ENSEMBLE · VOCAL

Cantus

Est. 1995

Samuel Bohlander-Green · Jacob Christopher · Chris Foss · Rod Kelly HinesAlexander Nishibun · Paul John Rudoi · Paul Scholtz · Jeremy Wong

Cantus
One of the few
full-time, artist-led vocal ensembles in the U.S.
50 states
A vigorous national & international touring schedule
5,000+
students engaged each season
Signum Classics
Recording artist
ABOUT

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.

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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.

PRESS & REVIEWS

What the critics say

“Exalting finesse and expressive power”

— The Washington Post

“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.”

— Star Tribune

“Exquisite”

— The Philadelphia Inquirer

“Engaging”

— The New Yorker
Discography

Recordings

VIDEOS

Videos

2026-27

Programs & Repertoire

Program One

Simple Gifts

  • Joseph Brackett, arr. Stephen Caracciolo Simple Gifts
  • Ko Matsushita Sakura
  • Sydney Guillaume Twa Tanbou
  • 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
  • Intermission
  • 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
  • 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, 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 Two

The Road Home

  • Samuel Ward, arr. Paul John Rudoi America the Beautiful
  • 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
  • James Taylor, arr. Simon Carrington That Lonesome Road
  • Intermission
  • Gaby Moreno Ave Que Emigra
  • Shabnam Abedi 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 Three

Wanting Memories Encore

  • Bob Thiele, George David Weiss What a Wonderful World
  • Tim Minchin From Matilda, When I Grow Up
  • Christopher H. Harris I Would Live in Your Love
  • Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe From Gigi, I Remember It Well
  • Stevie Nicks Landslide
  • Ysaÿe M. Barnwell Wanting Memories
  • Sydney Guillaume Gagot
  • Mia Makaroff Spes (Hope)
  • Dolly Parton Light of a Clear Blue Morning
  • Traditional Spiritual (arr. Paul John Rudoi) Yonder Come Day
  • 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 memory fades, is music the final conduit for our memories and connection to our past?

Back by popular demand is Cantus’s program exploring the unique and enduring relationship between music and memory in our lives. Wanting Memories, through selections that include timeless tunes like “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” and anchored by Ysaÿe M. Barnwell’s “Wanting Memories”, traverses the realms of nostalgia and family, loss and love, grief and laughter, fear and hope.

Program Four

Cantus & Imani Winds: My Ancestors Speak

  • Valerie Coleman Red Clay and Mississippi Delta
  • Robert Lowry, arr. Stephen Caracciolo How Can I Keep from Singing?
  • Gloria Estefan, arr. Yosvany Estepe Diaz Mi Tierra
  • Tōru Takemitsu Vocalise 2 (from Wind Horse)
  • Chen Yi Feng, Introduction and Rondo
  • arr. Jeff Scott Rocking Jerusalem
  • Intermission
  • arr. Jeff Scott Mr. Banjo
  • arr. Jeff Scott Balm in Gilead
  • arr. Marsha Schweitzer Ku’u Ipo I Ka He’e Pu’e One
  • Angélica Negrón Left (New Commission)
  • Alex Weiser My Ancestors Speak (New Commission)
  • arr. Jacob Christopher Tritsch-Tratsch Polka

Join two of today’s most compelling chamber ensembles—Cantus and Imani Winds—for My Ancestors Speak, a powerful joint concert. Through a compelling fusion of story and song, this unique collaboration celebrates the rich, diverse cultural lineages of both ensembles, exploring deeply rooted connections to identity, tradition, and history.

Renowned for their lush, expressive vocals, Cantus blends seamlessly with the bold, genre-defying sound of Imani Winds to present a dynamic program that traverses centuries and continents. Together, they create a musical tapestry that honors the past and reflects our shared human experience.

The concert features two newly commissioned works – My Ancestors Speak by Pulitzer Prize finalist Alex Weiser and Left by 2022 Hermitage Greenfield Prize winner Angélica Negrón – alongside repertoire that highlights a global array of musical traditions and voices.

Program Five

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 The Lamb
  • Marian L. Harrison Tiny Child
  • Eric Whitacre Lux Aurumque
  • Taku Izumi Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi o
  • Sarah Quartel Sing, My Child
  • Franz Xaver Gruber, arr. Christopher Harris Silent Night
  • Traditional English, arr. Christine Donkin O Come All Ye Faithful (New Commission)
  • Kim Andre Arnesen Even When He Is Silent
  • Cheryl Camm Alleluia! Into the Light
  • Zanaida Robles Kujichagulia
  • Francisco Grau Vegara, arr. Alberto de la Paz Mensaje de Paz
  • Traditional Scottish, arr. Jo Goldsmith-Eteson Auld Lang Syne (New Commission)
  • 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 poet, essayist, and arts educator Michael Kleber-Diggs. A recent Jerome Hill Artist Fellow in Literature, Michael explores themes of intimacy, community, empathy, and grace in his work, practices he believes are simultaneously distinct and interdependent.

Celebrate the season with the timeless beauty of carols such as “Silent Night” and “I Saw Three Ships,” alongside recent works from the bold, fresh voices of composers like Zanaida Robles and Marian L. Harrison. The program unfolds with a dynamic range of emotions and textures, featuring pieces by Christine Donkin 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 evokes the spirit of celebration and reflection.

Program One

Lift Every Voice

  • 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 Somandla
  • Intermission
  • Traditional Spiritual, arr. Stacey Gibbs Steal Away
  • Traditional Spiritual, arr. Marques Garrett Hold On
  • B.E. Boykin New Commission, Title TBD
  • Sam Cooke A Change Is Gonna Come
  • Traditional Gospel, arr. Rod Kelly Hines This Little Light of Mine
  • J. Rosamond 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 Two

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
  • Intermission
  • 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 Three

Wanting Memories

  • Bob Thiele, George David Weiss What a Wonderful World
  • Tim Minchin From Matilda, When I Grow Up
  • Christopher H. Harris I Would Live in Your Love
  • Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe From Gigi, I Remember It Well
  • Stevie Nicks Landslide
  • Ysaÿe M. Barnwell Wanting Memories
  • Sydney Guillaume Gagot
  • Mia Makaroff Spes (Hope)
  • Dolly Parton Light of a Clear Blue Morning
  • Traditional Spiritual (arr. Paul John Rudoi) Yonder Come Day
  • 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 memory fades, is music the final conduit for our memories and connection to our past?

Back by popular demand is Cantus’s program exploring the unique and enduring relationship between music and memory in our lives. Wanting Memories, through selections that include timeless tunes like “Over the Rainbow” and “What a Wonderful World” and anchored by Ysaÿe M. Barnwell’s “Wanting Memories”, traverses the realms of nostalgia and family, loss and love, grief and laughter, fear and hope.

Program Four

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
  • Intermission
  • 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.”

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