Chanticleer at the University of Dubuque -- October 5.
Sunday, October 5, 4 p.m.
University of Dubuque's Heritage Center, 2255 Bennett Street, Dubuque IA
Known around the world for its eclectic repertoire and dazzling virtuosity, the Grammy Award-winning vocal ensemble Chanticleer, under the leadership of Music Director Tim Keeler, brings their tour to the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on October 5, the group hailed by the Boston Globe as "breathtaking in its accuracy of intonation, purity of blend, of color and swagger of style."
Its name is derived from the "clear singing rooster" in Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales, Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto, who sang with the group until 1989, and served as Artistic Director until his death in 1997. As a graduate student of musicology, Botto found that much of the medieval and Renaissance music he was studying was not being performed, and, because of this, he formed the group to perform this music with an all-male ensemble, as it was traditionally sung during the Renaissance. Chanticleer quickly took its place as one of the most prolific recording and touring ensembles in the world, performing thousands of live concerts and selling over one million records. The ensemble is now under the leadership of Music Director Tim Keeler.
Originally, the group contained 10 singers, but its size has varied from eight to 12. Currently, Chanticleer comprises 12 men: Luke Elmer; Logan Shields; Tavian Cox; Cortez Mitchell; Adam Ward, Bradley Sharpe; Vineel Garisa Mahal; Andrew Van Allsburg; Matthew Mazzola; Matthew Knickman; Jared Graveley; and Andy Berry. Rooted in the Renaissance, the ensemble has a deep commitment to the commissioning of new compositions and arrangements. Chanticleer has dedicated much of its vast recording catalogue to these commissions, garnering Grammy Awards for its recordings of Sir John Tavener’s Lamentations and Praises and the ambitious collection of commissioned works entitled Colors of Love.
Chanticleer is the recipient of the Dale Warland/Chorus America Commissioning Award and the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming. Joseph H. Jennings, the ensemble’s music director emeritus, received the Brazeal Wayne Dennard Award for his contribution to the African American choral tradition during his 25-year tenure as both singer and music director. Chanticleer was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America in 2008 and inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame. The group’s award-winning education programs were recognized with the 2010 Chorus America Education Outreach Award and have engaged tens of thousands of students.
Chanticleer performs in the John & Alice Butler Hall of the University of Dubuque's Heritage Center on October 5, admission to the 4 p.m. concert event is $35-45, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)585-7469 and visiting Dbq.edu/HeritageCenter.
