COMING SOON - OUR 2025-2026 SEASON! Save these dates!
December 6, 2025 - Let Heaven and Nature Sing: Holiday Fun!
March 1, 2026 - Her Light, Her Voice: A Celebration of Music By and About Women
May of 2026, in collaboration with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Southern Finger Lakes is a month of Creation as we celebrate From Genesis to Now: Two Visions of Creation by Haydn and Forrest. Beginning with Joseph Haydn’s 1798 masterpiece The Creation on Saturday, May 2, and ending the month with Dan Forrest’s cinematic, exuberant telling of the story of Creation on Saturday, May 23
For all who’d like to sing with us, plan to attend our first rehearsal of the season, Sunday September 7, 6 pm in the parish hall at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 408 S. Main St., Horseheads NY. For more information, you can reach out to us at Cantatasingers@ymail.com
We’ve been invited to sing with Dan Forrest in England! Please help us realize the dream!
We got the news on May 19 of this year…
from Vox Anima, London
Greetings to you from London! I am contacting you on behalf of Vox Anima London and our Founder and Artistic Director James Meaders to invite The Cantata Singers of Elmira to join us in England to perform Dan Forrest's CREATION.
Dan will return to England in June 2026 as composer-in-residence for a festival performance of CREATION in the stunning Rochester Cathedral, England's second oldest cathedral. Rochester in Kent was the childhood home of Charles Dickens, and the inspiration for many of his works. The cathedral is also located right beside the Norman Rochester Castle, so it is a setting filled with a thousand years of history.
Having discovered details of your performance of CREATION from earlier this spring, and subsequently listening to snippets of the choir on your Facebook page, I was eager to connect to explore the possibility of members of the choir joining us for this festival performance next summer.
The recording of our Messiah performance is posted just below! Make sure to follow along in the linked concert program.
"Absolutely brilliant concert. Best I've seen in this region in years!!"
"This was a totally extraordinary experience! I have heard and performed in Messiah concerts many times, but really never understood why this piece was so beloved until this performance."
"It was a beautiful performance with world class professional musicians. I’m thankful for the team who brought this concert to our region!"
What an amazing performance we had with Dan Forrest’s CREATION! Enjoy the recording posted just below! Click here to read the program notes as you listen.
If you want to hear more from this ‘24-’25 season check out these recordings from our Grace Episcopal Church performance in December.
The performance was dedicated to the memory of Nick Borrelli and included this premiere of A Conversation (Between Ithaca and the Milky Way) in the 2nd half.
December 2024 Concert - “Light in Winter” (click here for program)
Highlights from the Cantata Singers 60th Anniversary Celebration
SATURDAY, JULY 13, WAS A BLAST! Thanks to the dedication, time and talent of more than 100 musicians the audience enjoyed the world premiere of Listening, an Act of Love under the shade of the Nasser Civic Center Skating Rink roof.
Now you can enjoy the performance as well! Click here to watch the video of July 13th on YouTube.
Click here to see the program that goes along with the performance.
Story Music Project works completed so far!
THE STORY MUSIC PROJECT MIGHT BE DONE
But the important work continues! Even though the Artist Employment Project of Creatives Rebuild New York is now in the history books, our resident composer and Music Director, Will Wickham, continues to collect and write musical stories stories of unheard voices of the Finger Lakes area. Most of the pieces completed so far have been recorded and can be heard on this website! Additionally our YouTube channel has videos of the July ‘24 concert and more! The most recent work will be premiered in Elmira on December 7th! If you have a story to share please reach out directly to Will at will.w@cantatasingers.com
These sound files were recorded at our outdoor performance in Elmira, 5 June, 2022. See concert details in the program linked below. Note that due to a technical glitch the file for Where Sacred Waters Divide begins during Gorge, the 2nd song on the program.
Three Free Concerts Each Season
Exploring great choral music from the Renaisscance through today
Photo © Bob Haggard
Find out about who we are, where we come from, and what we've been doing since 1964.
Ready to take the next step? You can become a contributor to our cause, or participate yourself.
Group and concert photography thanks to Richard S. Perry. Other photography courtesy of Susan Nagle, Will Wickham and others