"For its third-annual pop concert, "Covers III," the male vocal ensemble Cantus takes a wide variety of songs, creates unique and diverse arrangements and performs them with proficiency and style." Read More...

"Founded at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn., in 1995, Cantus is one of the country's premier all-male vocal ensembles." Read More...

"And if a classic work is marked by its capacity to stretch and deepen in meaning on repeated viewings, then "All is Calm" seems destined to become timeless. Even without an ornament or a shred of red drapery anywhere on its stark set, 'All is Calm' has no peer in the Christmas theatrical sweepstakes -- on the terms of celebrating the possibility of peace on earth, goodwill to all." Read More...

"'All is Calm' is a tremendously moving work that pulls hope from a hopeless situation, its words directly from the mouths and pens of the participants, its music able to bring both warmth and chills." Read More...

"Offering advice on everything from the importance of connecting with the music to how to condition yourself to be a better singer, the Minneapolis-based ensemble spent nearly two hours leading a master workshop for the students, performing, listening, critiquing, instructing, and listening some more." Read More...

"The entire performance was memorized, so no annoying books were being bobbled around, allowing the singers and actors to communicate completely with the audience. It is rare to hear professional vocal ensembles 'off of their music' these days and this reviewer was thrilled." Read More...

"The men of Cantus are simply magnificent in their interpretations. You will never hear some of these songs in quite the same way again." Read More...

"'Many historians credit 'Silent Night' with being the song that actually started the truce,' Humble said. 'People said the Germans started it, and the English recognized the song as something that was sung in England as well.'" Read More...

"After the success of last season's 'Covers: A Pop Concert,' it's not surprising that the male vocal ensemble Cantus would present 'Covers II.' This year's concert was every bit as much fun as last year's and, in one significant respect, represented a major improvement." Read More...

"So these choral nerds can rock when they want to, but creating vocal magic is their strong suit." Read More...

"Around this time last year, Rothstein enlisted the ideal collaborators for his piece in Cantus, a nine-man male chorus that started life at Northfield's St. Olaf College. Now they've revived 'All is Calm,' which opened a six-performance run at Minneapolis' Pantages Theatre on Thursday night. And it's not only an outstanding piece of musical theater, but a brilliantly executed production that understands that its power comes from its simplicity."
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"Above all, though, Rothstein and Cantus (led by artistic director Erick Lichte) find the ineffable mystery of this story: German and Allied voices take on haunting resonance, singing 'Stille Nacht' on a field normally thundering with artillery; a French opera tenor amazes comrades by spontaneously singing 'O Holy Night'; the 23rd Psalm is solemnly recited in English and German as enemies honor their fallen; the sheer felicity of the moment is reflected in one soldier's observation that 'we were laughing and chatting with men we were trying to shoot hours before./" Read More...

"But it's the voices of the Cantus singers that make most of the magic in this show. Even when they're singing moldy oldies like 'Pack up Your Troubles' (in your old kit bag, and smile, smile . . .) or holiday staples like 'O Tannenbaum' and 'Good King Wencenslas,' the arrangements are sophisticated and the execution superb. Cantus' version of 'Silent Night' blends German and English lyrics with six-part harmonies to create an almost unbearably sad coda to the events of that night. In fact, the sound Cantus produced on Friday night was so undeniably sacred that, when the show ended, no one in the audience Friday night wanted to be the first to break the spell. We all sat in silence, wondering who would be the first to clap." Read More...

"All Is Calm inspires with a view of human goodness that extends beyond nationality. In this holiday season, when we speak most highly of peace on Earth, All Is Calm provides the actual realization of those words. Instead of a seasonal slogan, All Is Calm shows a universal goodwill that could be a reality if only we have the courage to act in accordance with our shared humanity." Read More...

"Through Sunday: The Minnesota-based male choir Cantus has been something of a word-of-mouth phenomenon as its fame has grown over the years. But the new CD, 'All Is Calm,' could be what really launches the group to international acclaim. It has already garnered a glowing review from Classics Today. But that's an audio version of what has been hailed as a deeply moving theatrical experience." Read More...

"'All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914' is on my must-see list this year. Last year, the original work of musical theater was the talk of the Twin Cities, impressing critics and audiences alike. It sold out with 3,000 people attending performances at three churches in the area."
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"Perhaps time itself is not the sole arbiter of a classic. For example, 'All Is Calm' -- a theatrical concert -- feeds our need for heroes, gives space to our dreams of human nobility, allows us to approach the enigma of Christmas and puzzle over the miracle that stopped enemies from killing each other for one day."
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"'I think what they did that Christmas of 1914 was heroic. And I hope this play gives them a little place in history that they deserve,' he said." Read More...

"'Words alone cannot convey the depth of feeling; music is essential to the telling of this story,' Rothstein said. 'In fact, I believe music was essential to the Christmas Truce. The soldiers would hold impromptu concerts for each other, singing from their trenches to their enemy across No Man's Land. They spoke many different languages, but music was a language they all had in common.'" Read More...

"Simply amazing. Looking for something special to surprise and entertain your family this holiday season? Look no further. The collaboration between Cantus and Theater Latte Da has created the perfect holiday gift: All Is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914. Enough said!" Read More...

"If you're looking for a truly unique and engaging Christmas/holiday recording, you shouldn't miss this new release from the 9-member professional male vocal ensemble Cantus. Billed as a "radio musical drama", All is Calm presents songs, poetry, letters, and journal excerpts relating to the extraordinary World War I incident known as "the Christmas Truce", in which on Christmas Eve, 1914, soldiers from the trenches on both sides of the front lines in Belgium spontaneously initiated a cease-fire like no other, a celebration not only of Christmas--carols were sung back and forth, trees were lit with candles, food and drink was passed around, pictures were taken, a game of soccer was played--but also of the basic humanity all of these men shared, as they helped each other bury the dead that for days had lain unattended across no man's land." Read More...

"The Twin Cities vocal ensemble Cantus begins its new season this weekend, featuring works from its 10th recording, 'While You Are Alive.' The group gave MPR classical music host Steve Staruch a preview." Read More...

"'Our goal for this album,' says Cantus's Artistic Director, Erick Lichte, seen here pictured in the control room with composer Edie Hill, 'was to create an album that celebrates life in all its aspects and stages while, at the same time, pushing all of the boundaries of what a choral album could be. In terms of repertoire, we have tried to bring together new works for male choir that not only represent a barometric reading of the current state of composition in America, but also works of great beauty and emotional truth. We've also tried to bring to these works a new sound in vocal chamber music that fuses razor-tight ensemble singing with soloistic color and chamber-music intimacy. It is our hope that this album shows that both can be possible.'" Read More...

"They sing with a passion and unanimity of ensemble without sacrificing individual emotional contributions that so make a choir rise above the merely professional to the extraordinarily vibrant." Read More...

"Minor quibbles aside, there's a lot here you're not going to want to miss. So don't." Read More...

"In the best of times, collaboration between two first-rate vocal ensembles doubles the fun. On Friday, Minnesota-based Cantus (nine men) teamed up with Norway's Trio Mediaeval (all women) for a sold-out concert at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater, part of the 'A Cappella: Singing Solo' festival. The program was a motley mix of 13th-century English sacred motets, Norwegian and African folk arrangements and contemporary fare."
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"Did it make any difference that Trio Mediaeval, an angelic female ensemble from Scandinavia, was greatly outnumbered by Cantus, a dynamic nonet of male singers based in Minneapolis? Not a bit. They shared a program Wednesday at Cleveland's Trinity Cathedral with equal vibrancy, though they rarely sang together." Read More...

"Each singer is a capable soloist, but it is as an exceptionally tight ensemble that the singers excel. They produce a brilliant sound from the highest falsetto to the deepest bass. They bring the same technical proficiency to this repertoire that they bring to classical music, but don't take it too seriously. There is a sense of freedom and improvisation to the performance and genuine camaraderie in the patter between songs, making the whole evening a great deal of fun."
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"This Cantus/Theater Latté Da event came off less as a heart-warming holiday concert than as storytelling, and as such, it was a dramatic, real-life musing about the power this season has to make us stop, reflect, and decide to operate in a mode of peace, and the enormous impact those decision can have." Read More...

"Rothstein, Cantus artistic director Erick Lichte and their charges have given us a great gift this season, reinvesting the words 'Peace on Earth' with their true meaning." Read More...