Chanticleer,
the only full-time classical vocal ensemble in the United States, has
developed a remarkable reputation over its 21-year history for its interpretation
of vocal literature, from Renaissance to jazz, and from gospel to venturesome
new music. With its seamless blend of twelve male voices, ranging from
countertenor to bass, Chanticleer has earned international renown as "an
orchestra of voices."
Named for the "clear-singing" rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer's
Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto,
who sang with the group until 1989 and served as its Artistic Director
until his death in 1997. In March, 1998, Chanticleer announced the appointment
of a new Artistic Director, Craig Hella Johnson. An accomplished choral
and orchestral conductor, pianist, singer/songwriter and educator, Johnson
joined Chanticleer full-time in September, 1998. Joseph Jennings served
as Music Director from 1984 to 1998 and is currently involved in Chanticleer's
educational and community outreach programs.
Since 1994, Chanticleer has been recording exclusively
for Teldec Classics International, making the ensemble's recordings available
worldwide. Chanticleer has 20 recordings to its credit and performs over
100 concerts a year across the U.S., as well as in Europe and Asia. The
group sang in Australia and Sweden for the first time during the 1996-97
season, and made debuts in London, Paris and Rome in the fall of 1997.
Chanticleer appears regularly in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington,
DC, Houston, Toronto and Vancouver, as well as in San Francisco, where
the ensemble is based.
The 1997-98 season, during which Chanticleer celebrated
its twentieth anniversary, took the ensemble to 24 states. The group also
successfully completed a major undertaking during the spring of 1998:
a tour of the American Southwest and Mexico City featuring music of the
Mexican Baroque era, with an orchestra of period instruments. During this
musical pilgrimage, Chanticleer visited some of the very places this repertoire
was performed centuries ago and sang selections from its most recent CD,
Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe, released in February, 1998.
Chanticleer's 1998-99 schedule includes performances in
17 states, as well as extensive international touring. The ensemble will
travel to Canada, Japan, Germany, Austria and France, and will also perform
in Israel for the first time. A new recording of recently commissioned
works is scheduled for release in April, 1999.
Chanticleer's long-standing commitment to developing the
choral repertoire has led the group to commission works from many composers,
including David Conte, Brent Michael Davids, Anthony Davis, William Hawley,
Tania Leon, Bernard Rands, Steven Sametz, Peter Schickele, Augusta Read
Thomas and Chen Yi.
Chanticleer's artistic accomplishments have earned the
ensemble numerous awards, as well as significant foundation support and
government funding. Chanticleer is the recipient of major grants from
the National Endowment for the Arts, the California Arts Council, the
E. Nakamichi Foundation, the William & Flora Hewlett Foundation and the
City of San Francisco. With the help of foundation and corporate support,
the group brings the gift of singing to young people by conducting artist-in-the-schools
residencies both on tour and in the San Francisco Bay Area. Chanticleer's
activities as a not-for- profit corporation are supported by its Board
of Trustees and an administrative staff of ten.
Members
Matthew Alber, Christopher Fritzsche, Jay White, Soprano
Michael Lichtenauer, Cameron Paine, Philip Wilder, Alto
Kevin Baum, Tim Krol, David Munderloh, Tenor
Eric Alatorre, Frank Albinder, Thomas Bold, Baritone & Bass
Information obtained from Chanticleer's website:
http://www.chanticleer.org/
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