03.16.05
Singers are vocal about fun
Akron-Beacon Journal
Terry Rindfleisch

A cappella group Cantus provides a little thwack in delightful concert for Tuesday Musical series. This time of year, when it seems we'll never get to put away those ice scrapers, a little levity is more appreciated than ever.

For its first appearance on the Tuesday Musical series, a youthful group of male singers called Cantus brought pinpoint musicianship and lighthearted charm to E.J. Thomas Hall on Tuesday night.

Pronounced CON-toos, the group's name means melody, or song. That's what the nine members of this a cappella group delivered, though it was of delightfully varied stripes, from a setting of Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" to Two Laments on Dylan Thomas and back to a nonsense song from Finland.

Standing in a semicircle to sing, the formally dressed performers looked at ease, glancing back and forth at each other as they sang.

Often they looked downright mischievous, as when they appeared carrying brightly colored tuned tubes that they proceeded to thwack rhythmically against their thighs. That piece, "Flight," was written "for boomwhacker ensemble," one of the singers announced.

Since its beginning as a group of friends at St. Olaf College in Minnesota in 1995, this group has become professional without sacrificing fun.

The trick in an ensemble of all the same instrument, voice, is to vary the tonal quality. This Cantus did, not only with impressive dynamic control but also with a dazzling array of vocal effects from bullfrogs to birds to the otherworldly resonance of pulsating metallic overtones.

With its terrific musicianship and friendly way of introducing the pieces on this well-balanced program, the group built a rapport with the audience.

Those at E.J. Thomas weren't the only ones they touched in Akron. While here, Cantus gave workshops at Central-Hower High School and at Firestone High School, together attended by about 170 music students throughout Akron.

Tuesday night, students from Firestone High School's Madrigal Singers, taught by Sally Schneider, joined Cantus onstage for a sleekly coordinated performance of the spiritual "My Soul's Been Anchored in the Lord."

In its brief space of time here, Cantus made quite an impact.