Amabile Men's Ensemble

Amabile Choirs of London, Canada is an educational program welcoming children, youth and adults who wish to develop their musical talents as part of a vibrant, award-winning chorale organization. (Amabile is pronounced Ah-MAH-bee-lay).

Young people audition for a place in the Choir and are challenged to fulfill the mission of the organization under the direction of dedicated professionals who willingly give their expertise and time for a very nominal fee.

Active in London, Canada since 1985, there are now more than 300 choristers singing with Amabile ranging from ages 8 to adult. Together they form a total of ten choirs - five for female singers and five for male singers. Girls and women move up through the Amabile family of choirs as their voices and experience level develops; the same is true for the boys and young men as voices change and expertise is mastered.

Bela Bartok Male Choir

Winners of twenty two prizes at both Hungarian and international choral competitions this top-notch male choir has toured extensively world-wide and have gained great acclaim as performers and interpreters of the works of Zoltan Kodaly. While only approx. 20% of Kodaly works were for male choir they are considered some of his best compositions. Seventeen of these 24 pieces are original with some based on folk songs and others on the 17th century poet Horace. Challenging but certainly worthwhile, this CD should be in everybody's collection of male choir recordings.

Blaenavon Male Choir

Blaenavon Male Voice Choir was officially formed in 1910 and so this year (2010) we are celebrating our centenary, however there is evidence to show that men gathered in Blaenavon to sing in harmony as far back as 1873 (so we could be a bit older than our 100 years). There are now over 60 members drawn from many parts of Blaenavon, Torfaen and the surrounding area. The Choir are very fortunate to have the services of an excellent musical team led by the extremely talented Musical Director Mr. Gareth Whitcombe MA, who is supported by a very accomplished pianist in Fran Mungovin and ably assisted with Deputy Conductors Mr. Ossie Arnold and Mr. Malcolm Broom taking over when required.

The Choir has had successful tours to Cork, Norway, Hungary, France the USA and Canada and in 2007 traveled to Spain. These tours combined with concerts in the UK make it a very busy - but enjoyable time for members of Blaenavon Male Voice Choir.

Bowling Green State University Men's Chorus

An auditioned large ensemble open to all male students at Bowling Green State University, the chorus' motto and reputation as "America's Finest Singing Machine" is well deserved, emanating from over 35 years of musical excellence. The ensemble encompasses students from all majors; over half are non-music majors, representing all seven colleges at the University.

The chorus organizes and presents two tours each academic year. Fall finds the singers traveling to locations in Ohio and Michigan, performing at high schools during the day and various concert venues in the evenings. The spring tour ventures to a new location each year, and past trips have taken the men to Colorado, Florida, New York City, Washington D.C., and Toronto. These off-campus pursuits provide opportunities to perform for diverse audiences, serve as musical ambassadors for BGSU, see different parts of the country, and bond and create lasting friendships with fellow chorus members.

BYU Men's Chorus

The Brigham Young University Men's Chorus is thought to be the largest collegiate male choral organization in the country. Founded in 1958, it has steadily grown to its present membership of 190 voices, with over 400 annually auditioning for the ensemble. As a result of its versatile literature and engaging performance style, the BYU Men's Chorus has captured the admiration of audiences throughout the Western United States and beyond. Each year the choir includes a diverse and unique representation of the university community. Choir members originate not only from the United States and Canada, but from countries throughout the world. Of the 190 members only 18 are music majors with the remainder drawn from every college and department of the university. Over 130 members of the chorus have served LDS missions throughout the world, and a large number are planning to serve after their 19th birthdays.

Cantabile - The London Quartet

Cantabile (pronounced Can - TAH - bih - lay - an Italian musical term meaning 'in singing style') are quite simply one of the world's top vocal groups.

The original Cantabile was formed in Cambridge in 1977, to feature as a barbershop quartet in a musical comedy at the ADC Theatre written by Robert (sic) Bryan and Richard Turner (who would later direct the Footlights revue, and go on to become script editor for Spitting Image). Bob already had in mind the ideal high tenor for the quartet: a medical student, Nick Ibbotson, with whom he sang regularly in Pembroke College chapel choir. (It was, incidentally Pembroke College which some years earlier had spawned various Cambridge comedy notables, including Bill Oddie.)

Cantus

Acclaimed as "the premier men's vocal ensemble in the United States" (Fanfare), Cantus is committed to inspiring audiences with music performed at the highest level. Rehearsing and performing without a conductor or music director, the nine members of Cantus are renowned for adventurous programming spanning many periods and genres, including work commissioned specifically for the group. The Washington Post hails the ensemble's sound as having both "exalting finesse" and "expressive power," and refers to their music-making as "spontaneous grace."

Cantus shares its impeccable singing, engaging stage personality and heartfelt interpretations with audiences across the country as they tour and at home in Minneapolis and St. Paul. At home and on the road, the artists of Cantus share their own love of singing with thousands of student singers annually to ensure the future of choral arts. Cantus is pleased to be able share its music through performances, recordings and digital media.

Centurymen

The CenturyMen, established in 1969, is an auditioned men's chorus of professional musicians who are directors of music in Baptist churches across America and from around the world. Public performances by The CenturyMen include extensive touring in the United States, nationwide telecasts, and church and concert hall appearances. Concert tours in foreign countries include Brazil, The People's Republic of China, Russia, Poland, The Czech Republic, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Switzerland, Israel, and Turkey.The CenturyMen's 2001 East Coast Tour afforded them appearances at the United States Capitol and on the CBS Early Show.

Chanticleer

Called "the world's reigning male chorus," by the New Yorker magazine, and named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America in 2008, Chanticleer will perform more than 100 concerts in 2010-11, the GRAMMY Award-winning ensemble's 33rd Season. Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for their "tonal luxuriance and crisply etched clarity," Chanticleer will tour to Canada and 22 of the United States, including appearances at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National American Choral Directors Association Conference in Chicago. In early 2010, Chanticleer gave 14 concerts in 11 European countries, appearing at many of Europe's legendary concert halls.

Choir of King's College, Cambridge

The Choir of King's College, Cambridge is one of the world's best known choral groups, and is the pre-eminent representative of the great British church music tradition.

It is most famous for singing A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, the Christmas Eve service that the BBC has broadcast since 1928, and that millions listen to worldwide. In 2009 the US Library Of Congress added a broadcast of the service to the National Recording Registry, an archive of 275 'culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant' recordings.

Henry VI (1421 - 1471) founded the Choir shortly after he founded the College in 1441. He created the Choir to sing daily services in his magnificent Chapel, and the Choir still exists primarily to sing these services. You are welcome to attend one of these services and hear the Choir sing.

Choir of the Moscow Patriarchate

The Russian Patriarchate Choir of Moscow was founded by Anatoly Grindenko in Trotse-Sergieva Lavra in 1983. Holding to tradition, the Choir consists of 12-13 members, who perform both in Russia (where it is an actual church choir) and internationally. The singers are dedicated scholars of the repertoire for male voices who led the way in the re-recovery of Orthodox church music in the late years of the Soviet Regime. At that time-when the government did not support the Choir's efforts-the group spent years decoding ancient manuscripts and giving the first performances of works that had lain in obscurity for centuries.

Chor Leoni

A rich full-bodied sound, innovative programming, technical precision, meticulous intonation, and versatility coupled with an ever-present commitment to the creation of new Canadian choral works are qualities that have catapulted Chor Leoni to national and international fame since its founding by Diane Loomer C.M. in 1992. Whether it be a sombre moment of reflection during a Remembrance Day performance or a joyful turn of comedic phrasing at a Summer Solstice show, Chor Leoni is renowned for reaching across the footlights and transforming the performance from 'concert' to 'conversation.' The lions live up to their name as they fearlessly move between musical genres, always aiming to communicate, engage, and entertain.

Selections from the choir's discography are heard regularly on national radio across North America. Their latest recording, Circle of Compassion, features music the choir has performed in recent Remembrance Day concerts, much of it commissioned by or arranged for Chor Leoni.

Collegium Regale

Collegium Regale (Latin for 'King's College') is the close harmony group made up of the Choral Scholars of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. As Choral Scholars we sing the daily routine of chapel services throughout term as well as undertaking a busy concert and recording schedule in the vacations, often working with leading orchestras notably the Academy of Ancient Music. The Choir is of course most famous for the broadcasts of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on BBC TV and Radio each Christmas, which reach an estimated 120 million people worldwide.

Collegium Regale however functions as a separate entity from the main choir and is run entirely by the members of the group itself. It performs regularly around Britain, touring each Easter in two groups, North and South, and in the past has performed as far afield as Canada, the United States and Hong Kong.

Die Singphoniker

25 years ago, when five singers and a vocally talented pianist came together as an ensemble, they had one goal in mind: the voices, each with its own individual artistic qualities, should come together to form a unique Ensemble, balancing the soloist voices in unified effort and presenting a wide variety of repertoire at the highest level.

Through the quality of the voices alone, the Singphoniker are able to evoke moods and emotions like no other vocal group. With Gregorian Chorales they call up the mystery and spirituality of a medieval monastery. Madrigals of the Renaissance are transformed into living pictures of 16th century life. The internal emotional world of the Romantic era is brought to life through the songs of Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy and Robert Schumann. The cheeky frivolity of the "Golden 20's" comes to life in the hits of the Comedian Harmonists. And the unique Flower Power spirit of the 60's and 70's is reborn in the gentle songs of Simon & Garfunkel.

Don Cossack Choir

After World War, I the Cossacks who fought for Tsar Nicolaj II were sent to the Tschillinger Camp. There they lived a miserable life. Trying to forget all misery they sang the songs of their homeland at the campfire. A 25 year old lieutenant, Sergej Jarov, with a remarkable education in music, took the lead and so a community, which was destined to become one of the famous choirs in the world, was born. The maiden concert took place in Sofia (4th July 1923) and soon after that they gave a concert in Vienna. During the following years, the Don Cossacks went to many countries all over the world and they gathered great fame.

Just before Sergej Jarov died, in Lakewood, United States, this unique choir fell apart. Most members went their own musical way. So did Michael Minsky, one of the star-soloists with an impressive musical background of the original Don Cossacks Choir. He did his utmost to restart the Don Cossacks Choir with a number of very enthusiastic singers in the The Hague region. Immediately after the restart he became the conductor of the new Don Cossacks Choir in The Netherlands.

Ensemble Amarcord

Founded in 1992 by erstwhile members of St Thomas's Boys Choir in Leipzig, amarcord has since become one of the world's leading vocal ensembles. amarcord's hallmarks include a unique tone, breathtaking homogeneity, musical authenticity, and a good dose of charm and humour. amarcord performs a vast and highly diverse repertoire of music, from medieval plainsong to madrigals and Renaissance masses, to compositions and cycles of works of the European Romantic period and the 20th century, a cappella folksong arrangements collected from all over the world, all the way to rock, pop, soul and jazz charts.

Open to new currents in vocal music, the singers attach great importance to New Music. Works dedicated to the ensemble include those by Bernd Franke, Steffen Schleiermacher, Ivan Moody, James MacMillan, Sidney M. Boquiren, Siegfried Thiele and Dimitri Terzakis. Even though their concert programming is strongly focused on a cappella works, amarcord also regularly performs in concert with ensembles and artists such as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Lautten Compagney, Cappella Sagittariana and the Leipzig String Quartet

Estonian National Male Choir

The Estonian National Male Choir (RAM) is currently the largest full-time professional male choir in the world. Founded in 1944 by the legendary composer and leader of the Estonian choral movement, Gustav Ernesaks, the choir has since been conducted by several highly esteemed Estonian choral conductors, including Olev Oja, Kuno Areng, Ants Uleoja, Ants Soots and 2005-2008 Kaspars Putninsh from Latvia.

In a cooperative project with Conductor Paavo Jarvi, The Estonian National Symphony Orchestra (ERSO), the Estonian girls Choir "Ellerhein", and The Estonian National Male Choir (RAM), won a Grammy Award in 2004 in the category of "Best Choral Performance" for their recording of Sibelius' Cantatas (Virgin Classics, 2003). A year later their recording of Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt" (recorded by the same line-up) was voted the orchestral album of the year in BBC Music Magazine.

Frommermann

Dutch vocal group FROMMERMANN is named after Harry Frommermann, founder of the Comedian Harmonists. This German ensemble, comprised of five singers and a pianist, was a huge sensation in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Frommermann made their debut in the 2005 Grachtenfestival in Amsterdam with the program 'Broken Silence', a musical tribute to the Comedian Harmonists. Although meant to be a singular collaboration, public and press were so enthusiastic about the group that more concerts quickly followed. In 2006 Frommermann received an invitation to perform at the annual Koninginnedagconcert ('Queen's Concert') at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague which was attended by HRH Queen Beatrix, the royal family and many esteemed guests. For this occasion, the Dutch public television program NPS created a 'making of' documentary which, together with the concert itself, was broadcast nationwide on Koninginnedag ('Queen's Day') 2006. In the 2006/2007 and 2007/2008 seasons Frommermann brought the 'Broken Silence' to many cities and theatres with a tour throughout the Netherlands.

Gents

Vocal ensemble The Gents is a company that is unique to the Netherlands in a short time has gained a prominent place in international music scene. De groep jonge zangers wordt alom geroemd vanwege de bijzondere klank, de grote mate van flexibiliteit en de weergaloze interpretatie van het zeer uiteenlopende vocale repertoire. The group of young singers has been widely praised for its special sound, the high degree of flexibility and unprecedented interpretation of the wide range of vocal repertoire.

De basis van The Gents werd gelegd binnen het Roder Jongenskoor. The basis of The Gents was laid inside the Roden Boys. Dirigent Peter Dijkstra bracht de groep in 1999 bij elkaar en was artistiek leider / dirigent tot 2007. Conductor Peter Dijkstra, the group released in 1999 and became artistic director / conductor until 2007. Sindsdien is hij nog betrokken als vaste gastdirigent. Since then, he was involved as permanent guest conductor.

Gyuto Monks

The powerful Gyuto monks chants on this album had never been recorded until 2001, when Grateful Dead's Mickey Hart brought The Gyuto Monks Tantric Choir to his California studio to record the incredible multiphonics of their sacred rituals. The Gyuto monks gave Hart permission to overdub their voices, achieving the huge sound of the 100-voice choir as one might hear at their mountain monastery in India or Tibet. Gyuto monks prayers for healing, compassion and peace.

Harvard Glee Club

America's oldest college chorus, the Harvard Glee Club was founded in March 1858 by the president of Harvard's Pierian Sodality and several of its College friends. Over the rest of the 19th century, HGC numbered about a dozen or two men and sang a repertoire ranging from old European and American college and folk songs to contemporary art songs to popular operetta/show tunes, often combining with banjo and mandolin ensembles and local bands. Its performances were not limited to metropolitan Boston but extended throughout the Northeast.

In the early years of the 20th century, many HGC members were also singing in the Harvard University Choir. They appreciated the advantage of the vocal training and of learning sacred music, and they gradually convinced the Club to ask the University Organist and Choirmaster, Dr. Archibald T. Davison, to coach HGC. From 1912, "Doc" Davison expanded the Glee Club's musical horizons and improved its vocal/choral abilities, as a larger HGC performed solo concerts as far afield as the Midwest. During this period, Doc began combining HGC with the women of the Radcliffe Choral Society for large choral-orchestral works; and in 1917, HGC and RCS began singing these works with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, an association that continued into the middle 1970s.

Heartland Men's Chorus

Heartland Men's Chorus is Kansas City's gay men's chorus, singing out in Kansas City since 1986.

The members of HMC have joined together for the purpose of making music as a not-for-profit, volunteer chorus of gay and gay-sensitive people who are making a positive cultural contribution to the entire community.

We are a member of GALA Choruses, the international association of the lesbian and gay choral movement. Founded in 1982, GALA Choruses represents 190 choruses, their 10,000 singers and 750,000 patrons in Australia, Europe, South America, and North America.

Hilliard Ensemble

Unrivalled for its formidable reputation in the fields of both early and new music, The Hilliard Ensemble is one of the world's finest vocal chamber groups. Its distinctive style and highly developed musicianship engage the listener as much in medieval and renaissance repertoire as in works specially written by living composers.

The group's standing as an early music ensemble dates from the 1980s with its series of successful recordings for EMI (many of which have now been re-released on Virgin) and its own mail-order record label hilliard LIVE, now available on the Coro label; but from the start it has paid equal attention to new music. The 1988 recording of Arvo Part's Passio began a fruitful relationship with both Part and the Munich-based record company ECM, and was followed by their recording of Part's Litany . The group has recently commissioned other composers from the Baltic States , including Veljo Tormis and Erkki-Sven Tuur, adding to a rich repertoire of new music from Gavin Bryars, Heinz Holliger, John Casken, James MacMillan, Elena Firsova and many others.

Honved Ensemble Male Choir

The Honved Male Choir founded in 1949 in Budapest - the only professional male choir in Europe - is a curiosity not only in Europe but unparalleled nearly all over the world. Their sound merges the range and power of Slavonic choirs with the exceptional emotional sensitivity and expressiveness characteristic of Central European choral musical culture.

The ensemble that currently works with 44 singers is elevated to the top of European choir by its artistic openness, dedication to educating talents and high professional standard. The dramatic power, tremendous voices, the dark tone of the basses coupled with smoothness and virtuosity combine the traditions of East and West.

The choir sings almost every genre, period and style of music literature. From Gregorian chants to contemporary music, from Russian church music through opera to jazz a wide variety of genres and styles are to be found on their repertoire.

Hudson Shad

When Hudson Shad gave their German debut in the summer of 1995 they were hailed as the first equal heirs to the Comedian Harmonists by national news magazine Der Stern. This statement has since been repeated many times by the German media - TV, radio and print, both national and local. During three tours and several guest performances Hudson Shad has been welcomed with an enthusiasm as if the prodigal sons had come home. They have sold out prestigious houses like the Theater des Westens in Berlin, the Prinzregenten Theater in Munich and Gewandhaus in Leipzig. On a different occasion in Munich their shows had to be transferred from the medium-sized Lustspiel-haus to the larger Zirkus Krone. What sets Hudson Shad apart from other groups of their genre is first of all their musical professionalism.

Iowa State Statesmen

The Iowa Statesmen, one of the region's leading men's choirs, was founded by Dr. Rodde in the fall of 2000. The ensemble meets three times per week, MWF, 1:10-2:00 p.m., and specializes in the performance of traditional and contemporary male chorus literature. The group gives various performances during the year and enjoys playing an active role in the Iowa State community. In addition to annual fall and spring concerts, the Statesmen annually join the other three ISU choirs to present both the Holiday and Masterworks Concerts, each with orchestra.

The choir also embarks on a brief regional tour every spring. In 2005 the men sang for large enthusiastic audiences in Davenport and Waterloo. Each concert closes with the rousing ISU School Songs -- a great tradition.

King's Singers

One of the world's most celebrated ensembles, The King's Singers have a packed schedule of concerts, recordings, media and education work that spans the globe. Championing the work of young and established composers, they remain consummate entertainers; a class-act with a delightfully British wit. From Gesualdo and Gyorgy Ligeti to Michael Buble, The King's Singers are instantly recognisable for their spot-on intonation, their impeccable vocal blend, the flawless articulation of the text and incisive timing.

During the 2011-12 concert season, The King's Singers will perform across the world in some of the world's most beautiful concert halls including the Salle Gaveau in Paris, the Berlin Philharmonie, and the Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall. The King's Singers will travel to France, Germany, the US and Canada, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Poland, Armenia, Belgium and the Netherlands, Austria, Luxembourg, Finland, Mexico, Japan, Korea and China, and will be featured artists at the prestigious Schleswig Holstein Music Festival in July 2011.

Konevets Quartet

The Konevets Quartet was founded in 1992 by four young musicians from the St Petersburg Conservatoire who were singing in the choir of the Konevets Monastery of the Holy Nativity on the island of Konevets in Lake Ladoga. Their first audiences were the people working on the restoration of the monastery, and the pilgrims and tourists who came to the island.

All the members of the ensemble studied at the St Petersburg Glinka Choir College. Trained in the tradition of Russian song, the Konevets Quartet is not just a group of individual soloists, but is in essence a chamber choir dedicated to creating a perfect harmonious ensemble sound.

At the heart of their repertoire is Russian church music, from ancient material written for the monasteries to works by 20th century composers. The earliest church music is sung in unison or in arrangement for two or three voices, and in contemporary four-voice arrangements, many of them written by members of the Konevets Quartet.

Lionheart

Lionheart is one of America's leading ensembles in vocal chamber music. Acclaimed for its "smoothly blended and impeccably balanced sound" (Allan Kozinn, The New York Times), Lionheart (Jeffrey Johnson, Lawrence Lipnik, John Olund, Richard Porterfield, Kurt-Owen Richards, and Michael Ryan-Wenger) is best known for its interpretation of medieval and Renaissance a cappella music, with Gregorian Chant as the keystone of its repertoire. The ensemble also collaborates with instrumental ensembles, dance companies, and contemporary composers, and was recently selected for inclusion on the Star Spangled Touring Roster, the first year of an initiative by Early Music America.

London Jewish Male Choir

One of the foremost Jewish choirs in the world, the London Jewish Male Choir has a long history of entertaining audiences with high quality performances of a broad range of Jewish music. Our repertoire includes music sung in Hebrew, Yiddish, Ladino, Russian, and English.

The choir is currently enjoying a renewal with young dynamic Musical Director, Michael Etherton, the addition of fresh modern repertoire and several fresh singing talents including Chazzan (Cantor) Steven Leas. In 2004, the choir appeared at Wembley Conference and promoted a sell-out concert at the new ArtsDepot venue with the four piece group "Shir". In January 2005 the choir toured Florida to packed houses, performing with top Chazzanim (cantors) including, Moshe Schulhof, Gideon Zelermyer and Benjamin Warschawski.

Lund University Male Choir

As the starting date of LSS is most often used November 20, 1831. This was the first time a male quartet appeared at a concert in Lund, although there had been more or less loosely organized exercises for a couple of years. In 1833, the name LSS is referred for the first time, although at this point in time it is an abbreviation of Lilla Sangsallskapet (The Small Song Society). Five years later, the constitution of Lunds Studentsangforening appeared.

From the beginning, Sven Loven was the conductor of the choir with Otto Lindblad as his right hand, and it seems as if Lindblad gained the role as the choir's leader from 1835. The early repertoire consisted mainly of German songs mixed with a few contributions of Lindblad. Over the years, he would provide more and more compositions.

Luther College Norsemen

Norsemen is the first-year men's choir consisting of approximately 90 men selected by audition. Besides performing at the annual Christmas at Luther performances, the Norsemen also assist in Sunday and daily chapel worship, and present a spring program with Aurora, Luther's choral ensemble for first-year women. They also travel off campus throughout the year to sing at worship services at area churches.

Male Ensemble Northwest

Male Ensemble Northwest was formed in Longview, Washington, in 1982, the brainchild of Howard Meharg of Longview, who wanted to form a singing group as well as encourage young males in public schools to sing in choirs of all kinds. Thus it was that Male Ensemble Northwest was formed to demonstrate a high level of music making by choral conductors from the Pacific Northwest region and also to promote male choral singing.

In the years since its inception, MEN has appeared in concerts from local churches and auditoriums to regional and national audiences, always remembering to spread the message of male singing. They have performed at national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association in Washington, D. C., and San Antonio; and several Northwest regional conventions. They have appeared at the leadership conference of ACDA in Lawton, OK, and several state conventions, most recently in Oshkosh, WI.

Male Voice Choir of Helsinki

Akademiska Sangforeningen or The Academic Male Voice Choir of Helsinki, colloquially known as Akademen, abbreviated A.S., is a Finland-Swedish male voice student choir based in Helsinki, Finland. The choir was founded in 1838 (at the latest) by Fredrik Pacius, music teacher at the Imperial Alexander University of Finland (now University of Helsinki) and known as "the father of Finnish music", and is thus the oldest Finnish choir still in existence.

During the 19th century Akademiska Sangforeningen became an important symbol of national awakening in the emerging Finnish nation, at the time part of the Russian empire as the Grand Duchy of Finland. On 13 May 1848, Pacius' composition Vart land ('Our Land'), set to the poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, was performed for the first time by Akademiska Sangforeningen during the students' celebration of the Flora Day. The composition was later to become the national anthem of the independent Finland.

Musaic

Men's voices. Life through music.

Musaic is an auditioned all-volunteer men's a cappella vocal ensemble based in San Francisco, CA. Our mission is to share beautiful men's a cappella singing with our Bay Area community. Our music is rooted in classical choral traditions, and performed through a variety of genres. The members of Musaic are passionate about men's ensemble singing, enjoy the artistic balance and musical fellowship it brings to our lives

Musaic began in 2000 as a few friends gathering to sing for their own pleasure. We soon grew to eight members, performed our first concert, and took the name Musaic to represent a mosaic of song and voice. Today Musaic is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. In 2015, we completed our 80th Bay Area concert and released our 5th recording titled "Oh, What a Kick!": a collection of classic songs of the American and English songbooks and Rock and Roll era.

New York Polyphony

Praised for a "rich, natural sound that's larger and more complex than the sum of its parts," (National Public Radio) New York Polyphony is regarded as one of the finest vocal chamber ensembles in the world. The four men, "singers of superb musicianship and vocal allure," (The New Yorker) apply a modern touch to repertoire that ranges from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary compositions. Their dedication to innovative programming, as well as a focus on rare and rediscovered Renaissance and medieval works, has not only earned New York Polyphony critical acclaim, but also helped to move early music into the classical mainstream.

Notre Dame Glee Club

Recognized as one of the finest all-male collegiate choral groups in the country, the University of Notre Dame Glee Club has a rich history of singing and brotherhood spanning the last ninety-two years. More than 2,000 young men have sung with the Club over the years, combining the rich traditions of Notre Dame with the highest standards of artistic excellence.

Since 1915, the members of the Glee Club have enjoyed an exciting fraternal organization combined with an intensive study of vocal technique and musical styles. The group has toured from coast to coast and around the world, performing over one hundred concerts per year. As musical ambassadors of Notre Dame, the Glee Club has always been welcomed with warmth and enthusiasm.

Ohio State University Men's Glee

The Ohio State University Men's Glee Club was organized in 1875. It is the oldest of hundreds of student organizations available to students at the university. The group has exemplified the university's dedication to tradition, excellence, and diversity.

During its history the OSU Men's Glee Club has garnered worldwide accolades. Most notably, the Men's Glee Club was unanimously declared "Choir of the World" in 1990 under the direction of Professor James Gallagher in Llangollen, Wales. The OSUMGC was the first male chorus and the first ensemble from the United States to win the competition. The Men's Glee Club has performed at many OMEA, MENC, and ACDA conventions, proudly representing the university at state, regional, and national levels. In 2006 the OSUMGC traveled to Eau Claire, Wisconsin to perform for the 42nd national seminar of the Intercollegiate Male Choruses, Inc.

Optina Pustyn Male Choir

The Optina Pustyn male choir was founded in the Dormition Metochion of the Optina Pustyn monastery in St. Petersburg in 1996. On September 15, 1996, on Anthony and Theodosius of Kiev feast day, the first znamenny liturgy was celebrated. Besides ancient Russian one-voiced chants, various types of Russian polyphonic chants were performed at the service: strochnoye singing, znamenny polyphony and early partsong, as well as chants from Orthodox cantatory traditions - Greek, Serbian, Bulgarian and Georgian. At services the choir sings according to the 17th century "Kievan znamya" that synodic one-voiced song books are printed in. The absolute majority of composers, including P.I. Tchaikovsky and S.V. Rachmaninoff, based their sacred music on chants from those books. Besides decipherments of ancient Russian polyphony, the choir performs their own and composer versions of church chants, as well as the most outstanding works by church composers.

The ensemble is composed of twelve professional singers - graduates of the St. Petersburg Conservatory; seven to nine soloists go on tours.

Orlando Consort

Formed in 1988 by the Early Music Centre of Great Britain, the Orlando Consort has established itself as one of Britain's most important chamber music ensembles, performing to the highest standards and renowned for its imaginative and innovative programming. Working with leading academics on music that has often never been performed in modern times, they have set new standards of performance, particularly with regard to the pronunciation and tuning of this fascinating repertoire. In recent times the Consort has also attracted praise for its bold programmes of contemporary music, jazz and world music, and for their outstanding education projects which are specifically designed to involve amateur musicians of all ages and abilities.

Orphei Drangar

Orphei Drangar, known internationally as OD, is a modern male-voice choir, based in the Swedish University City of Uppsala. The choir, which dates back to 1853, has always been a torch bearer of the great Swedish choral tradition, in addition to playing an important international role in the development of the male-voice choir in modern music. The most important tradition of Orphei DrSngar is self-renewal. The male-voice choir is an instrument which can express itself in a multitude of different ways. OD has distinguished itself, both in Sweden and abroad, by developing and fine-tuning this instrument. Many people talk of the unique blend of young, lighter voices with older, more mature ones - a blend which produces a sound all of its own. Intonation, phrasing and purity are other words that are often used to describe OD's sound. A cappella songs are still the most important part of the choir's repertoire. But OD has gone one step further, breaking new ground when it comes to how a male-voice choir should look and sound. The forms of expression are numerous. The choir can just as easily sing with a symphony orchestra as accompany a dramatic composition or ballet.

Oxford New College Choir

New College Choir is one of the glories of our musical heritage. William of Wykeham, who also founded Winchester College and rebuilt Windsor Castle for Edward III, was responsible for its creation, College and Choir. He provided for sixteen choristers and a dozen clerks to sing the daily office in his magnificent mediaeval chapel. This practice still continues within the context of today's University life. Both boys and young adults receive a musical training of the highest standard, as befits a world-class university. They are able to develop their potential to the full, meeting not only the daily needs of the chapel services but also the challenges of recording studio and concert platform.

Patriarchate Choir

Founded by Anatoly Grindenko in 1983, the 13 members of the Russian Patriarchate Choir are all Moscow Orthodox Church singers who are dedicated scholars of the repertoire for male voices and who led the way in the rediscovery of Orthodox church music in the late years of the Soviet regime. At this time - when the music was far from approved by the government - the choir spent years decoding ancient manuscripts and giving the first performances of works that had lain in obscurity for centuries. The all-Russian program will include Russian liturgical and folk music by Rachmaninoff, Bartnyanski, Grechaninov, and Gontcharov.

Red Army Choir

The history of legendary Russian singing choir began in 1929. Since than it has been traveling all over the world and performing arts of Russian culture. Step by step, the choir has extended its team of the ballet part. They all have been cheered by audience all around the world (for example in Austria, Algeria, Great Britain, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Vietnam, Cuba, Mexico, Japan, Switzerland etc.). In 2007, they are going to perform again in Kosice and Bratislava. It will be their first performance after more than 20 years since their last visit.

Red Star Red Army Chorus

The Red Star Red Army Chorus and Dance Ensemble was created in 1978 in Moscow, mostly to raise the cultural level and maintain the battle-readiness of the strategic rocket forces and other elements of the Red Army. A Russian proverb says 'A fairy tale is a lie, but a song tells the truth.' Fairy tales have become rare in present-day Russia, but folk tunes still form an integral part of daily life. Accompanied by the balalaika and the bayan (a large button-key accordion), these songs tell of love and loss, of sadness and solace, of brave deeds and everyday problems. Humor and dance can be found here, as well as melancholic longing and heroic pathos. Some favorites of the 18 songs: 'Regimental Polka,' 'Kalinka,' 'Volga Boat Song,' 'The Swallow,' 'The Brave Don Cossacks,' 'Wait For Your Soldier,' 'Ochi Chornye-Dark Eyes,' 'In The Sunny Meadow,' 'The Cliff,' and 'On The March.' All accompanied. 'Kalinka' beautifully captures the brash power and deep emotions of the Red Star Red Army Chorus.

Rustavi Choir

The Rustavi Ensemble (pronounced "roostahvi") is the best known of a considerable number of talented groups currently performing Georgian music. It was created in 1968 by Anzor Erkomaishvili, a singer and folklorist from a distinguished Georgian musical lineage that goes back seven generations. After graduating from the Tbilisi Conservatory, Erkomaishvill gathered singers from various parts of Georgia and began to build a repertory that brought together their different regional song styles and vocal timbres. Georgian vocal music is strictly divided between men's and women's genres, and from the beginning, the Rustavi singers have been male. Most songs are sung a cappella, but spare instrumental accompaniment on stringed instruments such as the "chonguri" and "phanduri" is sometimes added. A group of players within the Rustavi performs a separate instrumental repertory, and the Ensemble now also includes a dance troupe.

Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys

Music is at the heart of our mission, one of the primary ways in which we worship, love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

Each year, the Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, under the direction of John Scott, sing at nearly 200 choral worship services, including Choral Liturgies on Sunday mornings, Choral Evensong on Sunday evenings and on many Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings (September through May). The choir also sings at special liturgies throughout the year, including the Solemn Liturgy of Good Friday.

We are delighted to welcome visitors from all over the world to these worship services. We hope you will join us during your next visit to New York City. If you are unable to worship with us in person, you may do so via the webcasts from your home.

Singing Statesmen

The Singing Statesmen is an all male choral ensemble from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Started in 1967 by Morris Hayes, the Statesmen is comprised of 57 students from various academic backgrounds and is currently under the direction of Dr. Gary R. Schwartzhoff. Because The Singing Statesmen promise to deliver songs with utmost musicality, they enjoy a healthy attendance at each concert they perform. Annually, the Statesmen participate in the Homecoming Varsity Show, and the Viennese Ball. As the years progress, the choir continues to release new albums while offering a new variety of music at each performance.

Sistine Chapel Choir

Athough it is known that the Church, from her earliest days, employed music in her cult, it was not until the time of her emergence from the catacombs that she began freely to display her beauty and splendor in sacred song. As early as in the pontificate of Sylvester I (314-35) we find a regularly-constituted company of singers, under the name of schola cantorum, living together in a building devoted to their exclusive use. The word schola was in those days the legal designation of an association of equals in any calling or profession and did not primarily denote, as in our time, a school. It had more the nature of a guild, a characteristic which clung to the papal choir for many centuries. Hilary II (461-8) ordained that the pontifical singers live in community, while Gregory the Great (590-604) not only made permanent the existing institution attached to St. John Lateran and including at that time in its membership monks, secular clergy, and boys, but established a second and similar one in connection with the Basilica of St. Peter. The latter is supposed to have served as a sort of preparatory school for the former. For several centuries the papal schola cantorum retained the same general character. Its head, archicantor or primicerius, was always a clergyman of high rank and often a bishop. While it was his duty to intone the various chants to be followed by the rest of the singers, he was by no means their master in the modern technical sense.

St. Ephraim Male Choir

The choir was founded in 2002 by Tamas Bubno, a Hungarian church musician and conductor. When he was collecting religious melodies in the Subcarpathian area in the Ukraine for his DLA thesis, entitled: Origin and Variants of Greek Catholic Liturgical Chants in Hungary and the Subcarpathian Area, one day he discovered an unknown manuscript of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom for male choir, composed by Janos Boksay; a Greek Catholic priest and composer at the turn of the century (1874-1940).

He decided to gather some of his friends, all professional singers working with the best choirs in Budapest (the Male Choir of the Defence Ministry, Choir of the Hungarian Radio, the National Choir, the Tomkins Vocal Ensemble, etc.) and some of his former students (from the Schola Cantorum Budapestiensis), to perform this work.