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“The all-male chamber choir Cantus sings with astonishing perfection of tone and diction. The complexity of the music is fully expressed, the diction is perfect, the emotions alive.”
Gramophone Magazine |
Date and Time:
Saturday, January 28, 2006 at 7:30 p.m.
Single Tickets:
$10, 15, 25, 35, 47 (discounts available for seniors, youth, and groups)
Season Ticket Packages:
This concert is part of the Artist Series and Classic Artists season ticket packages.
Location:
Macky Auditorium
Running Time:
1.5 to 2 hours
Preconcert Conversation:
Director of Graduate Choral Research Joan Catoni Conlon at 6:45 p.m. in Macky Room 102
Event Overview:
Cantus, America’s newest full-time vocal ensemble, sings with one of the freshest and most engaging sounds in choral music today. From art songs to folk songs, from Smokey Robinson to Richard Strauss, Cantus’ brilliant sound, innovative programming and heart-felt singing have garnered the highest praise from critics and audiences alike.
Program:
“Landmarks” surveys the most important works for male singers from ancient Greece and Egypt through the major movements in Western music. In addition, Cantus will include do-wop and close harmony arrangements that have become a signature sound of male singing. This program will give audiences the rare chance to hear two millennia of world culture expressed through the voice of singing men.
Artist Bio:
Enjoying a successful blend of national tours, subscription concerts in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul and recording projects, Cantus is gaining recognition as one of America’s finest professional male vocal ensembles. The ensemble’s performances are met with overwhelming praise for its unique blend of youthful vitality and polished nuance. Their repertoire spans many periods and genres, including Gregorian chant, Renaissance motets, contemporary sacred works, art songs, world music, spirituals, and pop. Cantus’ singing has been called “spontaneous grace” by the Washington Post and “wonderful” by the Los Angeles Times.
Cantus was founded in the fall of 1995 when a few college friends gathered on the campus of St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. Since then, Cantus has performed more than 400 concerts across the nation during the past seven years, including appearances at AmericaFest, the Lied Center of Lawrence, Kansas, UCLA Live, the University of Chicago Presents, Merkin Concert Hall of New York City, Harvard University, the University of Wisconsin Union Theater and many conventions of the American Choral Director’s Association. In September 2000, Cantus established itself as a full-time nonprofit arts organization based in Minnesota. In summer 2002, Cantus sang to great acclaim at the Oregon Bach Festival and at the Sixth World Symposium on Choral Music in Minneapolis. In summer 2003, Cantus made its first European appearance singing at the Polyfolia festival in Normandy, France. For the last three years Cantus has also appeared in concert with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in a holiday program titled Cantus and Carols. Cantus is a resident artist at St. John’s University, Collegeville, MN. Having worked with thousands of young people across the country, Cantus is committed to educational endeavors and encouraging singing with their motto “Live. Play. Sing.”
Cantus has recorded six CD’s on its own label, Cantus Recordings. Their recent releases, Let Your Voice Be Heard and … against the dying of the light, have been hailed by critics and the public alike. Of these two recordings, American Record Guide said; “male chorus fans are in for rare and enchanting treats here. Watch for this unique and charismatic group—it is just the sort of un-stuffy and engaging ensemble this nation needs more of, if we are to continue generating interest in serious music in an overwhelmingly pop-oriented culture. We are likely to be hearing much more from them.” Cantus’ latest release Deep River, a collection of African-American Spirituals received a 10/10 rating from Classics Today for both sound and artistry saying “Inflection, phrasing, dynamics, and balance show the polished presentation exhibited only by singers who both possess that certain intuitive ensemble-sense.”
Link:
www.cantusonline.org
Audio:
Listen to music from Cantus at amazon.com:
• Deep River
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