News & Events                                                                                News Archive

More News: > Animal Crackers > Cheers! > How Choral Music Has    Changed Our Lives > Newsletters & Posters

May Concert to Feature Soloist Pamela Dellal

On May 6 & 7 Cantemus will present "Reflections: Old Texts, New Tunes," a program of classic themes and words in modern interpretations. The centerpiece is Copland's "In the Beginning," with mezzo-soprano soloist Pamela Dellal, who will also join the men of Cantemus on Schubert's "Ständchen."

Here are some recent reviews of her performances:

Bach: St. Matthew Passion - Back Bay Chorale
"But it was mezzo-soprano Pamela Dellal who conveyed listeners to the sublime heights. Partnered by ...violinist Danielle Maddon, the two performed "Erbarme dich" as if it were the last music anyone would hear on this earth. After that, one could happily shuffle off this mortal coil."
– Ellen Pfeifer, The Boston Globe

Handel: Messiah - Handel and Haydn Society
"[Dellal] sang with absolute musical assurance, a lovely quiet glow on her tone, and dramatic intelligence that reminded us that Handel composed some of this music for one of the greatest actresses of his age. Dellal's "He was Despised" became the emotional center of the performance."
– Richard Dyer, The Boston Globe

Bach: St. John Passion - Worcester Bach Society
"...Miss Dellal had to be ranked first among the soloists. Her exquisite vocal color was matched by musical sensitivity... Miss Dellal's aria in response was deeply felt, and the second half of it... contrasted brilliantly with the first. It all led up to a final 'It is finished' that was utterly pathetic in its matter-of-factness."
– William MacPherson, The Worcester Telegram

Vivaldi: Gloria - Handel and Haydn Society
"Energy levels shot up whenever mezzo soloist Pamela Dellal took stage...[she] showed us what baroque expressive gesture can be, and what richly impassioned singing is."
– Susan Larson, The Boston Globe

Read the program notes.

Animal Crackers a Hit!

Seeing the delight on children’s faces makes singing for them a real joy—at least that seemed to be the consensus among Cantemus singers after performing “Animal Crackers,” our Free Family Concerts on February 11.

Cantemus presented two free concerts that morning, one in Beverly and one in Gloucester, for over 200 listeners, most of them under the age of six. One of the more challenging moments proved to be the split-second thought required to decide on the sound a zebra makes during the singing of “Old MacDonald” (especially since one youngster had already identified a horse in the MacDonald menagerie). Quick-thinking Conductor Gary Wood suggested “ZZZZZ” for the zebra sound – and the audience and chorus “ZZZZZed” with gusto. Liberally sprinkled with similar sing-along favorites, the program also featured a number of new arrangements of children’s animal songs written by Cantemus’s own alto Georgia Bills.

Cantemus’s Free Family Concerts introduce newcomers of all ages to the joys of choral music. “By sparking an interest in choral singing especially among the very young, we hope to be a catalyst for their future explorations into music,” said Wood. “Our goal, however, extends to their parents, not only to entertain them, but also to motivate them to build more singing into their homes.”

Cantemus gratefully acknowledges “Animal Crackers” grant support from the Beverly and Gloucester Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.

Cheers — Here’s Music to Your Health!

Instead of an apple a day, how about a tune a day? Cantemus singers can tell you singing improves their lives, but scientific studies are taking a closer look at the various health effects brought by music.

In an ongoing study begun in 2001 on creativity and healthy aging cosponsored by George Washington University and the National Endowment for the Arts, persons aged 65-100 are being monitored as they participate in community arts programs, such as choruses. Compared with a control group of seniors who aren’t involved in an arts program, the choir members not only are physically healthier but also more involved socially, less depressed, and in better spirits overall. Other studies have shown that the multiple dimensions of music making—combining intellectual, physical, and social aspects—appear to set it apart from other cognitively stimulating activities like crossword puzzles that also can help keep us stay mentally alert as we age.¹

Singing is also linked to lower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and reduced stress, says Patricia Preston-Roberts, a New York City board-certified music therapist. She also said that singing seems to block some neural pain pathways. But you must sing correctly to receive optimal health benefits, she says. Start by practicing abdominal breathing, which supports your singing with the lower body, not the throat. Singing has distinct advantages over everyday chitchat. “When we sing instead of speak, we have intonation, melody line, and crescendo, which gives us a broader vocabulary to express ourselves,” says Suzanne Hanser, chair of the music therapy department at Berklee College of Music. “Because singing is visceral (something we do with our bodies), it can’t help but effect change.” ²

¹ Cole, Diane. “Singing Helps Keep Your Brain in Tune.” U.S. News & World Report 139.24 (Dec 26, 2005): 70.
² Lowenstein, Marisa. “Make a joyful noise: keep singing in the shower—no matter what the neighbors say. It could reduce your pain and prolong your life.” Natural Health 35.5 (May 2005): 96(1).

How Choral Music Has Changed Our Lives

Although some Cantemus singers employ music as part of their professional lives, we all (professional musicians or not) sing for the love of it, a love that often sprouted very early in our lives. We thought it would be fun to ask our singers to share how their involvement in choral music, early on and as adults, has affected their lives. Here’s what they had to say:

Jamie Cabot, tenor 2
Early experiences with choral music: When I was about two, my sister was christened in the Manchester Cathedral in England and, in the confusion, they left me in the church. When they got home, they realized their mistake and went screaming back, expecting to find me traumatized for life, but instead, they found me standing in rapt amazement, looking up at a stained glass window and listening to the choir rehearse. I have only a dim memory of this, so much of it
is probably fabricated on what my folks told me but, since then, stained glass and choral music have always affected me in a deep, visceral way.

Betsy Lebel, alto 2
Best memories: At church choir camp (I sang in the church choir for 12 years
beginning at age 9) I learned two things: how to whistle using the first two fingers of each hand and how to catch a fly with sugar syrup and fly it around on a string of hair. Seriously. I’m not making that up.
Lessons learned: That the very best and kindest people sing in choruses.
What she takes from choral singing: Singing is simply part of who I am. I feel physically better when I sing.

Deb Twining, alto 1
What she takes from choral singing: It always feels like a bit of “soul release” when I sing and the more of that I get the better! Also, I think it has made me a good, active listener, not only musically (for tone and pitch, etc.), but also for instruction from a conductor. You really have to think/listen about what the conductor is asking you to do, learn from it, and then apply it in a variety of situations.

Elaine Gomperts, soprano 2
How she started singing: Ever since I could talk, I wanted to sing and perform. I made my first recording at age 5—“How Much is that Doggie in the Window?” In first grade, I tap danced to “The Good Ship Lollipop” and did a ventriloquist act with a “Dapper Dan” doll at a variety show.

Anne Maguire, soprano 1
Best early choral music memories: When I was 5 or 6 years old, in the church children’s choir, I didn’t know how to match the words with the music on the printed page, but was too shy to ask! We were lined up in the church basement, looking angelic in our white robes, ready to go upstairs and sing. Someone sensed my confusion and leaned over to show me how to sing one line of text and then go
back and sing the second verse and so on. It was exhilarating! And in high school, my best memory was singing Randall Thompson’s “Alleluia” with my high school choir on the top deck of the ferry in New York Harbor as we watched that impressive skyline recede in the distance.

Download Newsletters and Posters

Newsletters and posters are provided in PDF format. You may need to install Adobe Reader® to view them.

Order a CD

Ranging from traditional carols to international music of the season to a complete performance of Benjamin Britten’s masterful "Ceremony of Carols" for treble voices and harp, our debut CD presents the listener with a sampling of our most spirited seasonal pieces.

"Joy Shall Be Yours" is available for purchase at all of our concerts as well as at the River Gallery in Ipswich.

To purchase "Joy Shall Be Yours" by mail, please send a check or money order for $8 per CD, or 2 for $15, plus $2.50 shipping and handling, payable to Cantemus, P.O. Box 784, Ipswich, MA 01938. There are just a few left, so order yours today.