Saturday, January 16, 2010

Greetings, Cantus friends and frienemies! This is Chris Foss, here to tell you all that after a restful holiday break, Cantus is back in the touring saddle again. Last weekend found us down in the great metropolis of Omaha, NE.

Now, I know what you're all thinking: "Omaha? Isn't that where nice, friendly, well-educated people frequent one of the best-sounding performance halls in the country?" Well, I am here to tell that is completely correct! Cantus performed at the Holland Center, a newly built hall that opened in 2005, where the Omaha Symphony has been known to carry a tune. It is absolutely one of the most gorgeous-sounding halls Cantus has ever sung in. From the first time we set foot through the doors, to the last chord of the show, we were blown away by the friendly acoustics.

The show also featured a guest choir made up of high school men from the Omaha public schools. Although the original plan was to spend most of the day before the show in a festival format, it had to be cancelled because the wind chill in Omaha was around -40 degrees (which is cold
even for us Minnesotans). Instead, Cantus spent a couple hours before the show working with the kids in a masterclass format, answering their questions, and sharing a few of our rehearsal tips with them. Then during the show, we had the choir up on stage with us, singing a beautiful rendition of Franz Beibl's Ave Maria. All in all, it was an experience that Cantus (and I'm sure everyone else who was there) will not soon forget!

Oh, and did I mention that Omaha is my hometown? I didn't?! That's probably because I'm too humble to mention that singing a concert in my hometown in an amazing hall with one of the greatest ensembles in the country was absolutely a dream come true. What can I say? It must be my modest midwestern up-bringing.