ABOUT US
Our Vision of Excellence: Cantate Chamber Singers is Maryland's premier chamber ensemble, dedicated to artistically exciting performances of distinctive choral music throughout the Washington metropolitan area.
Our Mission: Cantate Chamber Singers increases awareness and appreciation of sacred and secular works through promotion of local talent, innovative programming, creative educational outreach, and collaborative performances with other area artists and ensembles.
In its 27th season and under the artistic direction of Gisèle Becker since 1994, Cantate Chamber Singers attracts many of the area's finest choral musicians. Cantate performs a broad range of great Western choral literature of the past five centuries and is recognized as one of the Washington area's outstanding interpreters of Baroque choral music. Cantate is also known for its adventuresome programming, especially of 20th and 21st century music, and for commissioning and premiering new works. Its biennial Young Composers' Contest seeks to encourage emerging composing talent from around the nation. Its audiences are often treated to first hearings of neglected choral masterpieces. Cantate's virtuoso performances are offered in smaller local venues with the goal of the greatest possible intimacy between performers and audience, enhanced with outstanding professional guest instrumentalists and soloists.
Cantate's invited performances and collaborations have included:
- the Beethoven Symphony No. 9 under conductor Steven Simon
- five consecutive engagements with the National Chamber Orchestra, Piotr Gajewski, Music Director
- a performance with Chacabuco, Miguel Cordova, Music Director, at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
- the Tuesday Concert Series at the Church of the Epiphany in Washington, DC
- the Waterford Festival, Waterford, VA
- the National Gallery of Art concert series
- the Strathmore Music in the Mansions Concerts in North Bethesda, MD
- the Dumbarton Concert Series in Georgetown
- the Fessenden Ensemble series in Washington, DC
- the Grace Episcopal Church concert series, The Plains, VA
- a Folger Consort series concert at Washington National Cathedral
- the BlackRock Center for the Arts performing arts series, Germantown, MD
- a performance of Buxtehude Vespers of 1703 at the American Guild of Organists Regional Convention in Baltimore, MD
- a performance at the National Museum of the American Indian Festival in November 2007.
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