On March 11, Signum Classics will release the latest full-length album from Cantus: The COVID-19 Sessions. Recorded in March of 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, The COVID-19 Sessions came together quickly as society began to shut down amidst the growing outbreak in the United States.
Cantus tour dates and home concerts were being canceled and it was clear there would be only a limited window in which to sing together before the world went on pause. What would social distancing and prohibitions on large gatherings mean for vocal music, our communities, and the world at large?
"We honestly thought it was possible this might be the last time we could all sing together," said Cantus bass Chris Foss.
Cantus recorded these 19 tracks with an enormous amount of uncertainty about what the next weeks and months would bring.a??The repertoire includes pieces they would have performed in concert and on tour that spring, along with works that are Cantus signature pieces like Ysaÿe Barnwell's "Wanting Memories," Franz Biebl's "Ave Maria" and Sibelius's "Finlandia." The COVID-19 Sessions were first shared online in the spring of 2020 and racked up millions of views from grateful fans glad to have new music from Cantus. The tracks on the album were subsequently released as singles during the 2020-21 season.
Cantus' vision is to give voice to shared human experiences, and these performances were an offering from the ensemble in solidarity with their community at a time of great turmoil and unease. The pieces span a great breadth of emotion, from joy to sorrow to wonder to pain. The performances themselves are informed by the emotional states in which they were recorded - heightened at different times in different ways.
"We made the COVID-19 Sessions as an offering to our community," said Foss. "But with the tremendous audience response, we were reminded how deeply art matters, especially in times like those we have endured since those chilly March days, when we made a choice to respond to fear and uncertainty by doing what we love, which is making music together."
The COVID-19 Sessions
Tracklist
Finlandia
Darest, O Soul
Sunayama
Steal Away
Gryning vid havet
Shenandoah
O Frondens Virga
Lux Aurumque
It's strange about stars...
Stars
Beyond
Be Like the Bird
this brightening silence
Wanting Memories
Ave Maria
There's a Meeting Here Tonight
That Which Remains
Yonder Come Day
Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) |
Jean Sibelius
Mari Esabel Valverde
Shinpei Nakayama, arr. Jacob Christopher
Traditional, arr. Stacey V. Gibbs
Hugo Alfvén
Traditional, arr. Marshall Bartholomew; James Erb
Hildegard von Bingen, arr. Chris Foss
Eric Whitacre
Melissa Dunphy
?'riks Ešenvalds
Chris Foss
Abbie Betinis
Kathleen Allan
Ysaÿe M. Barnwell
Franz Biebl
Bob Gibson, Alex Hassilev, and Glenn Yarbrough, arr. Cantus
Andrea Ramsey
Traditional, arr. Paul John Rudoi
Billy Joel |
About Cantus
Now in its 27th season, the "engaging" (New Yorker) low-voice ensemble Cantus is widely known for its trademark warmth and blend, innovative programming and riveting performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century. The Washington Post has hailed the Cantus sound as having both "exalting finesse" and "expressive power" and refers to the "spontaneous grace" of its music making. The Philadelphia Inquirer called the group nothing short of "exquisite."
As one of the nation's few full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus has come to prominence with its distinctive approach to creating music. Working without a conductor, the members of Cantus rehearse and perform as chamber musicians, each contributing to the entirety of the artistic process.
Cantus enjoys a vigorous schedule of national and international touring, in addition to home concerts in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Cantus has performed at Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, UCLA, San Francisco Performances, Atlanta's Spivey Hall and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival.
Cantus returned to concert stages in fall of 2021 for the first time since March 2020 to bring their "sublime musicality" (ConcertoNet) to audiences in the Twin Cities and on tour throughout the country. Cantus presents six new programs throughout the season and recently welcomed the return of Chanticleer for a second collaborative performance at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis, drawing cheers from the full house and praise from the Star Tribune for a "splendidly executed" concert .
In the 2020-21 season, Cantus stayed true to its artistic vision and commitment to innovation amid the coronavirus pandemic, producing online programs that reached audiences spanning 50 states and seven countries, and garnering praise for how "the sheer quality of singing somehow melted the barriers of online communication" (Star Tribune). Cantus also released Manifesto, its Signum Classics debut album of world premiere recordings of works by Ysaÿe Barnwell,
David Lang, Sydney Guillaume, Libby Larsen, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and others.
Committed to the expansion of the vocal music repertoire, Cantus actively commissions new music and seeks to unearth rarely performed repertoire for low voices. Cantus has received commissioning grants from New Music USA, the National Endowment for the Arts, Chorus America, American Composers Forum and Chamber Music America. In line with Cantus' ongoing commitment to fostering new works and expanding the repertoire for tenors, baritones, and basses, the ensemble has partnered with composer and former Cantus bass Timothy C. Takach and Graphite Publishing on the Cantus Choral Series, distributing Cantus' signature arrangements and compositions for ensembles everywhere to perform and enjoy.
Cantus has a rich history of collaborations with other performing arts organizations, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops, Chanticleer, Sweet Honey in the Rock, Lorelei Ensemble, Theater Latté Da and the James Sewell Ballet. The ensemble is heard frequently on both classical public radio nationwide and on SiriusXM Satellite Radio. Cantus has released 20 recordings on the group's own label and with Signum Classics.
Integral to the Cantus mission is its commitment to preserve and deepen music education in the schools. Cantus works with more than 5,000 students each year in masterclass and workshop settings across the country and has visited 31 Minnesota high schools throughout the 13-year history of its award-winning High School Residency program. Cantus also presents a Young and Emerging Composers' Competition, to encourage the creation of new repertoire through cash prizes, a performance, recording and publication of winning compositions.
