Cantori New York

Cantori New York (founded in 1984, originally called i Cantori di New York) is a member-run chamber chorus, usually comprising about 24 to 36 non-professional and professional singers. They have performed under the direction of Mark Shapiro since 1990, when founding conductor Bart Folse stepped down. They frequently commission new works, and the scope of their repertoire encompasses sacred and secular works from more than five centuries of Western European choral music.

As with many such "amateur" choruses, there is often an intensity and clarity to the singing that can only be achieved through diligent rehearsal and generous commitment. Despite the packed arts schedule of New York City and the limited funds endemic to small performing groups, Cantori New York quickly rose to prominence, garnering enthusiastic appraisals from The New York Times, The Village Voice, and New Yorker magazine.

The chamber chorus is to the chorus as a chamber music group is to a full orchestra. The full chorus is often a bloated and padded behemoth, gasping and wheezing its way through the great tub-thumping "masterpieces" of the classical repertoire (especially if the work has "of a thousand" in its name or is the "choral finale" of a late-numbered symphony. The chamber chorus is a nimble and athletic organism that lives or dies by its lithe articulation, self-sacrificing attention to vocal blend, and an esthetic devotion to the music that motivates each individual singer to know the score intimately and perform it passionately. Most of the choral music in the Western tradition was written for choruses that would seldom have comprised more than a dozen or two-dozen singers. Polyphonic counterpoint demanded that each section of the chorus sing as one voice. Otherwise, the delicate interweaving of themes would be nothing but a gummy and lifeless porridge of sound. Learning to listen carefully and creatively to such music will bring each listener a sense of participation in the artistic enterprise and reward each effort with a delight in what all have achieved.