Janette S. Wittmann
Janette Searcy Wittmann, born in Center, TX into the household of a piano
teacher showed musical talent at a very early age. At age 2, her first public vocal solo
performance was in her mother’s Christmas recital singing all of the new hit,
“Santa Claus is Coming to Town”. She performed in her first piano recital at age 3.
In the summer of 1941 at age 8 she was accepted as a special student at the Cincinnati
Conservatory of Music to study voice and piano. There she was presented in a vocal
recital with graduate vocalists. At age 9, until she left for college, she played hymn
accompaniments for Sunday School opening assembly at First Baptist Church, Center.
At the church she was also involved in the youth choir and mission organizations.
Growing up Janette was active in the Junior McDowell Music Study Club and also
several times represented Center’s Senior Music Club in performances at conventions.
As a freshman at Center High she gave her first piano solo recital. Always involved, she was especially busy her senior year when she gave a piano recital in Center and at the newly established Panola College in Carthage, had a role in the senior play, played Richard Addinsell’s WARSAW CONCERTO with the high school band, was a member of the QMC social club, won 1st place talent in a contest sponsored by KWKH Radio in Shreveport in which several Ark-La-TX high schools were represented, won 1st place vocal talent at the State Pan American Student Convention, was judged by the National Guild of Piano Teachers on a program consisting of 90 memorized pages of music plus piano technique for which she was awarded a High School Diploma in Piano Performance, sang a special solo for the Class of 1950’s Graduation Ceremony where she ranked 3rd in her class of 85 students—the largest CHS class up to that time. A regular fun thing Janette did during her time at CHS was loading up with her friends and driving around in her Dad’s “fishing car,” a 1929 Ford Convertible, and decorating the goal posts at home football games and participating in the pep squad. football games and participating in the pep squad.
That summer of 1950, she entered North Texas State College in Denton, where she majored in music education with a double concentration in piano and voice. At the beginning of her junior year, Janette saw an opportunity to enhance her studies by transferring to the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. There, she continued her studies in vocal performance while serving as staff pianist for the vocal department of the School of Music. While in Minneapolis she had her first paid position as a vocal soloist at the University Baptist Church. In the spring, she returned to North Texas to complete her Bachelor degree, conferred cum laude in January of 1954. In the summer of 1954, she attended the University of Michigan music camp at Interlochen as a member of the opera department. There she sang roles in 5 operas, one of which was a world premiere, and she sang in an honors recital. The following fall and spring at North Texas, Janette took the position as Teaching Assistant of Voice while completing her Master’s Degree with a minor in theater.
At North Texas, she was a member of the Acappella Choir and the Madrigal Singers. The latter group performed in costume in Center when they were on tour. Janette was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda Society for faculty and honor students, Alpha Chi Honorary Education Fraternity and Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. She is a Life Member of the latter and is an active member in the East Texas Alumnae Chapter. From 1955 to 1957 she was employed by Dallas ISD as a public school music teacher and director of a youth choir. Her vocal activities included mezzo - soprano soloist in downtown Dallas First Methodist Church, performing the role of “LaCiesca” in Puccini’s opera GIANNI SCHICCHI with the Dallas Lyric Opera, and was part of a choir which recorded for RCA a work in Hebrew by composer/ conductor Samuel Adler. She performed as alto soloist at Baylor University in Mozart’s REQUIEM MASS and in Dallas performed in additional oratorios.
Janette also served as rehearsal pianist for the Dallas Parks Bandshell production of Kurt Weill’s opera, DOWN IN THE VALLEY and was a special vocal entertain ment for the Texas Rice Growers State Convention. In 1957 she was offered a teaching position in Chambers County at Winnie- Stowell. This job included teaching grades 1st-8th and directing two choirs. She remained in this school system for seven years. While in Winnie she sang with the Beaumont Symphony, sang the alto solos in Haydn’s LORD NELSON MASS with The Beaumont Civic Choir, and appeared as “Vinnie” the mother in the play LIFE WITH FATHER. She enrolled in German language classes at Lamar Tech Univer sity and pursued this study until she was offered by the Beaumont Little Theater, the lead role of “Julie” in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s show, CAROUSEL, where she she starred opposite Broadway star, Stephen Douglass. She became hooked on musicals and performed lead roles in WILDCAT, (a Lucille Ball vehicle), Showboat, The King and I, The Sound of Music, the world premiere of Kittiwake Island, and directed the chorus for a production of the PAJAMA GAME. Leads in two operas were also added to her repertoire during this period, “Baba” in Menotti’s THE MEDIUM and “Mary Stone” in Douglas Moore’s THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER both sung back-to-back each night. All of these performances were “on the boards” while teaching 17 private students and teaching school full time. Life can be full of surprises and changes. In 1964 Janette attended the Univer sity of Colorado, Boulder to sing the role of “Flora” in Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA. The voice faculty and Dean of the Music School were pleased and asked her to stay; so, she resigned her position in Winnie and was accepted into the Doctoral program, became an adjunct vocal teacher and was given a contract to perform “as needed” to represent the University. In her 2 years in Boulder, she was not only privileged to work with some of the world’s most renowned musicians, but honed her technique even more. Her Fach (vocal category) was a Falcon Mezzo-soprano with coloratura and a 3 1/2 octave range. As soloist for Trinity Methodist Church in Denver, she performed Verdi’s REQUIEM and Brahms’s GERMAN REQUIEM with members’ of the Denver Symphony and sang 3 roles in Purcell’s opera DIDO AND AENEAS with the Classic Chorale conducted by Jerald Lepinski. In Boulder, she performed and recorded the Rocky Mountain premiere, of Benjamin Britain’s newly published WAR REQUIEM. At CU, she was particularly pleased to have expert guidance for performances of German Lieder and Art Songs of French and Italian, which she loved. In the process of establishing a career in certain realms of music, a person’s age becomes a factor. Because of this, Janette’s 3 voice teachers advised her to take her talents to the European stage and audition in Austrian and German Opera Houses. This she did, meanwhile compiling a graduate study on the audition process. A contract was secured in an opera house in North Germany with the stipulation that she would play the lead in CARMEN for her second season. She returned to Denver after signing the contract just in time to perform the alto solos in the MESSIAH and spend the holidays in Center with family. Spring months were spent learning the German translation for the role of “Fiordiligi” for her October debut in Mozart’s Italian opera, COSI FAN TUTTI. In May CU mounted Marc Blitzstein’s opera REGINA for her in the title role. This story is based on the novel THE LITTLE FOXES and was made into a movie starring Bette Davis.
Before fulfilling her German contract, Janette gave a vocal concert here for a fundraiser to support the Center Music Study Club’s endeavor to purchase a grand piano for the high school. After a marriage in Germany to trumpet musician, Alfred Wittmann, and considering their options, the couple decided to return to the US and settled in Center. Because her husband was still under a German contract, Janette returned first. That fall was her first semester teaching at C.H. Daniels in the newly implemented Texas public Kindergarten program. She loved working with the little ones for 14 years and has lots of stories to share. Alfred returned to Germany to honor a teaching contract in Kiel, but Janette thought it was best to remain in the US with their son, Alfred Jay “Rusty.” While engaged with Kindergarteners, she was offered teaching positions at 2 colleges, but because of the recent death of her father, family responsibility came first and she chose to stay in Center. When both CISD Choir teachers resigned, Janette accepted a position as choir director in the Middle and High School where she worked with 3 choirs for ten years until her own retirement in 1992. She taught some choir member for 8 years—first in Kindergarten, then 7 more years as they moved up the choir ladder by grade level. Students were instructed in vocal technique, music theory, music history and different genres of choral music. They gave performances, entered auditions and those members who were in the choir program from 6th grade had learned songs in 7 different languages by the end of their senior year. In the 80’s Janette taught a course in Music Appreciation in the Center Panola locality. She also opened her private studio where she still teaches piano, voice, music theory and music history. Of her students-both private and school- audition winners have earned 1st division medal in UIL, both Region and State, for piano solo, vocal solo and vocal ensembles. Auditionees for the Texas Federation of Music Clubs have earned gold cups and State plaques for events in piano and vocal solo art songs and musical theater. For a number of years piano students were judged in auditions sponsored by the National Guild of Piano Teachers. For this event, the program of each student included either compositions or piano technique and from 1-15 memorized piano solos awards given were: a Guild judges critique, a special wearable Guild pin and plaques of achievement.
Janette has given music programs for Center Civic Clubs and special gatherings for years. She has served as Region Representative for the Shreveport Opera and is a zealous member of the Center Garden club. She is also active in the local chapter of The Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was active in the Center Music Study Club until its dispersal and since then has had membership in the Carthage Music Club. She was initiated into the Delta Kappa Gamma Interna- tional Organization for key women educators, is a member of the Texas Federation of Music Clubs in which she served as State Dance Chairman, and is a Life Member of the National Federation of Music Clubs where she was recognized in 2001 for 50 years service in Sacred Music. Still 23 years later, she is devoting her talent to the Lord as piano accompanist for First Baptist Church, Center. With enthusiasm to learn about other peoples and their cultures, and to see God’s wonderful world, Janette has proudly travelled to all 7 continents and 54 countries. There is a vocal solo titled, “Let All My Life Be Filled With Music.” So has her life been, and it has been quite a journey.
As a freshman at Center High she gave her first piano solo recital. Always involved, she was especially busy her senior year when she gave a piano recital in Center and at the newly established Panola College in Carthage, had a role in the senior play, played Richard Addinsell’s WARSAW CONCERTO with the high school band, was a member of the QMC social club, won 1st place talent in a contest sponsored by KWKH Radio in Shreveport in which several Ark-La-TX high schools were represented, won 1st place vocal talent at the State Pan American Student Convention, was judged by the National Guild of Piano Teachers on a program consisting of 90 memorized pages of music plus piano technique for which she was awarded a High School Diploma in Piano Performance, sang a special solo for the Class of 1950’s Graduation Ceremony where she ranked 3rd in her class of 85 students—the largest CHS class up to that time. A regular fun thing Janette did during her time at CHS was loading up with her friends and driving around in her Dad’s “fishing car,” a 1929 Ford Convertible, and decorating the goal posts at home football games and participating in the pep squad. football games and participating in the pep squad.
That summer of 1950, she entered North Texas State College in Denton, where she majored in music education with a double concentration in piano and voice. At the beginning of her junior year, Janette saw an opportunity to enhance her studies by transferring to the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. There, she continued her studies in vocal performance while serving as staff pianist for the vocal department of the School of Music. While in Minneapolis she had her first paid position as a vocal soloist at the University Baptist Church. In the spring, she returned to North Texas to complete her Bachelor degree, conferred cum laude in January of 1954. In the summer of 1954, she attended the University of Michigan music camp at Interlochen as a member of the opera department. There she sang roles in 5 operas, one of which was a world premiere, and she sang in an honors recital. The following fall and spring at North Texas, Janette took the position as Teaching Assistant of Voice while completing her Master’s Degree with a minor in theater.
At North Texas, she was a member of the Acappella Choir and the Madrigal Singers. The latter group performed in costume in Center when they were on tour. Janette was inducted into the Pi Kappa Lambda Society for faculty and honor students, Alpha Chi Honorary Education Fraternity and Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. She is a Life Member of the latter and is an active member in the East Texas Alumnae Chapter. From 1955 to 1957 she was employed by Dallas ISD as a public school music teacher and director of a youth choir. Her vocal activities included mezzo - soprano soloist in downtown Dallas First Methodist Church, performing the role of “LaCiesca” in Puccini’s opera GIANNI SCHICCHI with the Dallas Lyric Opera, and was part of a choir which recorded for RCA a work in Hebrew by composer/ conductor Samuel Adler. She performed as alto soloist at Baylor University in Mozart’s REQUIEM MASS and in Dallas performed in additional oratorios.
Janette also served as rehearsal pianist for the Dallas Parks Bandshell production of Kurt Weill’s opera, DOWN IN THE VALLEY and was a special vocal entertain ment for the Texas Rice Growers State Convention. In 1957 she was offered a teaching position in Chambers County at Winnie- Stowell. This job included teaching grades 1st-8th and directing two choirs. She remained in this school system for seven years. While in Winnie she sang with the Beaumont Symphony, sang the alto solos in Haydn’s LORD NELSON MASS with The Beaumont Civic Choir, and appeared as “Vinnie” the mother in the play LIFE WITH FATHER. She enrolled in German language classes at Lamar Tech Univer sity and pursued this study until she was offered by the Beaumont Little Theater, the lead role of “Julie” in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s show, CAROUSEL, where she she starred opposite Broadway star, Stephen Douglass. She became hooked on musicals and performed lead roles in WILDCAT, (a Lucille Ball vehicle), Showboat, The King and I, The Sound of Music, the world premiere of Kittiwake Island, and directed the chorus for a production of the PAJAMA GAME. Leads in two operas were also added to her repertoire during this period, “Baba” in Menotti’s THE MEDIUM and “Mary Stone” in Douglas Moore’s THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER both sung back-to-back each night. All of these performances were “on the boards” while teaching 17 private students and teaching school full time. Life can be full of surprises and changes. In 1964 Janette attended the Univer sity of Colorado, Boulder to sing the role of “Flora” in Verdi’s LA TRAVIATA. The voice faculty and Dean of the Music School were pleased and asked her to stay; so, she resigned her position in Winnie and was accepted into the Doctoral program, became an adjunct vocal teacher and was given a contract to perform “as needed” to represent the University. In her 2 years in Boulder, she was not only privileged to work with some of the world’s most renowned musicians, but honed her technique even more. Her Fach (vocal category) was a Falcon Mezzo-soprano with coloratura and a 3 1/2 octave range. As soloist for Trinity Methodist Church in Denver, she performed Verdi’s REQUIEM and Brahms’s GERMAN REQUIEM with members’ of the Denver Symphony and sang 3 roles in Purcell’s opera DIDO AND AENEAS with the Classic Chorale conducted by Jerald Lepinski. In Boulder, she performed and recorded the Rocky Mountain premiere, of Benjamin Britain’s newly published WAR REQUIEM. At CU, she was particularly pleased to have expert guidance for performances of German Lieder and Art Songs of French and Italian, which she loved. In the process of establishing a career in certain realms of music, a person’s age becomes a factor. Because of this, Janette’s 3 voice teachers advised her to take her talents to the European stage and audition in Austrian and German Opera Houses. This she did, meanwhile compiling a graduate study on the audition process. A contract was secured in an opera house in North Germany with the stipulation that she would play the lead in CARMEN for her second season. She returned to Denver after signing the contract just in time to perform the alto solos in the MESSIAH and spend the holidays in Center with family. Spring months were spent learning the German translation for the role of “Fiordiligi” for her October debut in Mozart’s Italian opera, COSI FAN TUTTI. In May CU mounted Marc Blitzstein’s opera REGINA for her in the title role. This story is based on the novel THE LITTLE FOXES and was made into a movie starring Bette Davis.
Before fulfilling her German contract, Janette gave a vocal concert here for a fundraiser to support the Center Music Study Club’s endeavor to purchase a grand piano for the high school. After a marriage in Germany to trumpet musician, Alfred Wittmann, and considering their options, the couple decided to return to the US and settled in Center. Because her husband was still under a German contract, Janette returned first. That fall was her first semester teaching at C.H. Daniels in the newly implemented Texas public Kindergarten program. She loved working with the little ones for 14 years and has lots of stories to share. Alfred returned to Germany to honor a teaching contract in Kiel, but Janette thought it was best to remain in the US with their son, Alfred Jay “Rusty.” While engaged with Kindergarteners, she was offered teaching positions at 2 colleges, but because of the recent death of her father, family responsibility came first and she chose to stay in Center. When both CISD Choir teachers resigned, Janette accepted a position as choir director in the Middle and High School where she worked with 3 choirs for ten years until her own retirement in 1992. She taught some choir member for 8 years—first in Kindergarten, then 7 more years as they moved up the choir ladder by grade level. Students were instructed in vocal technique, music theory, music history and different genres of choral music. They gave performances, entered auditions and those members who were in the choir program from 6th grade had learned songs in 7 different languages by the end of their senior year. In the 80’s Janette taught a course in Music Appreciation in the Center Panola locality. She also opened her private studio where she still teaches piano, voice, music theory and music history. Of her students-both private and school- audition winners have earned 1st division medal in UIL, both Region and State, for piano solo, vocal solo and vocal ensembles. Auditionees for the Texas Federation of Music Clubs have earned gold cups and State plaques for events in piano and vocal solo art songs and musical theater. For a number of years piano students were judged in auditions sponsored by the National Guild of Piano Teachers. For this event, the program of each student included either compositions or piano technique and from 1-15 memorized piano solos awards given were: a Guild judges critique, a special wearable Guild pin and plaques of achievement.
Janette has given music programs for Center Civic Clubs and special gatherings for years. She has served as Region Representative for the Shreveport Opera and is a zealous member of the Center Garden club. She is also active in the local chapter of The Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was active in the Center Music Study Club until its dispersal and since then has had membership in the Carthage Music Club. She was initiated into the Delta Kappa Gamma Interna- tional Organization for key women educators, is a member of the Texas Federation of Music Clubs in which she served as State Dance Chairman, and is a Life Member of the National Federation of Music Clubs where she was recognized in 2001 for 50 years service in Sacred Music. Still 23 years later, she is devoting her talent to the Lord as piano accompanist for First Baptist Church, Center. With enthusiasm to learn about other peoples and their cultures, and to see God’s wonderful world, Janette has proudly travelled to all 7 continents and 54 countries. There is a vocal solo titled, “Let All My Life Be Filled With Music.” So has her life been, and it has been quite a journey.
