The Cantata Singers Philosophy

The Cantata Singers was founded to explore and share the cantatas of Johann Sebastian Bach. In those works one faces the deepest musical inspiration and technique directed by a profound trust in the sense and seriousness of the words. To recognize the truths in the cantatas one need not subscribe to the 18th century Lutheran tenets that guided their creation. The moral and spiritual questions that these works raise are not the property of a particular religious belief, or of a single time or place. The truths of the cantatas found in the texts, in the music, and in the mysterious interaction of words and music speak with vitality to anyone approaching with an open ear, mind or heart.

Since its earliest years, the Cantata Singers has expanded its repertoire, guided by the inspiration found in the association of powerful music and serious words. In broadening its repertoire to include music from at least four centuries, the Cantata Singers has seen that the best works from the past transcend their time to speak forcefully to a contemporary audience, and do so without a need for a replication of the circumstances of their creation. From this belief comes also the perception that works of different ages, thoughtfully juxtaposed, can resonate together, each deepening the understanding and appreciation of the others. Further, as the Cantata Singers has come to include in its repertoire purely instrumental works, the orienting principles continue to guide and find new expression.

As the broad stream of musical tradition that produced the psalms of Schütz, the cantatas of Bach, the oratorios of Handel and Schumann, the masses of Haydn and Bruckner, and the choral statements of Stravinsky and Schoenberg continues to flow, the Cantata Singers is committed to the fostering of new works in creation and performance.

Believing in the enduring value of these works and the tradition from which they still emerge, the Cantata Singers is committed to their advocacy. While performance is the most direct form of advocacy, in education lies the sum of the Cantata Singers activity. To people who are susceptible to music, regardless of their knowledge or experience, much of this developing musical tradition has broad and immediate appeal. For all three segments of the audience – performers, initiated public, and potential listeners – however, there is more to be done. For the musicians, education is an integral part of the process of preparation and performance. For members of the audience, the experience is always deepened through greater knowledge of the music, its texts, its context and its values. And for the uninitiated listeners, we have an obligation to provide opportunity for the kind of experience in which we so strongly believe – the ineffable enrichment of the mind, heart and spirit.