“I hope our ensembles continue to provide students with meaningful opportunities to make music in community together, and I hope our groups continue to share music with our school community, locally, and abroad in various performance experiences,” said Notre Dame Academy’s choir teacher, Maria Hinnendael.

Hinnendael, an NDA alum, graduated in 2014 and participated in everything music-related–from choir, musicals, music ministry and band, where she played flute.

“I sang at Cabaret Night and at Solo and Ensemble contests. I wanted to be involved in music in every way I could,” she said.

During high school Hinnendael was in Seussical the Musical (Stephan Flaherty), Songs for a New World (Jason Robert Brown) and Aida (Tim Rice and Elton John).

She attended St. Norbert College for her undergraduate degree where she majored in Vocal Performance and Communication. 

For her master’s degree she attended UW-Madison and majored in Choral Conducting with an emphasis in Vocal Performance. 

She started singing and playing piano from a young age. Her parents recognized that making music brought her joy, so they provided opportunities for her involvement.

In particular, singing at mass was a way for Hinnendael to share her voice to praise God without the pressure of “performing.” 

“I like taking myself out of the equation and offering a meditative environment for people to deepen their relationship with God,” she explained.

The Wizard of Oz, this year’s musical, has a special place in her heart, for the students were self-motivated and had positive, team-oriented attitudes that resulted in a great rehearsal and performance process. 

“I’m so proud of students for giving their all and committing to their roles and each other.” 

Hinnendael’s role at NDA has expanded because she is on campus more and has the opportunity to meet with more students one-on-one to prepare for Solo and Ensemble, Cabaret Night, and whatever else students want to prepare for and work on.