Cantamus Girl's Choir

Cantamus, a choir consisting of 43 girls aged between 13 and 19 and based in Nottinghamshire, has achieved unprecedented acclaim from critics and adjudicators throughout its career. Formed in 1968 by Pamela Cook, who is still its director, Cantamus has been praised consistently for its amazingly mature style, impeccable technique and unfailing ability to captivate its audiences. The choir has won 16 first prizes in international choral competitions, including the Grand Prix award at the Riva del Garda Festival, Sainsbury's Choir of the Year (twice), Choir of the World at the Llangollen Eisteddfod and Olympic Champions at the World Choir Olympics. It has represented Great Britain in several overseas choral festivals and at the World Symposium in Choral Music. Overseas tours have included Japan, Israel, the USA and Canada, and most countries in Eastern and Western Europe.

Cantamus is considered by many leading musicians to exemplify all that good choral singing should be; its private recordings have been studied at the Sofia and Warsaw Conservatoires and at choral courses held throughout Great Britain. Composer Howard Goodall stated: "Only very few musicians and performers at any given time manage to combine absolute world-class excellence of technique and style with the ability to express themselves from the bottom of their hearts. Cantamus, miraculously, are amongst this select few." Ventures into jazz, ethnic music and opera have also been widely acclaimed and the Performing Rights Society has awarded the choir prizes on four separate occasions for its enterprising programmes.

The choir has broadcast on television and radio both at home and abroad, and the Radio Times described it as "A choir that could stand comparison with anything in the world - a unique, sublime choral quality." The girls are in great demand for concerts all over the country and abroad and amongst others have sung with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Academy of Ancient Music. After a performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Carl Davis wrote "Cantamus is one of the most gifted groups of singers I have had the experience to work with. Conducting Cantamus was one of the high points of my concert career."

Discography

Magic in The Air

Gaudete, Christus est natus (trad. Medieval) My Lord, what a morning (Spiritual) The Nightingale – Thomas Weelkes, arr. Henry Leslie Gaude Mater Polonia (Polish, 13th century) Sanctus (Petite Messe Sainte Cecile) – Charles Gounod Didn't it Rain! (Spiritual) Allelujah! (German, 16th century) Quando corpus: Amen (Stabat Mater) – Giovanni Pergolesi Cantique de Jean Racine – Gabriel Faure Songs from a Bare Mountain – Nigel Osborne Pie Jesu (Requiem) – Andrew Lloyd Webber Calino custore me Sakura (trad. Japanese) Standchen, Op. 135 – Franz Schubert Danny Boy (trad. Irish) John's gone to Hilo (trad. English) The Water of Tyne (trad. English) Der Wasserman – Robert Schumann Dancing Song – Zoltan Kodaly Dance to your Daddy (trad. English) A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square – Manning Sherwin Leka Nosht – Parashkev Hadjiev

This disc by this exemplary girls' chorus is an assortment of songs from around the world, from traditional folk music to works by composers such as Pergolesi, Schubert and Lloyd-Webber to spirituals. Many of the songs were arranged for Cantamus by their accompanist Michael Neaum. The chorus shows great skill in their mastery of a wide variety of styles and languages. This recording showcases pieces under the topics of Morning Joy, Meditation, Love's Delights, Love's Lament, Dancing and Goodnight. This CD features "Songs from a Bare Mountain" by Nigel Osborne, which was commissioned by Cantamus.

7299 CD $15.98

Michael Neaum's Arrangements

Tiree Love Song – Hugh Roberton A Bunch of Thyme - trad. English The Stuttering Lovers – trad. Irish Lullaby – trad. African Dolina – trad. Polish I Gave My Love a Cherry – trad. American A la rurro nino – trad. Spanish Bolero – trad. Spanish Listen to the Lambs All my Trials Deep River I Got a Robe Amor Vittorioso – Giovanni Gastoldi Rest, Sweet Nymphs – Francis Pilkington What Then Is Love But Mourning? – Philip Rosseter Pavane – 16th century French Excerpt: Venus & Adonis – John Blow Full Fathom Five – Francis Pilkington What if I Never Speed? – John Dowland The Last Rose of Summer – trad. Irish The Lost Chord – Arthur Sullivan Yesterday – John Lennon, Paul McCartney Just the Way You Look Tonight – Jerome Kern I Got Rhythm – George Gershwin

Michael Neaum's arrangements number over 150. His work is lauded by choirs for being singable. He brings out the color and flavor found with in the conventional harmonic idiom and adds unexpected nuances. In addition to arranging, he is the accompanist for Cantamus. On this recording the world renowned girls' chorus sings Neaum's accompanied and a cappella arrangements of folk songs, spirituals, madrigals, Victorian songs and popular ballads from the twentieth century. Neaum's arrangements are wonderfully sung by this exceptional chorus.

7301 CD $15.98

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