On Saturday, Feb. 7, Musical Ensemble Cantus will perform at the ETSU Martin Center for the Arts for a live concert. The group will close out the 2026 ETSU Choir Fest held by the Department of Music.
Cantus is an all-male vocal ensemble composed of eight chamber musicians. Meaning, each member plays their own unique part, without a conductor.
The ensemble got its start as a student organization at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, in 1995 before becoming a professional tenor bass ensemble in 1999. Today, the group consists of Samuel Bohlander-Green, Jacob Christopher, Chris Foss, Rod Kelly Hines, Alexander Nishibun, Paul John Rudoi, Paul Scholtz and Jeremy Wong.
This February, audiences local to the Johnson City area will have the opportunity to hear Cantus perform in concert.
“They will be performing a program called ‘Wanting Memories,’ which is a combination of popular songs and new choral works.” Dr. Alan Stevens said. “It includes ‘Over the Rainbow,’ Dolly Parton’s ‘Light of a Clear Blue Morning,’ Taylor Swift’s ‘Fifteen,’ Stevie Nicks’ ‘Landslide,’ and original pieces by composers Rosephanye Powell, Sydney Guillaume, and more.”
The ETSU Choir Fest will be a whole-day affair for guest high school choir students. The day will begin with clinics with ETSU Faculty, featuring Dr. Alan Stevens, Dr. Matthew Potterton, and guest Dr. Gene Peterson from Perform International.
After individual choir clinics with ETSU Faculty, the day will continue with rehearsal and a workshop with Cantus. After a short break is the ETSU Choirs Concert. Then, Cantus will perform to close out the day.
The show will begin at 7 P.M. with doors opening at 6:30 P.M. in the ETSU Foundation Grand Hall. Tickets cost $20 and are available now on the Martin Center for the Arts website or at the door. Contact music@etsu.edu for questions about the event.
