St. Cecilia Choral Department

Jeanette MacCallum, Director
Dawn Seidenschwarz, Assistant and Accompanist

Welcome to the St. Cecilia Academy Choral Department web page! We are glad you are visiting us!

The choirs at St. Cecilia Academy have been recognized consistently as some of the finest in Tennessee high schools. For over ten consecutive years, the SCA Advanced Choir has earned the honor of singing at the Tennessee State Choral Festival sponsored by the American Choral Directors Association, receiving all superior ratings each year by its panel of adjudicators.

In June 2007, the Choir was invited to perform in two of the historical ospedali churches of Venice, Italy. In June 2006, the Choir was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall with a professional symphony orchestra and soloists. In addition, the Choir has had the distinct privilege of performing at conventions of both the Music Educators National Conference and the Tennessee Music Educators Conference.

Each year, many of our students are selected by audition to participate in All-State choirs and other honors choirs. Under girding all that we do is a strong commitment to excellence and a particular focus on sacred repertoire appropriate for mass.

During 2005, the Choir released its new recording entitled "Cantantibus Organis". We hope you will enjoy listening to it. An order form can be accessed from this webpage.

Through singing at St. Cecilia Academy, students are able to live out the mission of our school in a very powerful way. Through our musical explorations, students grow in their life of faith. As unique ambassadors of our school, we hope that our music expresses spiritual truths that touch others as well.

Jeanette MacCallum has directed the choral program at St. Cecilia Academy since 2002. During her tenure, the program has maintained its long tradition for musical excellence.

Reared in Princeton, New Jersey, Mrs. MacCallum's passion for choral music began as a member of the distinguished Princeton High School Choir. She received her musical education at the Eastman School of Music and Belmont University, and received the Master of Church Music degree from Belmont.

A singer, pianist and conductor, Mrs. MacCallum has directed choirs at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, Tennessee and at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University. She is President of the Middle Tennessee Vocal Association.

Mrs. MacCallum has a keen interest in choral music written for women's voices and in particular the music of the Venetian ospedali tradition. She is married and the mother of two children

You can still order the St. Cecilia Choir CD "Cantantibus Organis". Click here for a PDF order form.