Cantate Carlisle is an auditioned choral ensemble known for its
versatility and eclectic
programming - classical music representing many historical periods, contemporary music in a
wide variety of styles, and multi-cultural music from throughout the world. Founder and
Artistic Director Cheryl
Parsons leads this group of singers in two thematic concerts in
Carlisle
each season in music ranging from the serious to the whimsical. Our talented vocalists offer a
tasty mix of a
cappella pieces, music with orchestral accompaniment, and selections
featuring
the talents of accompanist Arthur
Thompson .
Although most of our performances are in Carlisle, we also perform
elsewhere in the
Harrisburg area. In the last few years we have presented concerts in Chambersburg, New
Oxford, Hershey, State College, and Camp Hill. A 2003 highlight was singing before 1,500
people attending a Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry banquet in Hershey.
For a brief historical timeline for Cantate Carlisle, Click here.
We have three recordings available for sale to the
public:
Cantate Carlisle: The 1990s, released in
2000 in celebration of our tenth anniversary
One World-Many Songs, a recording of our Spring 2003 concert
A North American Potpourri, a recording of our Spring 2009 concert, music for our Canadian
tour
To purchase any of these, Click here.
Between 1999 and 2005 Cantate Carlisle collaborated with Bel
Voce to sponsor the biannual
Central Pennsylvania Choral Festival in nearby Camp Hill. The Festival provides area music
lovers with the performance of a major choral/orchestral work directed by a renowned guest
conductor. Each participating choral group also presents an individual performance of shorter
selections during the Festival concert.
In 2000 we commissioned and performed a new work,
Reflections on Walden Pond, by
Canadian composer Donald Patriquin.
Cantate Carlisle has taken three international concert tours. These include our concert
tour
performances in Scotland and England in June 2001 and Eastern Europe (Budapest, Prague,
and the Austrian city of Linz) in the summer of 2005.
In June 2009 Cantate Carlisle toured through
eastern Canada, stopping in Ottawa, Montreal,
Quebec City, and the Eastern Townships near the Vermont border. Some performances were
informal, held in churches we visited, and two were formal concerts with a full program and
enthusiastic audiences of 150-250 people. We saw some tourist attractions as well, and
came away with a warm feeling for the area and a desire to return someday.
In 2009-2010 Cantate Carlisle celebrated 20 years of enriching
lives with the beauty of music,
stretching minds with expressive poetic song texts, and sharing the ambiance and energy of
live concert performance with friends and neighbors in Carlisle. This season also marked
the
debut of our youth chorus,Cantate Cum
Spiritum!
Details on the 2011-2012 season are available here.
To see our mission statement, Click
here.
Cantate Carlisle is a member of Chorus America, which
represents independently-supported
choral ensembles throughout the nation.
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