Cantores is an advanced choir for young women in grades 10 through 12. The choir performs a wide range of musical genres, including gospel, jazz, collegiate a cappella, rock, and minimalist music, in addition to music of the baroque and classical periods. Cantores has sung throughout the tri-state area, with recent engagements as featured artists at Carnegie Hall, in The Princeton Festival, at the New Jersey Governor’s residence, with The Graduate Choir of the Keystone State Boychoir, and with Ricky Fante of EMI Records in New York City. Singers remain in Cantores for one to three years.
A summer tour is also part of the Cantores experience, and recent tours have taken the Choir to Austria, The Czech Republic, Ireland, Oregon, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Montréal, Québec, England, Germany, Newfoundland, and Hawaii. Cantores has undertaken solo performance tours, and has also joined some of the world’s leading children’s choir directors for festival appearances. Visit our Tours page to see past summer tour locations.
To advance to Cantores, 10th, 11th and 12th singers should demonstrate:
- Mastery of negotiation of all aspects of the voice with register consistency
- Proficient level in sight-reading
- Reading and performing in various modes (dorian, mixolydian) using the moveable “do” system
- Reading and performance complex rhythm and meters (asymmetrical and mixed meter)
- Reading and performing complex harmonic choices (tonal, tone clusters, atonal, etc.)
- Ensemble awareness: vowel unification, rhythmic unification, ensemble intonation, balance, etc.
- Musicianship and vocal abilities required for Concert Choir
The time commitment for Cantores includes:
- 2.5-hour weekly rehearsals Mondays
- retreats (generally two Saturday afternoons per year)
- periodic individual evaluations throughout the year
- dress and pre-concert rehearsals
- winter and spring concerts
- additional concerts and choral collaborations as opportunities arise
Cantores members may also audition for the select PGC Ensemble, a smaller group that specializes in chamber repertoire and performs more frequently during the season.
