Cantus

Cantus once denoted a European student singing society akin to the English glee club. The Twin Cities-based male vocal group of the same name originated in one such circle during the late 1990s at St. Olaf College, an institution renowned for its music curriculum. Its founding nine singers undertook a national tour that proved so successful they elected to turn professional in 2000. Operating as a full-time ensemble, the singers present between sixty and seventy concerts annually alongside more than thirty educational and community programs that reach over five thousand students. Engagements have taken them to such venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and Spivey Hall, while broadcasts on American public radio and SiriusXM have occurred repeatedly. Beyond unaccompanied repertoire, the ensemble has joined forces with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops, James Sewell Ballet, and Minneapolis-based Theatre Latté Da. Its programs encompass familiar Renaissance works for male voices, seldom-heard Romantic part songs, jazz and pop arrangements, and original pieces created by members or commissioned from others, among them David Lang, Libby Larsen, and Ysaye Barnwell. Every concert is shaped around a single thematic thread, with artistic decisions made collectively by the singers themselves in the manner of conductor-less chamber musicians. Responsibility for each selection falls to one designated member, who serves as producer, guiding rehearsals and interpretive choices. The group has issued seventeen self-produced recordings, among them A Harvest Home in 2014 and the 2015 digital EP Anthem. In 2020 it entered into a relationship with the U.K. label Signum, beginning with the release of Manifesto. Chorus America has honored the ensemble with multiple awards, and during its twenty-fifth anniversary season Cantus began making its arrangements and commissions available for performance by other ensembles.