By Michelle Seitz, Staff writer
On Thursday, April 28, the Grammy Award-winning acappella group Chanticleer will perform at Susquehanna.
Based in San Francisco, the group was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto, who directed the group until his death in 1997. Botto originally founded the group after he realized that a majority of the music he was studying—medieval and Renaissance vocal works—were not being performed. As it was traditional for exclusively men to sing in churches during the Renaissance, Botto mimicked the custom when founding Chanticleer.
Chanticleer is known internationally as “an orchestra of voices” because each member contributes a unique vocal quality that spans all vocal ranges from countertenor to bass.
Joe Ledbetter, Chanticleer’s press contact, highlighted the harmony in their performances, despite the members having a variety of singing types.
“The true beauty of Chanticleer lies in the seamless blend of their 12 voices, from the earth-shaking basses to the ‘Are they really singing that high?’ male sopranos,” Ledbetter said. “That’s what earned them the nickname ‘an orchestra of voices.’” Chanticleer is set to perform
“My Secret Heart,” a musical interpretation of a songwriter longing to penetrate certain parts of the heart.
According to the group’s biography, it includes a commission by Finnish composer Jakko Mantyjärvi.
The group’s performance is the last of Susquehanna’s 2016-17 Artist Series. According to the Artist Series web page, the series brings different performances to campus to “advance intellectual engagement” in the area.
Ledbetter emphasized the emotions he has felt working with Chanticleer and hopes Susquehanna attendees will feel the same way.
“I would hope the audience leaves the performance with the same sense of awe I felt the first time I heard Chanticleer,” Ledbetter said.
“In fact, I still feel it after every concert I hear,” Ledbetter continued. “Their musicianship and harmony is other- worldly and transformative.”
According to the program notes, the group’s repertoire spans ten centuries, ranging from Georgian chant to jazz, as well as international pieces and “venturesome” new music.
The group’s name is derived from the clear singing rooster in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales.” According to the group’s biography, they have recorded over thirty albums for Warner Classics and Chanticleer Records and has sold over a million albums since they began releasing recordings in 1981.
Current members of Chanticleer include alto Adam Ward, countertenors Cortez Mitchell, Gerrod Pagenkopf, Kory Reid, Alan Reinhardt and Logan S. Shields, tenors Chris Albanese, Brian Hinman and Andrew Van Allsburg, baritone Matthew Knickman, bassbaritone Marques Jerrell Ruff and bass Eric Alatorre.
As of August 2015, William Fred Scott assumed the positon of music director. Christine Bullin serves as Chanticleer’s president and general director.
This past winter, Chanticleer performed in many countries, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Ireland, Germany, France and Russia. The group typically performs about 100 concerts throughout the year.
Chanticleer is critically acclaimed, and has been awarded multiple Grammy Awards for Classical Best Small Ensemble, Best Classical Contemporary Composition and the Contemporary A Capella Recording Award for Best Classical Album.
In 2008, the group was inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame and was named Musical America’s Ensemble of the Year.
In 2010, the group received the Chorus America’s Edu- cation and Outreach Award. “Billboard” magazine has also included the group in its com- pilation of the Top 10 best- selling classical artists.
While Chanticleer is most well-known for their concerts, Ledbetter said there is more to the group than performance.
“While Chanticleer is world- renowned for their performances and recordings, not too many people know that they are a dedicated group of educators as well,” Ledbetter said.
“Chanticleer has an award- winning education program that reaches singers around the world of all ages through workshops, masterclasses, youth choral festivals and a high school honor choir called the Louis A. Botto Choir, [which is] named after the Chanticleer’s late founder.”
Chanticleer’s performance will be at 7:30 p.m in Weber Chapel. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, $5 for non-Susquehanna students and free for SU students with their Susquehanna ID.
