Carole Seitz
402-280-2766
Biography
Carole J. Seitz came to Creighton University as the piano accompanist for the ballet studio. As she began to build the music division at the University Mrs. Seitz had to eventually give up the ballet accompanist position in order to direct the music program at Creighton. As the only full-time faculty member in music Mrs. Seitz conducted the University Chorus and later created a select chorus, the Chamber Choir. She wrote the music curriculum beginning with music appreciation, adding a voice class, a music history survey course, and finally courses in music theory and conducting. An applied music program was developed when Mrs. Seitz began teaching private lessons in voice, violin and piano in addition to her academic courses. Eventually additional adjunct faculty members were hired for the applied music program and a second full-time music professor was brought on board. Mrs. Seitz served as the Coordinator of Music from 1981 until 1999 during which time the music faculty grew to four full-time positions and twenty adjunct positions. She has served as the Associate Chair of Performing Arts.
Mrs. Seitz received her Bachelor of Music Education at Wichita State University in violin with a minor in English literature. She received a Master of Music Education in choral conducting with a minor in voice. As a violinist she has performed with the Wichita Symphony under the baton of James P. Robertson, one of six named disciples in the world of famed conductor Pierre Monteaux, Mrs. Seitz also played under the baton of Pierre Monteaux. She played in master classes with Joseph Gingold, Concert Master of the Cleveland Orchestra and performed in master classes with Jan Curtis, mezzo-soprano. She has been a violinist with the Omaha Symphony, the Opera Omaha orchestra, the Des Moines, Iowa Symphony and the Lincoln Symphony in Nebraska. For the largest part of her career Mrs. Seitz has worked as a choral conductor. In her professional career her association with Opera Omaha has been long and varied. She sang in the Opera Omaha Chorus, served as Chorus Master for ten seasons and then Assistant Conductor to John DeMain, Artistic Director of Opera Omaha and the Houston Grand Opera. During her years with Opera Omaha Mrs. Seitz worked with many conductors including Jonathan Dudley, John Mauceri, Andrew Meltzer and George Manahan. Mrs. Seitz has prepared choruses for the Omaha Symphony, the Omaha Ballet and the Creighton Company of Dancers. For several years she conducted annual “Messiah” concerts and other large works with orchestra with the Council Bluffs Community Chorus.
Over the years, Mrs. Seitz has continued her scholarship studying voice pedagogy at the University of Maryland with Louise Urban, counterpoint with composer, Kevin Waters, S.J. at Seattle University and ballet composition with Graham Dickson-Place at the Royal Academy of Dance in London, England. Several of Mrs. Seitz’s compositions have been performed publicly including a choral work and a flute piece for ballet inspired by Irish poet, Desmond Egan, a Christmas carol, “Midwinter Carol” and choruses and instrumental music for the play “The Devils.” She has written over forty ballet exercise pieces in collaboration with Valerie Roche, ARAD. In the area of research Mrs. Seitz has studied the published and unpublished works of C.S. Lewis, and is currently continuing her study of film music for a new course she created with Dr. Frederick Hanna in that genre.