The Grammy Award-winning a cappella ensemble Chanticleer will bring the promise of hope in a concert hosted by Loyola University New Orleans in the historic Holy Name of Jesus Church. The world-renowned all-male chorus will perform “Awakenings,” a concert created in response to the pandemic, on Thursday, January 20, at 7:30 p.m.
“After the longest performance break in Chanticleer’s history, we are thrilled to sing together again,” said music director Tim Keeler. “Finally disentangled from our isolation, we return with a renewed sense of community and purpose. It’s time to come together. It’s time to celebrate. It’s time to sing!”
Chanticleer, an all-male group once dubbed “the world’s reigning male chorus” by The New Yorker, seamlessly blends the voices of 12 vocalists ranging from soprano to bass. The chorale performs original interpretations of vocal literature, from Renaissance to jazz to pop.
The opening song to the 90-minute Awakenings concert, an erasure poem titled close[r], now, composed by Ayanna Woods during the pandemic—at a time when theaters were called upon to “close, now”—draws on shared experiences of the past year and the yearning for reconnection. Woods closes the piece with an imperative for the world to “come back to life.”
“In Chanticleer, it’s our hope that the life we return to is more compassionate, more caring, more creative than the one we left behind in 2020,” said Keeler.
To that end, Chanticleer will perform works dating more than 500 years old, such as Lauda Jerusalem from Vespro della Beata Vergine by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643), Regina caeli by Vicente Lusitano (d. after 1561) and Regina coeli by Alexander Agricola (1445–1506) as well as recent original works like Steven Sametz’ Birds of Paradise commissioned by Chanticleer in 2020.
To ensure a safe and enjoyable concert experience for everyone, there will be at least 20 feet between the choir and members of the audience during the performance. Loyola requires the audience to mask while indoors, and to present proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours of the event.
“Chanticleer is the world’s best-known male vocal ensemble, and we are beyond thrilled to allow the Loyola and New Orleans communities the opportunity to see them perform their profound program in the historic and beautiful Holy Name of Jesus Church,” said Dr. Meg Frazier, associate dean of the College of Music and Media at Loyola. “The Loyola Chamber Singers will also have the opportunity to learn from Chanticleer professionally in a masterclass designed to improve their tools and techniques.”
Tickets, which range from $20 to $75, are available at presents.loyno.edu. For those who need special accommodations, call (504) 865-2015 or email [email protected] with “Chanticleer” in the subject line at least five business days in advance.
