Sunday, May 5, 2024
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
205 Elmwood Avenue

"An die Musik" ("To Music")
Cantate's Annual Spring Concert

Cantate will present their annual spring concert, featuring Benjamin Britten's secular cantata "Friday Afternoons".  The event's namesake piece, "An die Musik", was composed by Franz Schubert and speaks of music as being the highest art.  The concert will end with two Malaysian folk songs, one about flying kites and the other about fish, sung in the original language and performed with dance movements.

The concert will be conducted by Peggy Haas Howell and accompanied by Elizabeth Wilkinson at the piano.

Admission will be free, with no tickets. A freewill exit offering will be taken, with proceeds to benefit Cantate.  Also, it is possible to make donations to Cantate by activating the "Donating" button at the foot of each page of the website, or by using this link instead.

Sunday, December 17, 2023
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
205 Elmwood Avenue

A Festival of Christmas
Lessons and Carols

with St. John's Parish Choir

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir presented this popular contemplative event jointly.  The main musical pieces in the program were carols old and new, which were chosen to complement readings of passages from scripture.  Both well-known and less well-known musical repertoire was presented.  Featured pieces were by composers John Rutter, Alan Bullard, Franz Biebl, Bob Chilcott, and others.

Saturday, December 9, 2023
1:00 and 5:00 pm

Sunday, December 10, 2023
1:30 and 5:30 pm

Academy Center of the Arts:
Historic Academy of Music Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
524 Main Street,
Lynchburg, Virginia 24504

The Nutcracker
by the Charlottesville Ballet with the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra

The ideal setting in the historic space made this event a gem!

Returning for the first time since 2019, the music for the performances of the ballet was performed live, with Cantate's voices in the Snow Scene. The acoustics and ambience of the historic theatre enabled Tchaikovsky's masterpiece to become a transcendent experience!

Tickets were available from the website of the Charlottesville Ballet. Additionally there was a Class with Clara after each performance for boys and girls aged 3 to 8 !

Sunday, November 5, 2023
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
205 Elmwood Avenue

Locklair conducted by Locklair
Choral, organ, and instrumental concert

This special concert was thought by many to be among Cantate's most memorable events. Daniel Locklair, a higly regarded composer of our time, worked over two days of final rehearsals with all the musicians in the concert, and helped them to perform the selection of his compositions in renderings true to the emotions he had striven to to express in them.

St. John's Parish Choir and Cantate Children's and Youth Choir, Soloists, String orchestra, trumpet, and organ.
Featuring Locklair's "Requiem" and other works.

Sunday, October 15, 2023
4:00 pm
Emmanuel United Methodist Church
421 North Main Street, Amherst, Virginia 24521

Amazing Grace!
Organ Recital by Peggy Haas Howell
assisted by Cantate Children's and Youth Choir

This combined program featured works by Bach, Sweelinck, Pasquini, and Locklair, and ended with Naji Hakim's "Amazing Grace" for organ and choir.

Sunday, May 7, 2023
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
205 Elmwood Avenue

Yo le canto todo el dia
(I sing to you all day long)
Cantate's Annual Spring Concert

Cantate presented their annual spring concert, which included songs ranging from English madrigals to German art songs to contemporary nonsense songs with texts by Edward Lear to songs from different cultures sung in the original languages:  besides English in this program songs were sung in Swahili, Spanish, and Ukrainian.

The concert was conducted by Peggy Haas Howell and accompanied by Elizabeth Wilkinson at the piano.

There were no tickets. A freewill exit offering was taken, with proceeds benefiting Cantate.

Sunday, December 18, 2022
5:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
205 Elmwood Avenue

A Festival of Christmas
Lessons and Carols

with St. John's Parish Choir

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir jointly presented this popular contemplative event.

Friday, November 11, 2022
7:30 pm

Sunday, November 13, 2022
3:00 pm

Academy Center of the Arts:
Historic Academy of Music Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
524 Main Street,
Lynchburg, Virginia 24504

Puccini's Tosca

Opera on the James was the presenter of this opera favorite, which premiered in Rome at the turn of the twentieth century.  A significant number of Cantate singers participated.

Sunday, May 22, 2022
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
205 Elmwood Avenue

Angel Voices Ever Singing
Choral, organ, and instrumental concert

This was a special concert of St. John's Episcopal Church, which has been celebrating the tenth anniversay of their Richard Howell organ, a three manual, 32 stop mechanical action organ.  This concert, "Angel Voices Ever Singing", showcased the organ as an instrument for musical accompanying.

St. John's Parish Choir and Cantate Children's and Youth Choir, and Peggy Haas Howell, organ, were conducted by guest conductor Randall Speer.  Works by Romantic and Contemporary English and French composers were featured, including C. Hubert H. Parry's seldom-performed "Hear my words, ye people" and Bob Chilcott's exciting "Angel Voices Ever Singing".

A pre-event flyer can be viewed and/or downloaded at this link.

Sunday, May 15, 2022
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
205 Elmwood Avenue

One Voice
Cantate's Annual Spring Concert

Cantate presented their annual spring concert, featuring a wide variety of works in different styles and languages, sung in parts. The program began with "Sorida", a Zimbabwe greeting.  The second piece was Tom Shelton's "One Voice".  Other choral pieces sung includde African-American spirituals, a French-Candian folksong, a Brazilian lullaby, and a Native American chant.

The concert was conducted by Peggy Haas Howell and accompanied by Elizabeth Wilkinson at the piano.

There were no tickets. A freewill exit offering was taken, with proceeds going to Cantate.  Noted was the new possibility of making donations to Cantate by activating the QR code printed in the program.

Saturday, March 19, 2022
6:30 pm
CASA Blanca Gala
The Virginian Hotel, downtown Lynchburg
712 Church Street
Lynchburg, Virginia 24504

Performance for CASA's fundraiser

Cantate sang as part of the evening of philanthropy at the newly renovated historic Virginian Hotel. This was a ticketed event with keynote speaker Ashley Rhodes-Courter. The purpose of the event was to help CASA - Court Appointed Special Advocates - provide advocacy for hundreds of children in Central Virginia who are victims of abuse or neglect.

Wednesday, February 23, 2022
7:30 pm

Children's Festival Chorus
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh Convention Center

Cantabile, Cantate's group of older and more experienced singers, is one of five choirs which were invited to form the Children's Festival Chorus at the Southern Region Conference of the American Choral Directors' Association, or ACDA.

The program by the Children's Festival Chorus formed part of the evening of welcome for the four-day private event, combining around one hundred voices from Cantate and these choirs:  Chattanooga Boys Choir; Durham Children's Choir; RISE Chorales; Young Singers of the Palm Beaches.  Several of the pieces sung, which the singers learnt ahead of time and rehearsed together on-site, were conducted for the event by their composers.

A donation to assist participating families with expenses incurred for this event was received with thanks from Bank of the James.

Sunday, December 19, 2021
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
205 Elmwood Avenue

A Festival of Christmas
Lessons and Carols

with St. John's Parish Choir

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir jointly presented this popular contemplative event.  The main musical pieces in the program were carols old and new, which were chosen to complement readings of passages from scripture.  Both well-known and less well-known musical repertoire were presented.  Featured pieces were by composers Philip Ledger, June Nixon, Howard Helvey, Z. Randall Stroope, Michael Higgins, Philip Wilby, and James Whitbourn.  The festival service was also live-streamed on St John's website and can be accessed for viewing on St. John's Youtube channel.

The bulletin for the festival service can be viewed and/or downloaded at this link.

Sunday, February 16, 2020
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

The Praises of Zion!
Joint Choral Concert with Instruments

Together with the University of Lynchburg's Chamber Choir

Cantate, St. John's Parish Choir, the University of Lynchburg's Chamber Choir, brass sextet, percussion, harp, and organ were featured in this exciting concert which included works by Paul Halley, Ēriks Ešenvalds, Craig Phillips, Z. Randall Stroope, and others.

Sunday, December 22, 2019
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

A Festival of Christmas
Lessons and Carols

with St. John's Parish Choir

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir jointly presented this popular contemplative event.  The main musical pieces in the program were carols old and new, which were chosen to complement readings of passages from scripture.  Both well-known and less well-known musical repertoire were presented.  Featured pieces were Three Angels by Ben Parry, There is no rose by Ēriks Ešenvalds, Ave generosa by Ola Gjeilo, as well as works by John Gardner, Howard Skempton, Alexander James, Elizabeth Poston, Bob Chilcott, and Paul Halley.

Saturday, December 14, 2019
2:00 pm and 7:00 pm

Sunday, December 15, 2019
4:00 pm

Academy Center of the Arts:
Historic Academy of Music Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
524 Main Street,
Lynchburg, Virginia 24504

The Nutcracker
by the Charlottesville Ballet with the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra

A favorite event, in a perfectly-scaled setting

As for the previous year, the music for the performances of the ballet was performed live, with Cantate's voices in the Snow Scene. The acoustics and ambience of the historic theatre enabled Tchaikovsky's masterpiece to become a transcendent experience!

Sunday, May 5, 2019
5:00 pm
Bower Center for the Arts
in downtown Bedford
305 North Bridge Street
Bedford, Virginia 24523

Concert

Cantate sang the cantata Folk Songs of the Four Seasons by Ralph Vaughan Williams - as well as other works for treble voices.

For the Bower Center website, please follow this link.

Sunday, March 24, 2019
5:00 pm
Academy Center of the Arts:
Historic 1905 Academy of Music Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
600 Main Street,
Lynchburg, Virginia 24504
(front entrance)

Gala Concert with the Greater Richmond Children's Choir
GRCC website

Following-up on the first collaborative concert for the two choirs held in October in Richmond, this event was another special treat!  The featured work, sung by the combined voices of both choirs, was the cantata Folksongs of the Four Seasons by Ralph Vaughan Williams. Accompaniment was by string quintet and piano.

The Lynchburg's newly-renovated Historic Academy of Music Theatre served as the acoustically and architecturally spectacular backdrop - and intimate setting - for this choral concert by the two children's and youth choirs.

Sunday, January 6, 2019
3:00 pm
Old City Cemetery:
Bicentennial Chapel
401 Taylor Street,
Lynchburg, Virginia 24501
Old City Cemetery website

Cantabile Holiday Concert
(older singers: middle- and high-school age)

The concert formed part of an event at the Old City Cemetery running from 12:00 pm until 5:00 pm, and billed as "Holiday Open House and Concert", which was originally scheduled for December 9, 2018, and rescheduled due to snow prediction.  The choir sang a delightful array of holiday and winter music!

Sunday, December 16, 2018
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

A Christmas Festival of
Lessons and Carols
with St. John's Parish Choir

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir jointly presented this popular contemplative event. The main musical pieces in the program were carols, which were chosen to complement readings of passages from scripture. Both well-known and less well-known musical repertoire were presented.  Featured pieces were Veni, Veni Emmanuel by Michael John Trotta, Ave Maria by Franz Biebl, Good Christian men, rejoice by Philip Ledger, The Magi's Dream by James Whitbourn, and God is with us by John Tavener.

Saturday, December 15, 2018
2:00 pm and 7:00 pm
Academy Center of the Arts:
Historic 1905 Academy of Music Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
600 Main Street,
Lynchburg, Virginia 24504
(front entrance)

The Nutcracker
with the Charlottesville Ballet and the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra

A celebratory opening event for this long-anticipated landmark

The music for the performances of this cherished ballet was performed live, and Cantate's role formed a valuable part in it. The acoustics of the venue are as truly special as they are said to be!

Sunday, October 28, 2018
5:00 pm
St. Michael's Episcopal Church
2040 McRae Road,
Bon Air, Virginia 23235
    alternative street address...
8706 Quaker Lane,
North Chesterfield, Virginia 23235
St. Michael's Facebook page

Concert with the Greater Richmond Children's Choir
GRCC website

As the first collaborative concert for the two choirs, this event was a rare treat!  Part of the program was sung by both choirs together.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018
7:00 pm
Choir room, St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue
St. John's website

Workshop for The American Guild of Organists

This was a special private event on the calendar of the AGO's Lynchburg Chapter.

Sunday, May 6, 2018
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Special Event...
25th Anniversary Concert
Conducted by present and former directors of Cantate

Cantate Alumni were included in the program!

The concert included the first song that Cantate singers rehearsed and performed 25 seasons ago: "Velvet Shoes" by Randall Thompson. Featured were Gabriel Fauré's "Messe basse", conducted by former Cantate director, Gordon Betenbaugh. Other musical pieces performed were Paul Ayers' exciting "Music to Hear", settings of African-American Spirituals, songs on Edward Lear nonsense poems, folk songs about house work, and songs about love. Cantate alumni joined the present ensemble of Cantate singers in singing several of the pieces. The concert closed with a Cantate favorite, Bob Chilcott's lovely "Irish Blessing".

Stand by for a link to the program to become available here!

Sunday, April 29, 2018
5:00 pm
Grace Episcopal Church, Lexington
123 W. Washington St.,
Lexington, Virginia 24450
Grace website

Concert

Cantate presented a concert containing most of the pieces to be sung at the Spring Concert the following week in Lynchburg.  In many respects it was a preview of that special concert.

Monday, December 18, 2017
4:30 pm
Westminster Canterbury Lynchburg
501 V.E.S. Road

Holiday Concert (for residents)

Cantate performed secular and sacred music of the season at this private concert.

The Westminster Canterbury Lynchburg website can be reached at this link.

Sunday, December 17, 2017
5:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

A Christmas Festival of
Lessons and Carols

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir jointly presented this popular contemplative event. The main musical pieces in the program were carols, which were chosen to complement readings of passages from scripture. Both well-known and less well-known musical repertoire were presented. There were new and old carols by James Whitbourn, John Rutter, Will Todd, David Willcocks, Ian Tracey, Philip Ledger, and Franz Biebl.

Among pieces sung by Cantate alone was a new composition by Lynchburg composer J. William Greene.

Sunday, December 10, 2017
7:00 pm
Oakwood Country Club
Rivermont Avenue and Link Road
3409 Rivermont Avenue

Holiday Concert for the Military Order of the World Wars

Cantate performed secular and sacred music of the season at this private concert.

The Military Order of the World Wars website can be reached at this link, and the Oakwood Country Club website can be reached at this link.

Friday, May 26, 2017
6:00 pm
Academy Center of the Arts:
Ann White Academy Gallery
in downtown Lynchburg
600 Main Street (front entrance)

Pre-Film Performance...
Keith Lee film Spirit of The Fallen

Keith Lee Dances presented the new film Spirit of the Fallen by the region's acclaimed dance artist and master teacher, Keith Lee. Cantate sang some American music, including an arrangement or two of patriotic songs, before the screening of the film.

Sunday, May 7, 2017
3:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Annual Spring Concert: "Sing Spring In!"

In the 2016-17 year's Spring Concert the choir sang a variety of music in several languages. Highlights of that year's program were the French Song Cerf-volant (Paper Kite) from the movie Les Choristes, and the famous German song An die Musik (To Music) by Schubert. Other pieces sung were newly-composed music for treble voices, as well as a 17^th century motet by Hassler, and arrangements of American, Scottish, and Hebrew folksongs. The concert was conducted by Cantate's Director, Peggy Haas Howell, with Assistant Conductor Elizabeth Wilkinson providing accompaniments.

The concert program is available at this link.

Sunday, April 22, 2017
7:30 pm
Lynchburg College Snidow Chapel
1501 Lakeside Drive

Lynchburg Choral Union Concert

Cantate joined the Lynchburg Choral Union and a chamber orchestra to perform John Rutter's beautiful "Mass of the Children".

Tickets were available at the door or by calling (434) 544-8344. Additional information could be found on the Choral Union's Facebook page.

Sunday, February 12, 2017
4:00 pm
St. Mark's, Clifford
St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 670 Patrick Henry Highway, Amherst, Virginia 24521

Organ and Choral Concert
by Peggy Haas Howell and Cantate

Cantate joined their director and organist, Peggy Haas Howell, in this concert which featured organ works as well as choral works. Cantate sang works by Andrew Carter and famed Paris organist/composer Jean Langlais, as well as several chorales.

The concert was presented by Amherst Glebe Arts Response (AGAR). Tickets were obtainable online at Lynchburgtickets.com/agar.

Sunday, December 18, 2016
5:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

A Festival of Christmas
Lessons and Carols

Cantate and St. John's Parish Choir sang singly and together in this chorally-interwoven reflective event - of a genre and tradition which has evolved to occupy a special place in music-making of the season - and which has broad community appeal. Presented were carols old and new - by Rutter, Willcocks, Berg, Howells, Gallina, Cherwien, and Lauridsen.

Saturday, December 10, 2016
7:00 pm
Jefferson Forest High School's Cavalier Theatre
1 Cavalier Circle, Forest, Virginia 24551

Lynchburg Symphony Family Holiday Concert

The movie "The Snowman" was accompanied by "The Snowman Symphony", featuring a soloist from Cantate.
Also, Cantate and the LSO performed "The Season of Joy" by Jerome Malek, which included several traditional carols.

Further information was available at this link to the Lynchburg Symphony website.

Sunday, October 23, 2016
3:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Lighten Our Darkness: a Choral Festival
with guest English choral conductor Martin Neary

Cantate joined St. John's Parish Choir, Randolph College Chorale, and St. Paul's Choir for this noteworthy event. Famed English organist and conductor Martin Neary was the guest conductor. Dr. Neary was the Organist and Choir Director at Westminster Abbey in the 1990's, and at Winchester Cathedral before then. The concert featured Benjamin Britten's "Rejoice in the Lamb", written for four soloists, choir, and organ; with words from an 18th-century poem "Jubilato Agno" by Christopher Smart. Other music featured included choral music for Evensong, All Saints, and St. Cecilia.

There is more detailed information about Dr. Neary's Lynchburg visit - including a link to the concert program - on a separate page at this link.

Sunday, May 15, 2016
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Spring Concert: "Now Is the Month of Maying"

To mark the close of the 2015-2016 season, our 23rd, the choir sang pieces from a range of choral musical styles. Some pieces had no instrumental accompaniment (a cappella), while others made use of the piano and yet others some colorful sounds of the mechanical-action pipe organ at St. John's. The program began with a piece originally composed for our choir in celebration of its 10th anniversary; and included sacred motets, English madrigals of the Renaissance, a pair of newly-composed American songs on popular tongue-twisters, and folksongs from Canada and the Celtic heritage. To see the program click this link.

Sunday, December 20, 2015
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Christmas Concert: "Carols and Lullabies"

Together with St. John's Choir, accompanied by harp, oboe, marimba, and classical guitar. Featured Conrad Susa's composition "Carols and Lullabies, Christmas in the Southwest".

Saturday, December 12, 2015
7:00 pm
Academy Center of the Arts:
(until recently Academy of Fine Arts)
Warehouse Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
Commerce Street and 5th Street

Holiday Concert
with the Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra

Sunday, November 8, 2015
3:00 pm
E.C. Glass Civic Auditorium
Langhorne Road between Memorial Avenue and Murrell Road

Bizet's Carmen

Cantate participated as the children's chorus in this exciting production by Opera on the James.

Sunday, May 17, 2015
2:30 pm
The Awareness Garden, Lynchburg
close to the end of the bike path behind St. George Greek Orthodox Church at 1724 Langhorne Road

Music for the Spring Brick Dedication

Sunday, May 3, 2015
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Spring Concert: We Sing of Golden Mornings

This year's Spring Concert opened with a work by American composer Neil Ginsberg, and featured flutist Alycia Hugo and the choir in Dan Locklair's four-movement work "The Playful Rainbow". Locklair is a well-known composer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The programme also included Renaissance madrigals, along with arrangements of American, Irish and African folksongs.

Sunday, December 21, 2014
4:00 pm
St. John's Episcopal Church, Lynchburg
Elmwood Avenue, off Rivermont Avenue

Gloria in Excelsis Deo: a Christmas celebration in music, poetry, and prose

Cantate, St. John's Parish Choir, a brass ensemble, percussion, and organ was directed by Peggy Haas Howell in presenting this Christmas concert, featuring John Rutter's exciting and beloved "Gloria!", and Glenn Rudoph's moving "The Dream Isaiah Saw".

The choirs also performed arrangements of Christmas carols by June Nixon, Michael Head, Carl Rutti, and Alan Bullard.

The brass ensemble played Christmas carols before and after the program.

Sunday, December 6, 2014
7:00 pm
Academy of Fine Arts:
Warehouse Theatre
in downtown Lynchburg
Commerce Street and 5th Street

A Holiday of Yesteryear

The Lynchburg Symphony Orchestra accompanied Cantate in settings of popular holiday songs such as "Winter Wonderland" and "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by English composer Paul Ayers, as well as works by John Rutter, including "Away in a manger" and "We wish you a merry Christmas". The orchestra played other holiday favorites, including selections from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite".

Sunday, November 9, 2014
3:00 pm
E.C. Glass Civic Auditorium
Langhorne Road between Memorial Avenue and Murrell Road

Puccini's La Bohème

Opera on the James was the producer of this great masterpiece. The version was spectacular in its costumes and stage setting, and again had a rôle for our choir. Sixteen members of Cantate, prepared by our Director Peggy Haas Howell, participated as the children's chorus. The conductor was Maestro Carmine Aufiero, and an adult chorus prepared by Randall Speer also took part.