26 | NOVEMBER 17 • 2022 J enna Pearsall’s installation as cantor at New York’s prestigious Central Synagogue on Nov. 18 will mark the ending of her journey to the cantorate and the beginning of a new career. Pearsall, 27, grew up in Wixom. Her mother, Leah McMillan, says she was musical even as a baby, humming and dancing along when she’ d hear a tune. But Pearsall says her real interest in musical performance began when she was in fourth grade at Loon Lake Elementary School. She performed “Tomorrow” from Annie at the school talent show to a standing ovation. “That’s when it kind of clicked for me, ” she said. Soon after, Cantor Neil Michaels at Temple Israel, where her family have been longtime members, cast her in a musical where she did a solo, and she’s never looked back. She learned to read music and sight-sing over three summers of choir at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in western Michigan, a musical theater camp at the Jewish Community Center and a musical theater program at Interlochen Arts Camp in northern Michigan. She honed her skills through lessons with Michaels’ wife, Stephanie, choir and musical theater pro- ductions at Walled Lake Central High, and state solo and ensemble fests. The cantors at Temple Israel were quick to take advantage of her talents. Cantor Michael Smolash invited her to join a teen tefilah (prayer) team when she was 13, and she stayed with it till she went to college. The teens led services three or four times a year. Despite the many accolades she received for her singing, Pearsall didn’t see music as a career. She was determined to go to the University of Michigan but never consid- ered its music school. Her father, Robert McMillan, is a computer scientist who touted the benefits of a career in the field. Pearsall started as a computer science major but felt frustrated when she didn’t enjoy her studies. HER ‘AHA’ MOMENT After her freshman year at Michigan, she went to Israel on a Birthright trip and “it made a lightbulb go off, ” she said. “I saw the cantorate as a way to bridge my two pas- sions, music and Jewish identity. ” Back in Ann Arbor, she switched to a joint major in Jewish studies and anthro- pology and started planning to apply to cantorial school. On the weekends, she would return to Temple Israel, where the cantors taught her how to lead various services. For two years, she led High Holiday services for a congre- gation in Flint. Her parents were pleasantly surprised by her decision, she said, adding, “My broth- er, Scott, just graduated from Michigan in computer science, so my dad has his com- puter person. ” Those who knew Pearsall at Temple Israel were not surprised at her change of direc- tion. “Jenna always represented the very best aspects of our community, ” Smolash said. “Congregants were always moved by her gorgeous voice, her inspiring leadership and her tremendous heart. It is such a pleasure to see her step up to a pulpit like Central Synagogue, where her talents will have a wide and creative impact on American Jewish worship music. ” He said it was an extra pleasure to see her sharing Temple Israel melodies with her new congregation. Steve Weiss of West Bloomfield, a regular at Temple Israel services, has been Pearsall’s fan for many years. Whenever the teen group participated in services, she really stood out, he said. After the deaths of his mother and brother, Weiss started a shivah minyan and invited Jenna to be one of its leaders. “One woman heard her and said, ‘Oh, my God, she’s better than Barbra Streisand, ’” Weiss recalled. “When she chants, her neshamah [soul] is for everyone to see. She is a gift to the Jewish people. ” Pearsall spent five years in cantorial train- OUR COMMUNITY Jenna Pearsall Temple Israel alum will be installed as cantor at New York’s Central Synagogue. Call her Cantor BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER Cantor Michael Smolash Cantor Neil Michaels