All Cantus singers are invited to tour with us to the prestigious Choirs of America Festival in San Francisco on March 14, 2019. We’ll be working with festival headliners Deke Sharon (The Sing Off, Pentatonix, Jane, Pitch Perfect) and Z. Randall Stroope (prolific and famous American composer).
Choirs of America Festival
Choirs of America is one of the nation’s top choral educational programs. Cantus singers will work with famous composers, sing for collegiate clinicians, and perform in a day festival and an evening mass concert with other invited choirs. Here is the tentative festival itinerary:
- Morning: Rehearsal with famous composers Deke Sharon and Z. Randall Stroope on songs that they have written.
- Afternoon: Cantus festival performances and on-stage clinics, listen to other choirs, one hour clinic with a respected college choral professor from the Bay Area.
- Evening: Festival mass concert. Cantus sings by ourselves and then with other choirs on the pieces by Deke Sharon and Z. Randall Stroope.
Deke Sharon
Heralded as “The Father of Contemporary A Cappella,” Deke Sharon is responsible for the current sound of modern a cappella, having created the dense vocal-instrumental sound in college, subsequently spreading it around the world. Read below for highlights from Deke’s career and click here for his full bio.
- Producer of “The Sing-Off“ worldwide (USA, Netherlands, China, South Africa)
- Discovered and launched the career of Pentatonix on The Sing-Off
- Arranger, on-site music director and vocal producer for Universal’s “Pitch Perfect“ and “Pitch Perfect 2“ and “Pitch Perfect 3“ starring Anna Kendrick & Rebel Wilson
- Founded the Contemporary A Cappella Society
- His latest project for Disney – D Cappella – launched in 2018
- Contemporary cappella’s most prolific arranger, having arranged over 2,000 songs
- Shared the stage as a performer with countless music legends, including Ray Charles, James Brown, Crosby Stills and Nash, Run DMC, The Temptations, LL Cool J and the Four Tops, and performed for luminaries including President Bill Clinton.
- Created a cappella groups for Disneyland and Disneyworld
- Cantus has performed his arrangements of SHUT UP AND DANCE, USE SOMEBODY, SING, SEASONS OF LOVE, JUST THE WAY YOU ARE, and I STILL HAVEN’T FOUND WHAT I’M LOOKING FOR.
Z. Randall Stroope
Z. Randall Stroope is a prolific American composer, conductor and lecturer. It has been a collective dream of the Cantus directors to someday have Cantus work with Dr. Stroope and we are beyond ecstatic that this dream is finally coming true! Read below for highlights from Dr. Stroope’s career and click here for his full bio.
- Has directed 20 summer international music festivals in England, Germany, Spain and Italy, and conducted 41 American all-state choirs
- Most recently conducted at the Santa Maria sopra Minerva (Rome), Hong Kong, Barcelona, Singapore, Canterbury Cathedral (England), Berliner Dom (Germany), Salzburger Dom (Austria), St. John (Canada), Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.), Carnegie Hall (New York), and seven performances for Mass at the Vatican.
- His shorter choral works have sold over three million copies.
- His works have been recorded or performed by prestigious ensembles nationally and internationally, including the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, Oregon Bach Festival, Concordia Choir, Prairie Voices (Canada), Oriana Women’s Choir, United States West Point Glee Club, Grex Vocalis, NOVA, Bella Voce, Turtle Creek Chorale, Westminster Choir College and University of British Columbia. His We Beheld Once Again the Stars was recently performed by the Philippine Madrigal Singers in their win of the European Grand Prix for Choral Singing. Stroope’s Revelation (watch the video) was performed by the Ehwa Chamber Choir (South Korea).