Cantemus Presents “I Hear America Singing”

Cantemus Chamber Chorus, with 41 members from across the North Shore, will present two May concerts in Beverly and Newburyport titled “I Hear America Singing.”  The Chorus includes two choral interns from Lexington High School,  Medha Jayendran and Chris Yoo, as well as Lexington High School’s Director of Choruses, Jason Iannuzzi, Cantemus’s Artistic Director.

Featuring African-American Spirituals and music by Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, Rosephanye Powell, Charlene Archibeque, Cecil Effinger, Bob Dylan, and more, texts for “I Hear America Singing” are by American poets Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, and others.

The concerts will explore what it means to be American – the American Landscape, the American Dream, Songs of Protest, Songs of the American Diaspora, Songs on American Poetry, and finally ask: The American Dream Restored?

Joining the Chorus will be guitarist Chris Rubén-Winters and oboist Benjamin Fox.  Rubén-Winters draws from deep roots in jazz, salsa, and classical music, and his playing has enriched performances of multiple Massachusetts choral groups.  Fox’s versatility and virtuosity have been showcased in a variety of venues, from Carnegie Hall to Honolulu nightclubs.  He is the Principal Oboist of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and holds the same position with the Marsh Chapel Collegium.

In addition, Cantemus accompanist Jeffrey Mead will be joined by Cantemus singer and pianist Patricia Clark in Charles Ives’ “Variations on America.”  Solo work and ensembles will be featured throughout the varied program.

The concerts will take place in Beverly on Saturday, May 10 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 4 Ocean St., and in Newburyport on Sunday, May 11 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 166 High St.

Cantemus’ Artistic Director Jason Iannuzzi said: “In fraught times, music can be a healing balm. It can also provide a means for us to process difficult emotions. As we prepare this program offering varied perspectives on America, we are reminded that the American Dream is not a guarantee, but an ideal we must continually work together to preserve.”

For more information about the program and to purchase tickets, visit www.cantemus.org/concerts. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.

Cantemus gratefully acknowledges sponsorship support from the Institution for Savings and Eastern Bank, and funding support from the Local Cultural Councils of Beverly, Essex, Hamilton-Wenham, Newbury, and Newburyport.  Cantemus participates in the Card to Culture program, a Mass Cultural Council initiative that offers reduced-price tickets to cardholders.

Cantemus is a member of Chorus America, MASSCreative.org, and the Greater Boston Choral Consortium.

Cantemus singers come from across the North Shore and New Hampshire: Amesbury: Gary Lubarsky, Ron Pressler; Beverly: Jennie-Rebecca Falcetta, Karen Kepler, Richard Salandrea, Marjorie Short, Braden Willenbrock*; Bradford: Mern Ebinger; Danvers: Carrie Evanchik; Durham, NH: Sydney van Asselt; Essex: Betsy Vicksell; Georgetown: Patricia Clark; Gloucester: Roger Garberg, Doug Smith; Hamilton: Pamela Morris; Haverhill: Doug Guy; Ipswich: Elizabeth Krafchuk, Anne Maguire, Stephen Miles, Andrea Welty Peachey; Lexington: Artistic Director Jason Iannuzzi, Medha Jayendran*, Chris Yoo*; Malden: Lea Pearson; Manchester: Isabella Bates, Caroline Royer, Byron Winn; Melrose: Accompanist Jeffrey Mead; Newburyport: Richard Blumenscheid, Claire Cayot, Ann Harter, John Moreland, Maryellen Moreland; North Reading: Priscilla March; Rockport: Brittany Betts; Roslindale: Deborah Lemont; Salem: Jacques Duranceau; Topsfield: Kristen McEntee; Wenham: Janet Glasser, Jeremy Satchell; West Newbury: Jamie Cabot, Melissa Lugo, Susan Nash.

* Cantemus Choral Interns from Beverly High School and Lexington High School