About Cantor Ellen Stettner…
Cantor Ellen Stettner
I am blessed and proud to be a Cantor, serving the Jewish community throughout my long and distinguished career. I was ordained as Cantor/Clergy by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion after receiving both a Bachelors and Masters degrees in Music/Vocal Performance. I served as the first Cantor of the historic Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan for over two decades before serving as the Spiritual Leader of Temple Beth Shira of Boca Raton.
In my role as the Spiritual Leader, I perform all of the duties one might usually associate with a Rabbi. Cantors who are fully ordained members of the clergy have the same credentials and qualifications as our Rabbinic colleagues. I have officiated at all life cycle ceremonies, baby namings, weddings, bar/bat mitzvah, funerals, unveilings, renewal of vows and commitment ceremonies for more than three decades. I have also successfully taught countless students of all ages.
I taught on the faculty of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, School of Sacred Music, and served on the Board of Directors of the American Conference of Cantors, serving as Vice President from 2001 to 2004.
In addition to my cantorial and concert work, I performed extensively throughout the country with the Santa Fe Opera Company, the New York Opera Ensemble, the New England Chamber Opera, and the Princeton Opera. I won the prestigious National Arts and Letters Vocal Competition in Carnegie Hall and, as a result, was the featured soloist in a performance of Mozart arias with The American Symphony Orchestra. In December, 2004, I sang with the Army Ground Forces Band, a concert that was taped and shown to US troops in Iraq on Christmas Day. I was also seen on worldwide television singing for Nelson Mandela upon his release from prison in 1991. In addition, I have been featured in documentaries by the BBC and French National Television.
In May, 2006, I was blessed to be awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Hebrew Union College for “25 years of devoted service to the Jewish community.”
