Philosophies

In the performing world Cantus, a vocal chamber ensemble, is a very unique group of artists. We have no music director or conductor, and every singer has an equal voice in the collaborative process. We hire classically-trained solo singers who are intelligent and flexible enough to be a vaulable asset in an ensemble setting. We are expected to bring our technique and vocal color to every piece, but must have a vocal palette that is varied enough to acheive many different types of ensemble sound in a wide variety of musical genres.

When we begin a new piece of music, we assign a producer to guide the chamber process for that piece. That person is in charge of successfully bringing the piece from the rehearsal room to the stage, while making sure that all opinions are heard and considered in the process.

Vocal Philosophy

The most revolutionary way in which Cantus makes music is the way we sing and our vocal ideal. As may be obvious by the way we rehearse and reach our musical decisions, Cantus is all about letting each individual contribute to the whole. This idea is carried over into the way we sing. We believe that the most exciting, honest, healthy, and beautiful sound for our ensemble can only come from each individual singer creating his most exciting, honest, healthy and beautiful sound.

Cantus strives to sing in the bel canto tradition which means that if we had to pin our singing down to one overriding principle it would have to be that we strive to sing with engagement. We mean this in every sense of the word - we strive to sing with emotional, mental and physical engagement. At all times we try to sing freely and colorfully - from the loudest passages to the most intense quiet singing.

Many choral groups and choral singers tend to sacrifice the individual singer to the whole of the ensemble for the sake of blend or ensemble clarity etc. For the singer especially, sound and technique are inseparable. The best ensembles create their sounds in the context of a free, healthy technique and this is the vocal context in which Cantus strives to operate.