmas” each year. This televised event features a 100-voice choir, soloists and ensembles as well as a 40-piece orchestra. Past engraving projects include sheet music transcriptions for Daywind Music Group in Nashville and other gospel music artists, typesetting a 946-song hymnal for the Church of Christ publishing house in Atlanta, and several self-published gospel songbooks. In the musical theatre world, Shawn has done transposing work for Musical Theatre International and engraving for Samuel French Music Library, both in New York.