"Cantilena" turns 25 in 2025!
45 years ago The Cambridge Chorale began performing treble
music for women's voices. The ensemble changed its name to Cantilena in 2000.
We invite you to celebrate the season with us!
Maternal Figures:
Reflections on Mothering and Being Mothered
7 pm on Saturday, May 10, 2025
First Parish Unitarian Universalist
630 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, MA 02476​
​To kick off its 45th year as a women's chorus, Cantilena will be premiering a newly commissioned three-movement work for treble voices on the topic of motherhood. ​
Three Boston-based composers, Patricia van Ness, Lingbo Ma, and Laura Nevitt have each been commissioned to write a movement exploring the theme from varying perspectives. The composers will be invited to give either a pre-concert talk or a post-concert “talk-back” with audience members.​
Additional repertoire will continue the musical exploration of mothering and mother/child relationships with works by Bobby McFerrin, Ysaye Barnwell, Gwyneth Walker, and others.
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A reception follows the performance.​
​This program is funded in part by a grant from The Arlington Commission for Arts and Culture (ACAC), a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Cantilena is excited to premiere three insipiring new choral works on May 10!
We enjoyed meeting composers Lingbo Ma and Laura Nevitt! They visited rehearsals in March to tell us about their compositional process and the ideas underlying their new works. We can't wait to introduce our listeners to the wonderful new works that they and fellow New England composer Patricia van Ness have created for us.
Cantilena recognizes that music has a history of accompanying protests, whether in the rhythmic cadence of chanting, or in voices rising together in song.
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Inspired by our membership, we stand with organizations who seek to
change the world for the better.
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We send our heartfelt support to all those who have lost family members to
racist and ethnic violence.
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We reject all forms of discrimination and injustice.
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Cantilena welcomes and celebrates individual identities in all of our activities and operations, including race, color, religion, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, marital status, and sexual orientation.