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Cantus

“exalting finesse and expressive power”
— The Washington Post

 

  • Now in its 28th season, 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, creating programs that give voice to shared human experiences.

  • In the 2022-23 season, Cantus will perform Song of the Universal – a program exploring how people across time and geography experience the divine. Experiencing God is not exclusive to the historic or religious. Music, nature, and community can evoke holiness in our homes, spirituality in our surroundings, and the universal in our souls. Weaving together music and spoken word, Cantus touches on faith traditions across cultures, performing works from ancient chant by Hildegard von Bingen to Paul John Rudoi’s “Song of Sky and Sea.” Song of the Universal features a newly commissioned multi-movement work by three emerging composers: Mari Esabel Valverde, Yosvany Estepe Diaz and Mariana Sadovska that reflect on universal themes of humanity’s relationship to the great mystery: Creation, Life, and Afterlife. In Song of the Universal, Cantus offers a program simultaneously transcendent and deeply human.

  • Cantus will present their programs Song of the Universal, Alone Together, Christmas with Cantus, and My Journey Yours on tour in seventeen cities throughout the United States this season, including stops in New York, Indiana, Wisconsin, California, Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, and Massachusetts.

  • Cantus records for the UK-based Signum Classics label which has released the popular COVID-19 Sessions and Manifesto, an album of world premiere recordings of works by Ysaÿe Barnwell, David Lang, Sydney Guillaume, Libby Larsen, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and others. In the fall of 2022, Signum releases Into the Light, the first new holiday album from Cantus in over a decade.

  • 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.

Now entering its 31st season, the “engaging” (The 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, creating programs that give voice to shared human experiences. As the Star Tribune has written, “The main hallmark of the Cantus sound has always been sheer quality and an unbroken belief in the special way that vocal music has of warming and invigorating the human spirit.”  

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, Tanglewood and Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival. Cantus also makes all of its home concerts available online. This pandemic-prompted innovation has brought the ensemble’s programs to audiences spanning 50 states and sixteen countries. 

  • Cantus records for the UK-based Signum Classics label which has released the popular COVID-19 Sessions, Manifesto, holiday album Into the Light, Alone Together and, in July 2025, Fields of Wonder.  Cantus also has a deep catalog of recordings released on the group’s eponymous label. 

    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 2023, Cantus was honored with the Alice Parker Fund Award from Chorus America that recognizes the exemplary work of an ensemble that respectfully and authentically presents works incorporating Black and Latinx traditions and experiences. In line with Cantus’ ongoing commitment to fostering new works 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, the Swingles, the Canadian Brass, 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. 

     Integral to the Cantus mission is its commitment to preserve and strengthen music education in schools. Cantus works with more than 5,000 students each year in masterclass and workshop settings across the country and has been in-residence in 31 Minnesota high schools throughout their award-winning program’s 15-year history. The Cantus High School Mentorship program offers Cantus artists in-residence at one Twin Cities-based high school for the entirety of the school year. Cantus has also broadened its work by launching a yearly, statewide festival in partnership with American Choral Directors Association Minnesota catered to high school tenor and bass singers. Additionally, the ensemble hosts an annual Young and Emerging Composers Competition to encourage the creation of new repertoire through cash prizes, a performance, recording, and potential publication of winning composers. 

    OUR MISSION & VISION

    Cantus engages audiences in a meaningful music experience and ensures the future of ensemble singing by mentoring young singers and educators. Cantus was founded on the ideals of collaborative music-making: artists and staff work together to reach new levels of artistic excellence, innovation and audience engagement. Our vision is to give voice to shared human experiences.

    July 2025 – Please do not edit without permission.


Videos

Programs & Repertoire

  • PROGRAM I – LAND THAT I LOVE
    Samuel Ward (arr. Paul John Rudoi): America the Beautiful
    John Stafford Smith: The National Anthem
    Carlos Cordero: Lejanas Voces
    Saunder Choi: Leron, Leron, Sinta
    Tania León: La Guitarra, mvt. 3 from Rimas Tropicales
    Moises Simons (arr. Yosvany Estepe Diaz): El Manisero
    Reena Esmail: TaReKiTa
    Chen Yi: Fengyang ge
    María Grever (arr. Raul Dominguez): Tipitin
    Melissa Dunphy: From N-400 Erasure Songs, II. N-400 (an erasure)
    John Denver: That Lonesome Road
    *****
    J. Rosamond Johnson: Lift Every Voice and Sing
    William Steffe: The Battle Hymn of the Republic
    Gaby Moreno: Ave Que Emigra
    Shabnam Abedi: Manush Dhoro
    Sydney Guillaume: Plakatap
    Stephen Paulus: The Road Home
    Gloria Estefan: Mi Tierra

    In commemoration of the United States’ Semiquincentennial, Cantus offers Land that I Love – a concert program exploring what it means to celebrate a national identity encompassing cultures from around the globe. Alongside our Indigenous peoples, we are a nation of immigrants. Land that I Love honors that diversity with captivating music by composers carrying their own immigrant stories. These composers are as wide-ranging and multi-faceted as the music they create, from Saunder Choi and Chen Yi to Gloria Estefan and Gaby Moreno. “A nation’s culture resides within the hearts and in the soul of its people” (M. Gandhi), and there can be no clearer means to express that collective heart and soul than through music.

    PROGRAM II – WANTING MEMORIES
    Bob Thiele, George David Weiss: What a Wonderful World
    Tim Minchin: From Matilda, When I Grow Up
    Taylor Swift: Fifteen
    Christopher H. Harris: I Would Live in Your Love
    A.R. Rahman (arr. Ethan Sperry): Wedding Qawwali
    Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe: From Gigi, I Remember It Well
    Stevie Nicks: Landslide
    Ysaÿe M. Barnwell: Wanting Memories
    *****
    Richard Strauss: Traumlicht
    Sydney Guillaume: Gagot
    Spes (Hope): Mia Makaroff
    Rosephanye Powell: When We Sing
    Dolly Parton: Light of a Clear Blue Morning
    Harold Arlen, E.Y. Harburg: Over the Rainbow
    Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal: I’ll Be Seeing You

    Why is it that we can recall the lyrics and melody of a song from our childhood, but we struggle to find our keys in the morning, or find ourselves unable to remember peoples’ names? Time and age can cause organized memories to gradually become a maze of fragments, but music often remains the one thing that helps us to remember who we are. As our memories fade, and life is transfigured for everyone around us, is music the final conduit for our memories, and the final connection to our past? In Wanting Memories, Cantus explores the unique and enduring relationship between music and memory in all of our lives. Through selections that include timeless tunes like "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", and anchored by Ysaÿe M. Barnwell’s "Wanting Memories", this performance traverses the realms of nostalgia and family, loss and love, grief, laughter, fear and hope.

    PROGRAM III – CHRISTMAS WITH CANTUS: THREE TALES OF CHRISTMAS
    Vince Guaraldi, Lee Mendelson (arr. Jay Giallombardo): From A Charlie Brown Christmas, Christmas Time Is Here
    Traditional (arr. Alice Parker and Robert Shaw): O Tannenbaum
    eden ahbez: Nature Boy
    Paul John Rudoi: How You Are Made
    Traditional (arr. Yumiko Matsuoka): Still, Still, Still (newly commissioned)
    Chris Foss: Perennial Eternally
    Mitchel Grassi, Scott Hoying, Audra Mae: Light in the Hallway
    Sam Phillips: Where Is Love Now
    Billy Hill: The Glory of Love
    *****
    Pyotr Tchaikovsky: Excerpts from The Nutcracker

    1. Overture and March

    2. Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy

    3. Russian Dance

    4. Arabian and Chinese Dance

    5. Dance of the Reed-Flutes

    6. Waltz of the Flowers

    Jay Livingston, Ray Evans: Silver Bells
    Traditional (arr. Chien Shan-Hua): diu diu dang a
    Alan Silvestri: Spirit of the Season
    Loreena McKennit: The Bells of Christmas
    J.M. Førde: Bruremarsj
    Alan Silvestri: Believe

    Cantus weaves together three holiday stories with time-honored carols and new classics. Blending narration and song, the program features Margery Williams’ “The Velveteen Rabbit” and “The Polar Express” by Chris Van Allsburg alongside an abridged romp through Pyotr Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker”. 

    Three Tales of Christmas offers an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and joy of the holiday season. Join Cantus for its beloved holiday program that the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune deemed "as joyful a celebration of the season's spirit as any caroling party you're likely to attend this year."

  • PROGRAM I – SIMPLE GIFTS
    Joseph Brackett, arr. Stephen
    Caracciolo: Simple Gifts
    Ko Matsushita: Sakura
    Moises Simons, arr. Yosvany Estepe Diaz: El Manisero
    Malcolm Dalglish: Little Potato
    Isaac Lovdahl: When I Was Just a Boy
    Mia Makaroff: Spes
    John T. Hocutt, arr. Aaron Humble: A Thankful Heart
    Andrea Ramsey: That Which Remains
    Stacey Gibbs: New Commission
    *****
    Margaret Bonds: Moonlight Night (Carmel)
    Bobby McFerrin: The Garden
    Jennifer Higdon: A Quiet Moment
    J. Rosamond Johnson, arr. Rod Kelly Hines: Lift Every Voice and Sing
    Sydney Guillaume: Twa Tanbou
    Marques L.A. Garrett: My Heart Be Brave
    Lorenzo Lyons: Hawaii Aloha
    Brent Michael Davids: Zuni Sunrise Song
    Jean Sibelius: Finlandia
    Robert Lowry, arr. Stephen Caracciolo: How Can I Keep From Singing

    What are you grateful for? It’s a deeply personal question, yet there are undoubtedly overarching themes, like the joy of breathing in fresh air on a hike, savoring a recipe passed down through generations, and cherishing moments spent with those we love. 

    In Simple Gifts, Cantus weaves together personal stories of gratitude along with beloved tunes including "How Can I Keep From Singing" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", timeless classics from Jean Sibelius and Jennifer Higdon, and contemporary gems by Bobby McFerrin and Sydney Guillaume.

    The result is a poignant and heartfelt program filled with energy and beauty that uplifts, inspires, and reminds us of what we hold most dear.

    PROGRAM II - THE ROAD HOME
    Samuel Ward, arr. Paul John Rudoi: America the Beautiful
    John Stafford Smith: The National Anthem (underscoring, no words)
    Carlos Cordero: Lejanas Voces
    arr. Saunder Choi: Leron, Leron, Sinta
    Tania León: La Guitarra, mvt. 3 from Rimas Tropicales
    Moises Simons, arr. Yosvany Estepe Diaz: El Manisero
    Reena Esmail: TaReKiTa
    arr. Chen Yi: Fengyang ge
    María Grever, arr. Raul Dominguez: Tipitin
    Melissa Dunphy: II. N-400 (an erasure), from N-400 Erasure Songs
    John Denver, arr. Simon Carrington: That Lonesome Road
    *****
    J. Rosamond Johnson: Lift Every Voice and Sing (underscoring, no words)
    William Steffe: The Battle Hymn of the Republic (underscoring, no words)
    Gaby Moreno: Ave Que Emigra
    Shabnam Abedi (newly commissioned): Manush Dhoro
    Sydney Guillaume: Plakatap
    Stephen Paulus: The Road Home
    Gloria Estefan, arr. Yosvany Estepe Diaz: Mi Tierra

    Following the United States’ 250th anniversary, Cantus offers The Road Home – a concert program honoring our diverse American heritage with captivating music by composers carrying their own migration stories. From Saunder Choi and Chen Yi to Gaby Moreno and Gloria Estefan, these artists are as wide-ranging and multi-faceted as the music they create. 


    “A nation’s culture resides within the hearts and in the soul of its people” (M. Gandhi), and there can be no clearer means to express that collective heart and soul than through music. Join Cantus for The Road Home,an uplifting program filled with pride and passion for our shared American identity.

    Program III – CHRISTMAS WITH CANTUS: LESSONS AND CAROLS FOR OUR TIME
    Traditional English, arr. Reginald Bowens: I Saw Three Ships
    Paul John Rudoi: Last Kind Words
    Brandon Spencer: Little Lamb
    Marian L. Harrison: Tiny Child
    Eric Whitacre: Lux Aurumque
    Taku Izumi: Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o
    Ariel Ramirez: Los Pastores
    Sarah Quartel: Sing, My Child
    Traditional Slovenian, arr. Janez Močnik: Ta Stara Bozicna Pejsen
    Franz Xaver Gruber, arr. Christopher Harris: Silent Night
    *****
    Traditional English, arr. TBD: O Come All Ye Faithful
    Kim Andre Arnesen: Even When He Is Silent
    Cheryl Camm: Alleluia! Into the Light
    Pärt Uusberg: Mis on inimene?
    Francisco Grau Vegara, arr. Alberto de la Paz: Mensaje de Paz
    Zanaida Robles: Kujichagulia
    Sergei Rachmaninoff, arr. Thomas Beveridge: Bogoroditse Devo
    Traditional Scottish, arr. Jo Goldsmith-Eteson (NEW COMMISSION): Auld Lang Syne
    Franz Biebl: Ave Maria

    Christmas with Cantus: Lessons and Carols for Our Time invites audiences to a rich, contemplative holiday experience that merges tradition with timely resonance. Cantus reimagines the beloved format of Lessons and Carols, exploring themes of hope, peace, and unity through classic carols, music from around the world, and a captivating blend of poetry curated by award-winning author Michael Kleber-Diggs.

    Celebrate the season with the timeless beauty of carols such as “Silent Night” and “I Saw Three Ships,” alongside recent works from bold, fresh compositional voices like Zanaida Robles and Marian L. Harrison. The program unfolds with a dynamic range of emotions and textures, featuring pieces by Rachmaninoff, Ariel Ramirez, and Eric Whitacre that spark reflections on faith and humanity. At once classic and modern, Lessons and Carols for Our Time is a heartfelt program that that evokes the spirit of celebration and reflection.

     

    *Program orders and repertoires are subject to change.

  • PROGRAM I – Lift Every Voice (Fall 2027)*

    Jean Sibelius: Finlandia
    Violeta Parra: Arauco tiene una pena
    Violeta Parra: Gracias a la vida
    Sergio Ortega and Claudio Iturra: Venceremos
    Veljo Tormis: Double Dedication
    Boriss Rezņiks: Atmostas Baltija
    Mart Saar: Leelo
    Traditional South African, arr. Jeffrey L. Ames: Tshotsholoza
    Traditional South African, arr. Sidumo Nyamezele: Bawo Thixo Somandia
    *****
    Traditional Spiritual, arr. Stacey Gibbs: Steal Away
    Traditional Spiritual, arr. Marques Garrett: Hold On
    New Commission TBD
    Sam Cooke: A Change Is Gonna Come
    Traditional Gospel, arr. Rod Kelly Hines: This Little Light of Mine
    J. Rosemund Johnson, arr. Reginald Bowens: Lift Every Voice and Sing
    John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Imagine
    Robert Lowry, arr. Stephen Caracciolo: How Can I Keep From Singing

    Throughout history, music has been used as a vehicle to organize, challenge power, and affect societal change. In Lift Every Voice, Cantus celebrates the extraordinary role of song in real-life stories of resistance. From 20th-century examples of singing to overcome oppression in the Baltics, South Africa, and Latin America to the power of collective voices to promote safety, equity, and change during American slavery and the Civil Rights Movement, Lift Every Voice inspires and reminds us of what we can accomplish when we come together in song.

    PROGRAM II – Simple Gifts (Fall 2027)*

    Joseph Brackett, arr. Stephen Caracciolo: Simple Gifts
    Ko Matsushita: Sakura
    Moises Simons, arr. Yosvany Estepe Diaz: El Manisero
    Malcolm Dalglish: Little Potato
    Isaac Lovdahl: When I Was Just a Boy
    Mia Makaroff: Spes
    John T. Hocutt, arr. Aaron Humble: A Thankful Heart
    Andrea Ramsey: That Which Remains
    Stacey Gibbs: New Commission
    *****
    Margaret Bonds: Moonlight Night (Carmel)
    Bobby McFerrin: The Garden
    Jennifer Higdon: A Quiet Moment
    J. Rosamond Johnson, arr. Rod Kelly Hines: Lift Every Voice and Sing
    Sydney Guillaume: Twa Tanbou
    Marques L.A. Garrett: My Heart Be Brave
    Lorenzo Lyons: Hawaii Aloha
    Brent Michael Davids: Zuni Sunrise Song
    Jean Sibelius: Finlandia
    Robert Lowry, arr. Stephen Caracciolo: How Can I Keep From Singing

    What are you grateful for? It’s a deeply personal question, yet there are undoubtedly overarching themes, like the joy of breathing in fresh air on a hike, savoring a recipe passed down through generations, and cherishing moments spent with those we love. 


    In Simple Gifts, Cantus weaves together personal stories of gratitude along with beloved tunes including "How Can I Keep From Singing" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing", timeless classics from Jean Sibelius and Jennifer Higdon, and contemporary gems by Bobby McFerrin and Sydney Guillaume.

    The result is a poignant and heartfelt program filled with energy and beauty that uplifts, inspires, and reminds us of what we hold most dear.

    PROGRAM III – Three Tales of Christmas*

    Walter Kent, arr. Jo Goldsmith-Eteson: I’ll Be Home for Christmas
    Joseph Brackett, arr. Stephen Caracciolo: Simple Gifts
    Abbie Betinis: The Mirthful Heart
    Traditional (Newly Commissioned Arrangement TBD): Soulcake
    Sara Bareilles: A Soft Place to Land
    Traditional, arr. Alice Parker and Robert Shaw: Vive L’Amour
    Traditional Scottish, arr. Kirsten Pagel: The Parting Glass
    Paul Williams: Thankful Heart
    Chris Foss: Twas the Night Before Christmas
    *****
    Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, arr. Stacey Gibbs: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
    Traditional, arr. Jacob Christopher: In the Bleak Midwinter
    Traditional, arr. Alexander Nishibun: Es ist ein Ros Entsprungen
    Randall Thompson: Nowel
    Traditional, arr. Alice Parker and Robert Shaw: The Boar’s Head Carol
    Traditional, arr. Sofia Söderberg: Noel Nouvelet
    Howard Blake: Walking in the Air
    Franz Gruber, arr. Christopher Harris: Silent Night
    Abbie Betinis: Be Like the Bird
    Traditional, arr. Jo Goldsmith-Eteson: Auld Lang Syne

    Cantus weaves together three holiday stories with time-honored carols and new classics. Blending narration and song, the program features Hans Christian-Andersen’s iconic A Little Match Girl alongside the well-known folk tale Stone Soup and Clement Clarke-Moore’s Twas the Night Before Christmas. Three Tales of Christmas offers an opportunity to reflect on the meaning and joy of the holiday season. Join Cantus for its beloved holiday program that the Minnesota Star Tribune deemed "as joyful a celebration of the season's spirit as any caroling party you're likely to attend this year." 

    *Program orders and repertoires are subject to change.

 

Projects

Project Blog
Cantus & Imani Winds
Vocals, Collaboration, Wind Quintet
Cantus & Imani Winds
Vocals, Collaboration, Wind Quintet

Cantus Vocal Ensemble and Imani Winds come together in a powerful joint concert centered around the theme of Ancestry, celebrating the rich, diverse heritages of both ensembles. Through a blend of captivating story and song, the concert explores the deeply rooted connections to culture, history, and identity. Cantus, known for their lush, expressive vocals, pairs with Imani Winds, a dynamic ensemble celebrated for their vibrant sound, to bring to life a repertoire that spans centuries and continents. Each piece highlights the unique traditions and stories of their individual backgrounds, weaving together a musical tapestry that honors the past while embracing the shared humanity of the present.  The program will include a commissioned work for Cantus and Imani Winds.  

Read More →

Vocals, Collaboration, Wind Quintet
Wanting Memories
Vocals
Wanting Memories
Vocals

Why is it that we can recall the lyrics and melody of a song from our childhood, but we struggle to find our keys in the morning, or find ourselves unable to remember peoples’ names? Time and age can cause organized memories to gradually become a maze of fragments, but music often remains the one thing that helps us to remember who we are. As our memories fade, and life is transfigured for everyone around us, is music the final conduit for our memories, and the final connection to our past? In Wanting Memories, Cantus explores the unique and enduring relationship between music and memory in all of our lives. Through selections that include timeless tunes like "Over the Rainbow" and "What a Wonderful World", and anchored by Ysaÿe M. Barnwell’s "Wanting Memories", this performance traverses the realms of nostalgia and family, loss and love, grief, laughter, fear and hope.

Read More →

Vocals