‘The Best Way to Describe it is the Vibe’
Meet Cantor Margo Wagner
As a musician, Cantor Margo Wagner knows what it takes to hit the right note. And she recognized it instantly at Temple Emanu-El.
“Temple was my last interview and audition,” she says of the cantorial search process that exposed her to a variety of congregations. “I felt this ‘aha’ feeling I hadn’t felt in any other place. It was really the people; the best way to describe it is the vibe. You just get this sense. It’s such a big and diverse congregation, and yet, in these groups, it feels intimate and small.”
Cantor Wagner, 29, who begins her cantorate at Temple on July 1, had also met Cantor Vicky Glikin over the years, as a songleader at Greene Family Camp, a student and as a student and as a fellow at the Goldring/Woldenberg Institute for Southern Jewish Living (ISJL) before she attended cantorial school.
“I thought we could work really well together, and I liked the prospect of easing into the role where I would have mentorship, where I could grow and flourish,” she says.
Cantor Wagner says she knew she wanted to be a cantor since her senior year of high school. She grew up in Aspen, Colorado, and became a mentee of Cantor Rollin Simmons, previously a student cantor here at Temple and now at Congregation Emanu El Houston.
“I saw what a cantor was and could do. Cantor Simmons helped me see the scope of the cantorate,” Cantor Wagner says.
Cantor Wagner majored in Jewish Sacred Music at Indiana University. She participated extensively in Jewish student life, which fueled her decision to work post-college for the ISJL in Mississippi, where Temple was one of her congregations. Then she was accepted to Hebrew Union College, where she was ordained as a cantor in May following five years of seminary training.
“When deciding next steps, I’ve always wanted to find the best fit rather than be bound to the location,” she says. “This community is really something that I could see myself fitting into.”
As she settles into life in Dallas, Cantor Wagner is eager to explore her Uptown neighborhood. When she’s not working, she enjoys pickleball, competitive game shows and mahjong. She’s inspired by Jewish musicians Elana Arian and Cantor Becky Mann, and by secular musicians such as Taylor Swift and Carole King.
Cantor Wagner is eager to continue to grow and build her skills both as a musician and as a member of a multifaceted clergy team. “The big reason I became a cantor is that we wear lots of different hats. I enjoy singing, but I mostly enjoy connecting to something bigger than myself; connecting to people to help facilitate those sacred moments is really special. It encompasses a lot of who I am as a person. It’s really special that I get to do this work.”
Watch Temple communications for lots of opportunities to meet Cantor Wagner including:
- July 11: Cantor Wagner will give the d’var Torah at the Shabbat morning service.
- July 18: A Kiddush lunch will be held following the Shabbat morning service. Register here.
- August 16: The Music, Arts & Culture Season Release Celebration will include a section on “Getting to Know Margo.” Register here.
- October 30: Installation Service