Our new musical salon series, CANTORI/QUASI, features both new and historical Cantori recordings, with expert context and commentary from special guest speakers including composers, performers and scholars. Artistic Director Mark Shapiro (currently celebrating his 30th season with Cantori!) leads these lively conversations as our host and emcee.
Stay tuned for more information on future performances including registration details and fun facts about our composers and guest speakers.
Thursday, Feb. 11 at 7pm
A special Valentine’s program featuring THE BEST BELOVED, by the late New York composer Chris DeBlasio, for chorus and string quintet. DeBlasio’s tetralogy sets Jacobean-era poems by John Donne, William Drummond & Francis Quarles.
Cantori member and sociologist Dr. Jeremy Cohan, Director of the Honors Program at New York’s School of Visual Arts, explicates the texts in conversation with Shapiro.
Attendance is free for all.
(advance registration required)
Friday, March 19 at 7pm
Our annual benefit party! This year’s soiree celebrates the much-anticipated release of our newest studio recording, featuring THE ELEMENTS by New York composer Philip Lasser, for chorus and cello duet. A Cantori commission, Lasser’s poignant cycle sets American anti-war poetry by e.e. cummings, Robert Frost and Ernest Hemingway. We presented its world premiere in 2018 in a special program honoring the centenary of the armistice that ended World War I.
Lasser, a professor at Juilliard, will present his composition in conversation with Shapiro.
Thursday, April 22 at 7pm
A nod to Earth Day, featuring THE SHADOWS AROUND THE HOUSE, a cycle for chorus, string quartet & percussion by NYC composer Tom Cipullo. The evocative texts, by Colombian poet Jaime Manrique, evoke the joy of being alive amid feelings of nostalgia & loss.
Manrique, a lecturer at City College, will share the evolution of his lyrical thought in conversation with Shapiro.
Attendance is free for all.
(advance registration required)
Thursday, May 20 at 7pm
A tribute to the legend of star-crossed lovers Tristan and Iseut, featuring selections from Swiss composer Frank Martin’s chamber oratorio LE VIN HERBE as told by French medievalist & poet Joseph Bédier.
Cantori member Dr. Eliza Zingesser, a Columbia professor and scholar in medieval French and Occitan literature and culture, will discuss and contextualize the timeless tale.
Attendance is free for all.
(advance registration required)