Vol. 17, No. 23	March 13, 1998

Acclaimed vocalists to perform on March 30

Chanticleer, the only full-time classical vocal ensemble in the U.S., will perform its varied repertoire at 8 p.m. on Monday, March 30, in Mitchell Hall. The group also will offer a coaching class at 2:30 p.m. on the same day, in the Loudis Recital Hall of the Amy E. du Pont Music Building

The group, which takes its name from the "clear singing" rooster in Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, began in San Francisco's Mission Dolores in 1978. Today, Chanticleer performs more than 100 concerts a year in the U.S., as well as in Europe and Asia.

For 18 years, the group has been performing a variety of vocal literature from Renaissance to jazz, and from gospel to new music. Its a capella singing style, relying on the blend of 12 male voices ranging from countertenor to bass, has made the group internationally known as an "orchestra of voices."

The group has many recordings available, including its most recent release, Lost in the Stars, Chanticleer's first all-pops CD, featuring newly commissioned arrangements from the '30s and '40s, with Ettore Strata conducting the London Studio Orchestra. Critics have widely praised the ensemble. A writer for The New York Times, referring to a performance in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, wrote, "The singing was precise, pure and deeply felt." Chicago Tribune music critic John von Rhein said, "With the exception of opera, there does not appear to be any type of vocal music, classical or vernacular, that Chanticleer does not perform. And beautifully."

Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto, who sang with the group until 1989 and continues to serve as its artistic director. In 1996, he received the Michael Korn Founder's Award from Chorus America in recognition of his contributions to choral music and his long-term service to the association.

In an interview with The New York Times, Botto described the technique of the ensemble: "What's so fascinating is the interplay of the voices. Every voice is independent. This is not a choir in which one person stands in front and dictates the piece-we each have a part in shaping it."

Music director, Joseph Jennings, joined the group in 1983 and sang with the ensemble until 1995. Baritone Frank Albinder, a member since 1988, serves as associate conductor.

The group has earned numerous awards, as well as major foundation support and government grants. Recent citations include the Margaret Hillis Achievement Award for Choral Excellence from Chorus America (1995) and the ASCAP-Chorus America Award for adventurous programming of contemporary music (1994).

Tickets for the Newark performance are $15 for the general public, $10 for UD faculty, staff and alumni, and $6 for students and children. The concert is a part of the Blue and Gold Series, which offers dining at the Blue and Gold Club at 6 p.m. prior to the show. Blue and Gold membership is not required to participate. Costs for dinner are $13 adults, $6 children 5-11 and children under 5 eat for free.

For information, call 831-2204.