Cantus: Lockdown Sessions Cantus

• 1Sibelius: Finlandia02:38
• 2Valverde: Darest, O Soul03:07
• 3Nakayama: Sunyama03:14
• 4Traditional: Steal Away04:08
• 5Alfvén: Gryning vid havet04:23
• 6Traditional: Shenandoah04:12
• 7Bingen: O Frondens Virga03:04
• 8Whitacre: Lux Aurumque03:50
• 9Dunphy: It’s Strange About Stars03:12
• 10Ešenvalds: Stars05:46
• 11Foss: Beyond05:41
• 12Betinis: Be Like the Bird02:15
• 13Allan: This Brightening Silence04:38
• 14Barnwell: Wanting Memories04:50
• 15Biebl: Ave Maria05:10
• 16Gibson: There’s a Meeting Here Tonight02:57
• 17Ramsey: That Which Remains03:00
• 18Traditional: Yonder Come Day03:08
• 19Joel: Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel)04:18
• Total Runtime01:13:31

Info for Cantus: Lockdown Sessions

Recorded on March 17, 19, and 20 at Westminster Presbyterian Church 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,” says Paul Scholtz, tenor.

“What would social distancing and prohibitions on large gatherings mean for vocal music, our communities, and the world at large?” continues Scholtz. “Cantus’ vision is to give voice to shared human experiences and what better way than to offer these performances amidst this great turmoil and uncertainty. We hope you can find yourself and your experience reflected somewhere in these sessions. The pieces you will hear span a great breadth of emotion, from joy to sorrow to wonder to pain. We hope you will find the performances themselves informed by the emotional states in which they were recorded — heightened at different times in different ways.”

“What is so noticeable about this album is the variety of songs on offer. They draw on different cultures, genres and musical eras ranging from the Renaissance to the present day…It was pleasing to see several female composers in the song list – Hildegard von Bingen for instance…With nineteen different works on the album, there is a wealth of material to capture your imagination and lighten your mood…Magnificently sung. I have been humming it ever since. Would love to see this ensemble on the London stage.” (ArtMuse London)

Cantus

Cantus
was founded in 1986 by a group of teenage girls who wanted to sing in a choir where they themselves could be in charge. More than 20 years later, Cantus is still a choir which likes to follow its own ideas. A lucky strike led to the crossing of the paths of the newly founded choir and the young singer and conductor Tove Ramlo. Tove became Cantus’ first, and so far, only conductor.

Versatility has always been one of the main characteristics of Cantus. During our entire existence we have altered between different musical genres and feel as much at home with popular music, folk music and jazz as with contemporary music and the classical choral music. We have participated in a number of international choir competitions and we believe that this has helped us to focus and perform at our best when needed. In addition to this we have also put up a number of stage performances with popular music which train us in communication with our audience. Both of these approaches have been equally important in the forming of our identity.

The members of Cantus are all amateur singers and we spend a lot of time on the choir both artistically and with the running of the organization. Being a member of Cantus is a time-consuming activity but we have great fun. And all this time we have been in charge ourselves.

Tove Ramlo-Ystad
has been Cantus’ conductor since the choir was founded in 1986. Tove has a permanent position in Cantus but the relationship between Tove and Cantus is much more than a simple contract. The growth and reputation of Cantus is firmly linked to Tove and her creativity.

Tove was educated from Trøndelag Conservatory of Music followed by a Master Degree in music from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. She has continued studying choir direction with Stefan Skiöld and more recently with Anders Eby, Professor of choir direction at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, Sweden.

For many years Tove worked full-time as a freelance choir instructor but has recently taken up a part-time position at the Norwegian Choir Association, South Trøndelag Region.

Tove Ramlo-Ystad is one of Norway’s most acknowledged choir conductors. She is a very popular and inspiring guest conductor nation-wide and she is frequently used as an adjudicator in international choir competitions.

Booklet for Cantus: Lockdown Sessions