Cantus wins award and changes the way it works

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In the thirteen years since a handful of St. Olaf students got together to sing for fun, a lot has happened. Cantus, the all-male choir, has been handed the Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence by Chorus America. Amongst choirs it's considered the most prestigious award in the U.S. Previous recipients include the Dale Warland Singers, VocalEssence and Chanticleer.

Now, in a move similar to that of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cantus is transforming itself into a fully musician-led artistic structure. This eliminates the position of Artistic Director (previously held by founding member Erik Lichte) and gives the choir members the ability to choose their own music and progam their own tours as a group. A press release from the choir stated "by handing the programming reins to the singers themselves, Cantus has shown its commitment to chamber music in both form and function."

Pictured above: (top row, l to r) Timothy C. Takach, Dashon Burton, Chris Foss

(middle row, l to r) Eric Hopkins, Aaron Humble, Adam Reinwald

(bottom row, l to r) Paul Rudoi, Gary Ruschman, Shahzore Shah.

Photos courtesy of Cantus

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