WCJ Recommends
Classical Artist
Cantamus
Biography
Main 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 21 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 twice Olympic Champions at the World Choir Olympics (Bremen 2004 and Xiamen, China, 2006). It has represented Great Britain in several overseas choral festivals and at the World Symposium in Choral Music. Overseas tours have included China, 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."
A Japanese record company has included Cantamus (the only British choir) singing a capella English pieces in a set of 25 CDs and the choir's first commercial CD - on the Warner Classics label featuring the music of Sarah Class - was released in April. It was subsequently launched in Japan. The conductor of the 40-piece orchestra on the album, David Angus, told a reporter: "I was totally bowled over by the choir; they are professional with a capital 'P'; they are world class - I've never seen anything like it." The choir's second commercial CD "Cantamus" was released in 2006 to rave reviews and a single from that album, "Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometime" was released for Christmas 2006.
The choir's Christmas 2006 concert from Southwell Minster was webcast over the Internet on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It included messages from the girls to relatives and loved ones who could not be at home over the Christmas period.
The unique quality of Cantamus is due largely to the fact that every girl has singing lessons with Pamela Cook or one of her assistants who were trained by her - Ann Irons, Elaine Guy and Joy Nicol.
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Training Choir
The Training Choir was formed in 1992 with the purpose of preparing girls from the age of 10 for singing in the Main Choir. The number of girls varies between 30 and 35, as older girls move on to the Main Choir and new girls join. Here, the girls learn the Cantamus repertoire and are taught the very high standards which are expected of them when they appear on stage. The choir usually gives one main concert each year and always takes part in Christmas concerts with the Main Choir. Over the years, the choir has taken part in various choral events and competitions.
