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| ELIA MILLER / Scroll |
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| Members of Cantus sing for a sold-out crowd both Thursday and Friday. Audiences heard a mixture of classical and contemporary music. |
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Sold-out audiences heard a repertoire of vocal music ranging from Gregorian chant to “Shenandoah” Thursday and Friday when Minnesotan male vocal group Cantus performed at the Eliza R. Snow Center for the Performing Arts.
The nine-member ensemble includes five tenors, two baritones and two basses and is based in St. Paul/Minneapolis, Minn. Dressed in tuxedos and smiles, the vocalists chose to perform a set of songs celebrating men’s singing throughout the world in all time periods.
Cantus began the show with a ninth-century number, “Introit: Benedicta sit Sancta Trinitas” and ended with their rendition of “Goodnight My Darling” by Billy Joel.
Between those bookend pieces spanning 1200 years, Cantus sang songs about King David, shivering kittens (complete with meowing), love, fishing in Japan and peasant songs, all performed with emotion and eye contact with the audience and each other.
Periodically throughout the evening, a member of the ensemble would explain the pieces just performed or the ones about to be performed, pointing out historical contexts and language tidbits.
For a lighthearted change of pace after intermission, the group performed a percussion piece entitled “Flight” performed completely with boom-whackers, pitch-specific sticks designed for use by preschoolers in music classes.
The group also sang several sacred songs including two about the Virgin Mary. Also in the program were an Inuit song, an Australian song, an Indian piece and a Negro Spiritual.
The men of Cantus expressed thanks to BYU-Idaho and the Center Stage program, saying that the vitality of the youthful audience found on campus helps them to feel more energized during performances.
The performers sang two encore pieces following the performance and mingled in the Snow Building following the performance to meet audience members.
