Check out the pop podcast

Hi, Cantus fans:

just wanted to make sure you knew about this and next weekend's pop shows. Here's a new podcast featuring Tenor Paul Rudoi, bass Chris Foss, and Podcast host Aaron Humble:

Pop Podcast 2009

See you at the Ritz!

Cantus Covers!

Hello All,

We've been busy at work getting ready for our Covers Concerts, June 5-6, and June 12-14 (tickets), and it's just been a blast. We always enjoy being rockers for a day (or two weekends in this case). And Gary doesn't even have to turn on his PlayStation 2 (a failed attempt at humor suggesting that he plays way too much Guitar Hero). 

Nay, the guitars are real, and so are the awesome collaborators we are working with. Here's a little impromptu sampling that I created entirely with my computer! Do forgive the poor sound, video quality, and/or nauseating cinematography, I hope it's just a fun peek into what we do in rehearsal. Don't forgive my hair's cameo. Go Mac!

Summer Songs

I couldn't help thinking about summer as I enjoyed a perfectly sunny, breezy day. Here are links/lyrics to performances of two of my favorite summer songs for ensembles.

Sumer is icumen in (performed by the Hilliard Ensemble)

Sumer is i-cumen in,
Lhude sing cuccu!
Groweth sed,
And bloweth med,
And springeth the wde nu:
Sing cuccu! cuccu!

Awe bleteth after lamb,
Lhouth after calve cu;
Bulluc sterteth,
Bucke verteth,
Murie sing cuccu!
Cuccu, cuccu!
Wel singes thu cuccu,
Ne swik thou nauer nu!
Sing cuccu nu!
Sing cuccu!

Wild Mountain Thyme (performed by The Corries)

O the summer time has come
And the trees are sweetly bloomin'
And the wild mountain thyme
Grows around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go lassie go?

Chorus:
And we'll all go together
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go lassie go?

I will build my love a bower (summerhouse)
By yon cool crystal fountain
And round it I will pile
All the wild flowers o' the mountain
Will ye go lassie go?

(chorus)

I will range through the wilds
And the deep glen sae dreamy
And return wi' their spoils
Tae the bower o' my dearie
Will ye go lassie go?

(chorus)

If my true love she'll not come
Then I'll surely find another
To pull wild mountain thyme
All around the bloomin' heather
Will ye go lassie go?

(chorus)

Snow in May

Well, actually, I do remember a May with an amazing snowfall back in college. The event served as the basis of a friend's stance against living in the Upper Midwest..."No way I'm staying here! We literally had nine months of winter this year. It snowed at the end of September, throughout the fall, winter and spring, and here it is again in May!"

One of our collective favorites on the upcoming series Covers II: A Pop Concert takes advantage of the nostalgia surrounding snowy images and ties them beautifully to summer. If you haven't yet heard White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes, you ought to do so. Then come hear our performance, including collaborators Dave Hagedorn, Lee Blaske, Mark Ilaug and Rikki Davenport.

Cantus Idol!!!

Hey Everybody,

Well it's been a while since The Big Event, but Cantus Idol was a huge success! For those who don't know what Cantus Idol is, Cantus has hosted a fundraising event, a "competitive karaoke" competition, entitled Cantus Idol for the past two years. This year the event was held at Hell's Kitchen, a fantastic restaurant in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. It's a competition a la "American Idol", so it wouldn't be complete without a panel of three judges with fantastic, and unique, personalities. This year our judges included John DeHaan, professor on the faculty of the Vocal Department at the University of Minnesota, Brian Newhouse, broadcast host for Minnesota Public Radio, and Laura Anderson, who is working as the Assistant Director of the University of Minnesota's opera program. Without this panel, the evening would have only been half as entertaining!

In Cantus Idol, each member of Cantus gets up and performs a song they chose. Before, during, or after each of the songs, people can "vote" for their favorite (or favorites) by placing donations in the jar with that singer's picture on it. That's why you see a man's head in the picture with Elvis...I mean...Adam, below. He must have liked that performance, and put some money in! After the first round, five singers are eliminated. After the second round, it's just the top two. Last year Tim won (and I keep hearing about his legendary choice of "Part of Your World" from The Little Mermaid), but this year Gary took home the trophy. You can see him above, singing out to the audience in his last number.

Speaking of pictures, I was able to capture some great ones with my new camera! I've been toying around with my new digital SLR for a couple months now, and thought Cantus Idol would be perfect practice. The best part was, I had no idea what I was getting into. From Dashon's white jacket, which became famous by the end of the night it was referred to so much, to Tim singing "A Whole New World" with Jocelyn, his wife...In German..., to Adam singing an Elvis tune while looking the part. The night was just way too much fun, and we all knew it. Below is a picture of Eric Hopkins with his husband Andrew and a bunch of friends. They had fun right up to the very end!


With over 150 people in attendance, we were able to raise TWICE the amount generated from last year's efforts. So thanks so much to everyone who attended. For those who didn't attend, there's always next year. And if you are seriously into popular music, come see our pops concerts coming up in the beginning of June.

Posting again soon,

Paul

Quick Thoughts

It's been a busy few weeks for Cantus. We had a wonderful time in Kirkland, WA (at a very posh resort/spa/hotel), and Fullerton, CA (100+ degrees!). Eric and I (shown below trying to be super chillaxed since we're near a rock 'n roll museum) averted disaster when we decided to not go to the star-in-your-own-rock-band part of the Experience Music Project in Seattle. Just imagine us trying to sing and drum "Purple Haze." No.

We're looking forward to the National Lutheran Choir collaboration this weekend, and we'll also be welcoming James Frazier on the organ for an incredibly exciting movement from Duruflé's wonderful Messe Cum Jubilo.

Today, we went to St. Peter also, in our never-ending quest to seem cool to high schoolers across the country. We're in the thick of our Artist-In-Residence program, and we've been having a blast with the students. Thank you also to Como Park and Minnetonka for putting up with us sleepy heads that are usually still dreaming when they are warmed up for choir, and have taken several chemistry, social studies, and trigonometry quizzes by the time we are still groggily choosing between a half-grapefruit or Pop-Tarts. You all are doing great work, and we're looking forward to working with you more!

"geeking out" in concert

Hi, Gang!  Returned but a few short hours ago from the Final Fantasy: Distant Worlds symphonic concert, which kicked off a world tour in Minneapolis last night at the Orpheum.  For those of you who have read my fuller bio on the Cantus website, you may not be surprised that I am a bit of a gamer, and a huge fan of Final Fantasy soundtrack composer Nobuo Uematsu.

While the majority of the music on these epic games has been synth-oriented, the more recent Final Fantasy soundtracks have included full orchestral and choral arrangements that rival Orff, Liszt, Tchaikovsky, and other classical greats.  As a genre, the game soundtrack has certainly gained more respect over the past few years, graduating from the chintzy 8-bit days of Atari and Nintendo.  Game soundtracks are now being recorded by groups like the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic and London Symphony.  The gaming public demands sound design comparable to a Hollywood picture, and Uematsu has been known for composing masterful songs and themes for twenty five years.

At home, we know a lot of this music by heart because my collection of game soundtracks actually far exceeds my collection of games--there are often multiple albums released with arrangements varying from fully orchestral to celtic-inspired, pop, and solo piano versions, and I have acquired quite a few of them.  

The show

I was happy to run into some Cantus fans in the audience, beginning not more than three minutes after I walked into the theater lobby!  Met four students over the course of the evening that we had taught: one from Iowa State glee club, and three from Sartell and Como Park, where Cantus has worked as clinicians and artists-in-residence.  (I think the kids were very surprised to see me as excited about the show as they were).  

The orchestra featured a lot of players I recognized from gigs around town, including a bunch of SPCO members.  Macalester College provided the chorus, and at one point some colleagues of mine got up on stage to perform a tongue-in-cheek rendition of "Maria and Draco" an opera that takes place in one of the games.  Of course I am completely jealous--not begrudging anyone,  I just wish I could have found out who was contracting the darn show!  A local classical guitarist made a technically sound and very musical appearance on two pieces.  

Here's some footage from the show provided by another fan from last night's show:

 

It really was a festive atmosphere, with fans young and old (like me) cheering throughout the show.  New arrangements of some old favorites were fantastic, and the stage-mounted video screen displayed cut-scenes and gameplay throughout, often with comedic or heartfelt effect.

One down-side to the show, however, was the decision to blast the band through speakers on each side of the stage.  It made it seem as though the music was piped in, rather than being performed right there on stage.  It was disappointing to have the acoustic sound of players obliterated from only ten feet away.  Also, it highlighted a few loose seams in under-rehearsed parts (you can't get anything past the gamers--they know every note).  The concert would have been a better fit at Orchestra Hall, though a similar concert was cancelled there a couple of years ago because of lack of ticket sales.  The Orpheum's size and advertising push did help in that regard, even if the acoustics there are poorer.  the tour will soon be visiting the Baltimore and Dallas Symphonies, so I imagine the aural experience will be nicer at those venues. 

After the show

Uematsu made a few appearances on stage during the show (he's a very funny guy), and sat in the audience watching throughout.  After the show (because I had splurged on the good tickets!), we got to visit with both composer Uematsu and conductor Arnie Roth backstage.  The receiving line was long, but eventually we talked with them for a few minutes.

We got autographs and a picture, and passed on some Cantus CDs to them as gifts, expressing a wish that if Nobuo-San ever wants to write music for men's voices, that he please consider Cantus!   Both men were gracious, and patient sitting for photographs with all the fans coming through the line--a few hundred people for sure.  Audience members ask for Cantus autographs after shows pretty often, but it was neat to be seeking one myself.  

Hopefully the continuing tour of Distant Worlds will pick up steam (they actually encouraged recording and non-flash photography during the show--maybe we should take a clue here...), and bring some kids over who wouldn't normally attend an orchestral concert, and vice versa--bring a few classical concert-goers over to the genre of video game music.