Spring Concert, 2010
“Music about Mothers, from the Divine, to the Deranged” Such
was the title of the program on Mother’s Day (Sunday, May
9) by Cantilena, under the direction of Allegra Martin, performing
at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church in Arlington;
Joshua T. Lawton, organist at the First Congregational Church
in Natick, was the competent piano accompanist. Cantilena was
originally founded in 1968 as the Cambridge Chorale. A dozen
years later it became a women’s chorus under the direction
of Kenneth Seitz, (who stepped down last year), but the name
change did not occur until 2000. The chorus now numbers about
30 and focuses on music originally written (not arranged) for
women’s voices. This is Allegra Martin’s first season
as director, and programming is her strong suit. Instead of a “holiday
concert” this past winter, she concentrated on music of
Scandinavian composers’ rich choral tradition in a program
of “Northern Lights.”
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Spring Concert, 2004
"As the soothing voices softly filled the concert hall, the
women’s
chorus Cantilena seemed to be beckoning me to leave my hectic
day behind and be transported to a place of peace and serenity. The
Lake Isle of Innisfree by Eleanor Daley was my lovely
introduction to this talented group of 28 singers, who were as
gifted at singing the gorgeous opening unison of this song as
they were confident in singing tuneful multi-part harmony, or
more challenging, tonally and rhythmically complex pieces in
the rest of their Spring, 2004 concert, entitled The Echoing
Green, Music from the British Isles and Canada. Their
voices are beautiful, their blend superb....."
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Holiday Concert, 1998
"The Cambridge Chorale's annual Holiday Concert always offers listeners a chance to hear music that is a departure from traditional Christmas programming. A chorus of about thirty women singers, the Chorale performs twice a year at the First Parish Church in Arlington. Their director, Kenneth Seitz, makes a point of choosing music written expressly for higher voices, and has a flair for creating cohesive and entertaining programs that are both accessible and challenging for the audience. Sunday's program features an interesting variety of composers spanning almost 500 years, from Palestrina to Peter Maxell Davies and Mr. Seitz himself as well...."
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Spring Concert, 1998
"The Cambridge Chorale's Spring Concert was a welcome diversion
on a dark and rainy Sunday afternoon.... During the concert Mr.
Seitz preceded each selection with a few brief comments that were
very helpful to the listener in undertanding the background and
cultural context of the music. As appropriate, he included a quick
sketch of the composer's life and the circumstances under which
the music was composed. These remarks revealed the care and thought
that he puts into the programs, and were especially useful in
this program, where there was a lot more to the music than the
titles of the works might imply. It should also be noted that
other Chorale concerts have featured original music, including
some by Mr. Seitz, and I look forward to hearing more of that
at future concerts...."
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