The Sinsinawa Dominican Tradition of Excellence in Music
“Education of the Highest Order…”
The roots of excellence in music education run deeply through Edgewood College history. When Fr. Samuel Mazzuchelli founded the Sinsinawa Dominican Order in 1847, he immediately established music as a cornerstone of the curriculum. Recognizing that outstanding musical experiences required proper equipment and training, he purchased high quality pianos and harps from the East coast and had them transported to Wisconsin by teams of oxen. He also hired music educators who began to educate the new community of sisters that he had established.
The sisters in turn began to teach music courses in their educational institutions, including St. Clara Academy in Benton, Wisconsin, St. Clara College at Sinsinawa Mound, as well as the direct predecessors of Edgewood College in Madison, St. Regina Academy and the Academy of the Sacred Heart.
Throughout the evolution of Edgewood into a four-year college, music continued to hold a prominent place in the curriculum, and was embedded into the daily life of the college, with participation from a significant portion of the student body.