Mount Royal Kantorei

It is a big day for us here at Kantorei. We are pleased to announce the release of Ola Gjeilo's new SATB version of Tundra, recorded January 2021 at OCL studios. This release is also now available on Apple Music, Spotify and where ever you stream music. You can also check out our accompanying video release here on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNUaw46U-SQ Links to all Apple and Spotify can be found here: https://linktr.ee/MRKantorei... Featured Soloist: Hannah Pagenkopf - Soprano This recording was completed during the COVID restrictions in Calgary, Alberta. Every member of Kantorei recorded individually in vocal isolation booths at OCL recording studios. Music Ola Gjeilo Lyrics Charles Anthony Sylvestri Artistic Director John Morgan Soloist Hannah Pagenkopf Piano Jon Day Strings Donovan Seidle Laura Reid Michael Bursey David Morrissey Tracking Brennan Kennedy, OCL Studios Audio Mix John Morgan, Morgan Music Video Cassette Bessette, Morgan Music Recorded at OCL Studios Kantorel Choral Society Board of Directors President Lisa Collins Vice President James Hume Past President Eunice Loudon Secretary Jennifer Nakaska Treasurer Alexander Lee Chumley Director of Internal Affairs Beth Walmsley Director of Marketing Bobbi Lintner Soprano Alicia Morrish Anne Livesey-Husak Beth Walmsley Bonnie Kowaliuk Cassette Bessette Christine Horne Dianne Smith Eunice Loudon Louise Neufeld Sabrina Reed Shelli Orton Alto Bobbi Lintner Carol Bartel Nickel Connie Friesen Dayna Wiebe Donna Flotre Helen Goodchild Jennifer Nakaska Jessie Mercer Mary Campbell Sachia M. Sproule Stephanie Macdonald Susan Chambers Tenor Dean Taggart Greg Peterson Joycelyn Kristoff Jake Bowe James Hume Lisa Collins Michael Bruch Rodney Villanueva Gamutin Tyler Walmsley Bass Alexander Lee Chumley Ken Melax Michael Chase Nick Allen Peter Exner Stephen Wright Produced by Kantorei Choral Society Additional Funding and Support Calgary Arts Development Alberta Foundation for the Arts Licensed through Easy Music Licensing and Distributed through CDBaby.

Our new Apple Music and Spotify Release is up as well as our music video for the newly recorded SATB arrangement of Tundra. Check it out here www.linktr.ee/MRKantorei

WOW Congratulations to #MountRoyalUniversity, and a huge thank you to Don and Ruth Taylor and the Taylor Family Foundation for making such a large donation! Mount Royal Kantorei is one of many groups of students who benefit from donations like this, and we are ever humbled and grateful for the community support for education and the Arts. ... #MRU #Kantorei #TaylorFamilyFoundation #TaylorCenter #MountRoyalKantorei #KCS #Grateful #Thankful #SupportEducation #SupportTheArts

Celebrating U.S. composer Jake Runestad ’s birthday today, his setting of Hildegard’s text in ‘Spirited Light’ is sung by the Calif. State Univ. Long Beach, CSU...LB Chamber Choir. Jake explains his score: Saint Hildegard von Bingen, a 12th-century German philosopher and mystic, was one of the first influential female composers and poets. It is said that she had frequent visions of the divine and later in life, she began to write about these intense spiritual experiences. Spirited Light is a setting of an English translation of her poem O gloriosissimi lux vivens and explores the vivid, angelic imagery she expressed in her writings and music. In the Middle Ages, there was a strong interest in spiritual beings (angels) and their connection to and interaction with the human world. This poem focuses on the angel of the crooked wings, which may represent humanity, who is struggling through his or her attempt to reach the divine. Despite falling from the summit, there is still hope that this mud-bound spirit might soar. The choral textures shift throughout the work to illuminate the vivid images of Hildegard’s story and evoke the energy and passion that she found through her mysticism and visions. vid - https://youtu.be/1SSmnb6rakA score - https://goo.gl/SzC6Cf Text: Hildegard von Bingen Antiphon for the Angels (Trans. Barbara Newman): Spirited light! On the edge of the Presence your yearning burns in the secret darkness, O angels, insatiably into God’s gaze. Perversity could not touch your beauty; you are essential joy. But lost your companion, angel of the crooked wings. He sought the summit, shot down the depths of God, and plummeted past Adam that a mud-bound spirit might soar. See more

This Earth Day as we look towards restoring our planet, we also look to lift our spirits and keep ourselves motivated. Earth Day connects us to our environment, and music connects us to each other. Songbird is a bright and joyful tune that we hope will do both. This is our tribute to the Earth, and a commitment in song to show our gratitude by treating our planet with respect. For anyone wishing to take action, there are many ways to do so. Visit https://www.earthday.org/eart...h-day-2021/ to find out how! #MountRoyalKantorei #KantoreiChoralSociety #KCS #Songbird #EarthDay2021 #Songbird #SarahQuartel #Spring2021 #KantoreiHigherVoices #EarthDay https://youtu.be/eD0pl5Zd_fM

We are grateful for this beautiful choral community. Thank you Jocelyn Hagen for writing such healing music. Stay hopeful, our beautiful sisters in song ChandraTala of Kokopelli Choirs, Choeur Adleisia, Myriad Ensemble, Nove Voce Choral Society, Sirens Choir, and the Elektra Women's Choir. The Choir Project #choralmusic #choralsinging #inthistogether

WOW Congratulations to #MountRoyalUniversity, and a huge thank you to Don and Ruth Taylor and the Taylor Family Foundation for making such a large donation! Mount Royal Kantorei is one of many groups of students who benefit from donations like this, and we are ever humbled and grateful for the community support for education and the Arts. ... #MRU #Kantorei #TaylorFamilyFoundation #TaylorCenter #MountRoyalKantorei #KCS #Grateful #Thankful #SupportEducation #SupportTheArts

It's been one full year since we had to cancel our Celtic Connections concert due to the health risks of Covid 19. So much has happened, so much has changed, and yet we still lift our eyes in hope for the future. This was our first virtual song, one we had hoped to perform at the Cork International Choral Festival in Ireland last year. Instead, it became our prayer of resilience through this pandemic. #KCS #MountRoyalKantorei #IWillLiftMineEyes #1YeaeAgo #1YearOfCovid #HopeForTheFuture #MRU #Kantorei

Congratulations to our incredibly talented choral friends at Luminous Voices, under the direction of Dr. Timothy Shantz, for their Juno Awards 2021 Nomination in the category of Classical Album of the Year: Vocal or Choral. Bravo, Bravo, Bravo from Mount Royal Kantorei https://junoawards.ca//2021-classical-album-of-the-year-v/

March 8th is World Women's Day. Last year, the women of Kantorei put together this song by Katerina Gimon in honour of the women leading us through the difficulties of Covid. Today, we thank all the women who lead in difficult positions, those who care for us, those who work in front line jobs, those who continually put others first, who create and inspire and help us keep going. Who are you grateful for today? ... #internationalwomensday2021 #KCS #MountRoyalKantorei #MRU #womensupportingwomen #WomenRising #katerinagimon

March 8th is World Women's Day. Last year, the women of Kantorei put together this song by Katerina Gimon in honour of the women leading us through the difficulties of Covid. Today, we thank all the women who lead in difficult positions, those who care for us, those who work in front line jobs, those who continually put others first, who create and inspire and help us keep going. Who are you grateful for today? ... #internationalwomensday2021 #KCS #MountRoyalKantorei #MRU #womensupportingwomen #WomenRising #katerinagimon

Two of our very talented choir members collaborated to bring us this song. Cassette Bessette and Dean Taggart, it's absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!

The Latin 'Invictus' gives root to the English word 'Invincible'- a fitting song to acknowledge the unconquerable spirit of our friend during his battle with cancer, as well as many others who find hardship thrust upon them. Mount Royal Kantorei, together with Cum Vino Cantus, the Calgary Men's Chorus, Mount Royal Artio , ConocoPhillips Choir, and many individual singers, have put together this rendition of Joshua Rist's Invictus to show support and stand with those who fight battles both seen and unseen. https://youtu.be/NdrzevD0wK4 #curecancer #cancer #cure #hope #cancers #time #cancertreatment #invictus #MountRoyalKantorei #KantoreiChoralSociety #KCS #mru #cvc #cmc #artio #conocophillips

In November, Kantorei released it's performance of Please Stay to help with suicide awareness and prevention. With so many of us impacted by COVID-19, mental health has never been a more talked about topic, and yet there is still so much stigma around it. Today is #BellLetsTalk day in Canada and we encourage everyone to start a conversation with someone you care about how they are doing. One conversation can make a huge difference. https://youtube.com/watch?v=rB0usciHcvk&feature=share #endthestigma #suicideawareness #mentalhealthawareness #startaconversation

Join us live tonight at 8:00 PM for the premiere of our next virtual choir project, "Christmas in About Three Minutes". This is a YouTube live event. They are a lot of fun. Just follow this link. https://youtu.be/g-xTQA2MjUg Video will premiere at 8:00 PM. Don't stress if you can't join us, you will be able to watch it anytime after the launch on YouTube.... Feel free to message your friends so they can watch too. After the premiere is over, the video lives on indefinitely on our YouTube channel. Mount Royal Kantorei presents: Christmas in About Three Minutes Traditional Carols Arranged by Mark Weston This season we planned a large outdoor video shoot and recording session for a major winter themed work called "Tundra". With new restrictions coming into effect in Alberta we decided to save our "Tundra" project for January and have a good old fashioned (sorta) sing-along carol fest. This project is funded by our non-profit society, The Kantorei Choral Society. A huge thank you to our board of directors and to all of our grant providers and donors. Because of your efforts we are able to keep making music in an otherwise challenging season. Wishing you and yours a very happy holiday! Sincerely John Morgan (Artistic Director) Lisa Collins (President) and the Entire Kantorei Choral Society Board and Members Mount Royal University Conservatory, Revv52, Choir Alberta, Cum Vino Cantus

The only thing better than singing is more singing. - Ella Fitzgerald Singing with others and for others is how we ensure a positive #global shift. At this time when we need hope and compassion more than ever, we are so very grateful for your support. Thank you for considering on this #GivingTuesdayCA a donation to help us keep sharing our love for #music and sharing melodies of hope, peace, inclusion and love. ... Together we help. Together we rise. https://www.canadahelps.org//char/kantorei-choral-society/