Cantorial Soloist Caitlyn Shannon

MLC Alumna to Serve for Summer 2025

Mosaic Law Congregation (MLC) is incredibly privileged to have our own Caitlyn Shannon help lead the davening on Friday nights and Saturday mornings this summer. Having served as our cantorial intern for nine years, Caitlyn has returned home for the summer

from her new home in New York City where she completed the first year of the

H. L. Miller Cantorial School at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS).

What is your role at MLC this summer?

I’ll be leading the Friday evening and Saturday morning services for July and August, including the Shabbat Under the Stars on the second Friday of the month.

How does it feel to be back at MLC following your first year of cantorial school at JTS?

It feels like coming home as MLC has always been my second home. While the community may change, MLC has always felt like a family to me. People have been so kind and supportive of me to where it feels like this is where I belong.

For those who might be new to Mosaic Law Congregation or haven’t seen you in a while, tell us about yourself and why you want to be a cantor?

I’m a born and raised Sacramentan having attended Shalom School and family services at Mosaic Law Congregation. In all these experiences, I always connected to the music. Early on, I wanted to be an actor, and in high school, I was determined to connect my love for Jewish music with stage presence. Choosing from the various professional opportunities which combine those skills—including Jewish educator—I landed on a path toward cantorial school when Mosaic Law Congregation gave me the amazing opportunity to begin learning the craft through what became a nine-year internship.

How was your first year at cantorial school?

While the classes were extremely demanding, they were also a lot of fun as our small cohort is very friendly and finds joy in this communal endeavor. Being able to learn the beautiful melodies from such incredible experts feels like we’re part of the heavenly court of divine music.

What are the biggest differences between living in Sacramento and Manhattan?

It’s amazing to wake up in a city with many kosher restaurants, world class museums, and Broadway theaters. Nevertheless, New York cannot compete with Sacramento in terms of its friendliness, weather, and home of my synagogue, Mosaic Law Congregation. I’ve also heard that New York has a professional basketball team whose name begins with a K that did pretty well last season. Even if that’s true (which I still haven’t confirmed), there’s only one team for me that coincidentally starts with the letter K and that’s the Sacramento Kings.