Twenty years ago, Cheryll Chung had a vision: an auditioned intergenerational chamber choir in Toronto, built on community and on the music of living composers, with a particular commitment to equity seeking groups and female composers. She founded Cantabile Chamber Singers in 2006 and has been our Artistic Director ever since. Two decades and more than 100 world premieres later, Cantabile is still small by design: a chamber choir of about twenty-four voices, each member integral to our team. Our concerts create an intimate welcoming atmosphere for our audiences.
This season, our 21st, we're raising funds for what has always set Cantabile apart: new music.
New works, written for our voices
Commissioning new music has been central to Cantabile's mission since its founding. Each commission engages a composer to create an original work for our ensemble, with fair compensation for their artistry and time, followed by a period of rehearsal and a world premiere performance. Once premiered, these works enter the wider choral repertoire, where other ensembles can perform them for years to come. This season, we are committed to continuing that legacy by supporting local and Canadian composers, bringing their new work to the stage.
Your gift this season helps us:
Commission new choral works from local and Canadian composers, equity-seeking artists with a focus on female composers
Pay our Artistic Director and the professional musicians we work with fairly
Purchase scores
Pay for rehearsal/ performance spaces and the production team behind concerts
Whether it's $20 or $2,000, your gift keeps a twenty-one-year-old choir doing what it has always done: paying artists fairly, premiering new works and building community one rehearsal at a time.
