Saturday, February 8, 2014 8:00pm (Doors open at 7:30pm)

Acclaimed as “the premier men’s vocal ensemble in the United States” (Fanfare), Cantus is known worldwide for its trademark warmth and blend and its engaging performances of music ranging from the Renaissance to the 21st century. The Washington Post has hailed the ensemble’s sound as having both “exalting finesse” and “expressive power” and refers to its music making as “spontaneous grace.” Cantus performs more than 70 concerts each year both in national and international touring, as well as in its home of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. Past performances have brought Cantus to the stages of the Kennedy Center, UCLA, San Francisco Performances, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival and New York’s Merkin Concert Hall, to name just a few.

As one of the nation’s few full-time men’s ensembles, Cantus has grown in 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.

Committed to the expansion of the vocal music repertoire, Cantus actively commissions new music for men’s voices including work from Nico Muhly, Lee Hoiby, Steven Sametz, Kenneth Jennings, Peter Hamlin, Edie Hill and Robert Kyr. Cantus has received commissioning grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, American Composers Forum and Chamber Music America.

Cantus has a rich history of collaborations with other performing arts organizations, including the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Boston Pops, James Sewell Ballet and the Minnesota Orchestra. Each holiday season in partnership with Theater Latté Da, the ensemble continues to tour its celebrated presentation of “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” throughout the country. The ensemble is heard frequently on public radio including Performance Today’s annual Thanksgiving program “Thanksgiving with Cantus,” and two recent performances on A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor.

Cantus is the recipient of numerous awards, including Chorus America’s highest honor, the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence (2009), as well as Chorus America’s Education Outreach Award (2011). Cantus was also the 2010-2011 Artist in Residence on Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media’s Performance Today.

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.