Critically acclaimed Chanticleer to perform free concert at Syracuse University Oct. 20

Critically acclaimed Chanticleer to perform free concert at Syracuse University Oct. 20October 09, 2002Judy Holmesjlholmes@syr.edu

Grammy award-winning Chanticleer will perform at Syracuse University’s Hendricks Chapel at 4 p.m. Oct. 20. The concert is part of the University’s Malmgren Concert Series and is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 3:15 pm. Seating is on a first come, first serve basis.

Praised by the New York Times for its “precise, pure and deeply felt singing,” and the Los Angeles Times for its luxurious perfection,” Chanticleer opened its 25th anniversary season with a European tour, which included concerts in Italy, Luxembourg and France. It also introduced four new themed concert programs and in October released a new Teldec CD called “Our American Journey,” which is also the subject of the first themed concert program. “Our American Journey: A celebration of Time and Place” spans more than four centuries of North American music, from 17th-century Mexican baroque to American classics, as well as works specially commissioned for Chanticleer. Other themed programs scheduled for the 2002-03 concert season are “A Chanticleer Christmas: Sacred and Traditional Holiday Music,” “My Beloved Spake: Music of Purcell and Lawes” and “Sound in Spirit: The Healing Power of Music.”

Chanticleer is America’s premier vocal ensemble whose repertoire spans ten centuries and crosses many geographical borders and musical genres from classics old and new to jazz, spirituals and gospel music. The 12-member, all-male ensemble has more than 24 recordings to its credit.

Named for the clear-singing rooster in Chaucer’s “Canterbury Tales,” Chanticleer was founded in 1978 by tenor Louis Botto, who sang with the group until 1989 and served as artistic director until his death in 1997. In 1999, Christine

Bullin joined Chanticleer as its first president and general director. Joseph Jennings is the music director, giving the group its artistic direction, as well as providing his acclaimed arrangements of a great deal of Chanticleer’s repertoire.

The ensemble performs regularly in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Toronto, Tokyo and Paris, as well as in its home base of San Francisco.

The Malmgren Concert Series was made possible by a generous gift to the University from alumna Esther Malmgren ’42 to Hendricks Chapel in 1991. The series consists of three or four concerts a year. Free parking is available for the Chanticleer concert in the Irving Garage; senior and handicapped parking is available adjacent to Hendricks Chapel. For more information, call Hendricks Chapel at 315-443-2901.