Cantori New York

Praised by The New York Times for its “spirit of exploration” and “virtuosity and assurance,” Cantori imaginatively interweaves historical hidden gems with audacious premieres to create eclectic and dynamic musical experiences. 

A four-time winner of the ASCAP/Chorus America Adventurous Programming Award — more than any other chorus in the Eastern United States — Cantori has performed at all five major halls at Lincoln Center, as well as Zankel Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, and elsewhere. 

Our first-class presenters have included American Ballet Theater, American Opera Projects, Carnegie Hall, New York Film Festival, Great Performers at Lincoln Center, Gotham Early Music Series, La MaMa Experimental Theatre, Music at the Anthology, Symphony Space, and World Financial Center Arts & Events. 

Distinguished artistic partners include Tony-winner Maryann Plunkett, Obie-winner Kathleen Chalfant, and Metropolitan Opera artist Sasha Cooke. We have collaborated with The Chieftains, and with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in a video presentation of Disney’s Kingdom Hearts. In 2013, Cantori traveled to Marseille to perform in a series of concerts honoring the city’s term as European Capital of Culture. 

The ensemble’s desire to work with living composers has led to world, national, and regional premieres of more than 100 compositions. With The Crossing, Notre Dame Vocale, and Volti, Cantori has participated in a nationwide commissioning consortium of the Ann Stookey Fund for New Music; projects have included works by Gregory Spears and Pulitzer-Prize winner Caroline Shaw. The diverse, international roster of composers whose music Cantori has premiered and/or commissioned includes Derrick Skye, David Del Tredici, Thierry Escaich, Mohammed Fairouz, Alice Ping Yee Ho, Angélica Negrón, and Dariusz Przybylski. In 2016, Cantori gave the U.S. premiere (in a chamber version) of The Prison (1930), the last work by the great English composer Ethel Smyth. 

Cantori New York has a varied discography including, among others, The Metamorphoses by British composer Paul Crabtree and Echoes and Shadows, featuring works by Tom Cipullo and Chris DeBlasio. Our recording of Le vin herbé by Swiss composer Frank Martin was an Opera News Editor’s Choice.