Staff and Board
Artistic Staff
Dr. Jennifer Seighman
Artistic Director/Conductor | director@sachoralsociety.org
Dr. Jennifer L. Seighman, in her thirteenth season as Artistic Director of the San Antonio Choral Society, has passionately led the 100-voice ensemble to exceptional artistic heights. With a deep expertise in choral pedagogy, her guidance has attracted top-tier talents and facilitated celebrated collaborations, including performances at prestigious venues, two international tours and the establishment of Sonoro, a renowned 24-voice mixed chamber choir. Additionally, Dr. Seighman serves as Director of Music & Organist at the historic St. John's Lutheran Church in downtown San Antonio. Her transformative impact on the music program has been highlighted by her leadership in replacing the church's existing organs with a world-class pipe organ crafted by Orgues Létourneau Ltée, slated for installation in 2025.
Graduating magna cum laude with the Bachelor of Music Education degree from Westminster Choir College, Dr. Seighman studied voice and organ and sang with renowned orchestras including the New York Philharmonic, the NJ Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. She received a Master of Music degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Oklahoma and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Sacred Choral Music from the Catholic University of America. Her doctoral research was dedicated to a comprehensive multi-case study of Catholic choir school programs across the United States, findings she presented at the Psallite Domino liturgical music conference in Liverpool, England. Residing in San Antonio with her family, she remains sought after as a clinician, conductor, and adjudicator.
Geoffrey Waite
Keyboard Artist
Geoffrey Waite hails from the Northeast, but has enjoyed living in San Antonio for three decades now. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in organ performance from Westminster College in PA and Syracuse University respectively, and recently retired from a 40 year career as a full-time church musician, having served as Organist and Director of Music for Laurel Heights United Methodist Church in San Antonio for the last 15 of those years.
He is very much sought after as a collaborative pianist, music director, and coach, and has performed with the San Antonio Symphony, the San Antonio Mastersingers, the Youth Orchestra of San Antonio, the Children’s Chorus of San Antonio, the San Antonio Choral Society (where he serves as principal accompanist), and with numerous other performing ensembles and recitalists throughout the region. Geoffrey is also an award-winning conductor and music director on the San Antonio musical theater scene, and loves playing jazz.
Cultivating joy and passion for choral music since 1965
Board of Directors
Warren Halliday
President
Warren Halliday is Director of Data Analytics and Insights at Fidelity Investments. He’s been singing with SACS since 2017 and loves the diversity of programming and performance opportunities. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking and volunteering in the San Antonio community. Warren graduated from Texas A&M University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in MIS and a minor in music.
Rebecca Moreland
Vice President
Rebecca Moreland is a high school English teacher with a passion for Choral music. She has a bachelor's degree in creative writing and enjoys writing poetry and composing music in her free time. Born and raised in San Antonio, Rebecca first joined the Choral Society out of a desire to help make live choral music that is accessible to the broader San Antonio community.
Mickey Bailey
Treasurer
Mickey Bailey and his wife Linda joined the San Antonio Choral Society in August 2011. He and his wife are both retired United States Air Force officers. They both enjoy singing and while in the USAF they won a command-level talent show in the duet division. He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of South Carolina and a Masters of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He also has a Master of Arts in Education from Trinity University.
Upon retirement from the USAF, he became a mathematics teacher. Mr. Bailey teaches PreCalc AP and AP Statistics at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio, TX. Mr. Bailey has taught all high school mathematics subjects with the goal of instilling a genuine appreciation and profound understanding that Mathematics is a universal language through his teachings. He has been the treasurer of several organizations.
Emma Bassett
Operations Director
Emma Bassett began singing with the San Antonio Choral Society in August 2021 and loves the opportunity to sing in such a welcoming community. She looks forward to supporting the choir and its members in any way possible. In her free time she enjoys hiking, traveling, playing games, and spending time with friends.
Stephen Henry
Finance Director
Stephen Henry joined the San Antonio Choral Society in 2018. In 2017, he retired from teaching (28 years) and transitioned into his family farm in Sabinal, which has been in constant operation since 1908. He is a fifth generation farmer. Stephen is an active member of the Texas Music Adjudicator's Association (TMAA), a retired member of Phi Beta Mu (professional band director's fraternity), a retired member of the Texas Music Educator's Association (TMEA), and a retired member of the Texas Bandmaster's Association (TBA).
Stephen graduated from Angelo State University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Music Education degree and began his teaching career. In 1988, he continued his studies at the University of North Texas working on his Master of Music Theory degree. While teaching in San Angelo, Stephen was very active with the San Angelo Symphony Chorale, and was the assistant director for the organization. Stephen was also a member of the Central Texas Choral Society while he was teaching in Waco, under the direction of Dr. David Guess.
Aubie Nanninga
Secretary
Aubie Nanninga began playing music and singing in choirs as a child. Although a Bachelor of Science in Biology, then MS and PhD in Environmental Sciences, led her through a challenging career in Remote Sensing, GIS, and Engineering, she continued to sing in ensembles and church choirs. Having retired in March ’23, her life is filled with family, music, traveling, gardening, and working with her two Rocky Mountain horses.
Aubie has been a member of SACS since 2012. As Secretary, Aubie will use her skills in information management to document current and legacy BOD actions, as well as help address/organize SACS data and IT applications that support our choral community as we present excellent music together.
Riya Mehta
Membership Director
Riya Mehta joined the San Antonio Choral Society in August of 2021 shortly after moving to San Antonio. Originally from Wisconsin, Riya moved to Houston, Texas in 2017 where she attended Rice University for her undergraduate degree and UTHealth for her Masters in Public Health. After graduating in May 2021, Riya moved to San Antonio for work. Riya currently works at Community First Health Plans, helping bring healthcare to low-income families and children.
Riya has been singing since elementary school and sang throughout college in the Shephard School of Music Chorale and served as Captain of a nationally competitive Acapella group at Rice University. She has always appreciated the power of music to uplift and connect people from all walks of life. She loves being a part of SACS, loves sharing the passion of creating beautiful music with like-minded people, and is thankful to continue serving the community as a member of the choir board.
Dr. Maren Mitchell
Education Director
Dr. Maren Mitchell earned degrees in music, public administration, and second language education with a graduate certificate in clarinet performance and a teaching certificate in music. Her job is teaching English as a Second Language with a specialty in teacher training and program administration. She has also worked in non-profit management as business manager for San Antonio Choral Society as well as fundraiser and volunteer program manager for United Way.
Dr. Maren Mitchell serves on the Lifetime Recovery board, the United Way Accountability Review team, and previously served on the American Red Cross Hurricane Harvey Disaster Relief team and the Seattle Commission for Sexual Minorities. Maren loves learning about other languages and cultures, has lived abroad for 17 years, and visited over 50 countries.
Mariah Ronningen
Marketing Director
Mariah Ronningen grew up in Southern California where she was active in dance, singing, piano, choir, and musical theater. In 2019, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in Music. Afterwards, she was fortunate to spend a few years on the island of O’ahu before moving to San Antonio. She has been a part of the San Antonio Choral Society since January 2023. Her favorite pastimes include reading, hiking, exploring San Antonio with her husband, and crafting. She currently works in childcare.