Please help us bring the beauty of choral music to the ears of those who have loved it all their lives, and to those who are just learning to love it.
"Kantorei is a gem in the American choral scene. I love the passion of the singers and the familial quality of the group. They are continually working together to achieve a high level of musicality as well as deepening their personal relationships. I felt so welcomed into their family and this album ["Sing, Wearing the Sky"] was a beautiful collaboration in which every moment was handled with such care and such deep, spacious musicality." --- Jake Runestad, Composer
“...Always engaging and colorful...sung with depth and conviction by Kantorei.” – Karl W. Nehring, Classical Candor,
“…This is an impressive ensemble, always precise and always well-blended.”– Raymond Tuttle, Fanfare Magazine
“Maestro Rinsema’s Kantorei sound gorgeous here.”– Philip Greenfield, American Record Guide
“What finer advocates for his music could a composer have than these excellent singers of Kantorei?”– David Vernier, Classics Today
and from our audience members...
“Beautiful arrangements, high caliber... They are always artful, intelligent, and amazing performances.”
“…one of the most incredible and spine-tingling concerts that I have heard in a long time. Looking forward to the rest of the season.”
“Thank you for the joy you have brought into my life.”
“I’ve been smiling all day long. I’m so glad I got to experience the beauty of Kantorei’s performance. It was truly heartwarming.”
“What an incredible experience…words cannot convey the magnitude of the program…spellbinding. Not soon to be forgotten.”
OUR VISION
To elevate the human experience through choral excellence
OUR MISSION
Kantorei is an inclusive community of volunteer singers that invites audiences to experience the richness and diversity of the choral art form, joyously executed at the highest standard of musical excellence. We are innovators: we responsibly leverage our resources to commission work by living composers, perform music by underrepresented and emerging artists, encourage future talent through educational engagement, and nurture the choral community.
Kantorei is a Denver-based, choral ensemble comprised of volunteer singers under the direction of Managing Artistic Director Joel M. Rinsema.
Formed in 1997 under the leadership of six friends and artistic director Richard Larson, Kantorei has established itself as one of the nation’s premier choral ensembles. Our choral artists have studied at schools with strong music programs across the United States such as Baylor University, Brigham Young University, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, St. Olaf College, Wartburg College, and Westminster Choir College. Kantorei’s singers reside throughout the greater Denver area. Some serve as choral music educators, church choir conductors, and vocal instructors. Others are doctors, social workers, optometrists, counselors, clinical psychologists, accountants, realtors – all brought together in weekly rehearsals for shared artistic excellence and community.
Kantorei has performed in the Aspen Music Festival and for major choral conventions across the U.S., toured the world, and has commissioned and premiered new choral works from such renowned composers as Kim André Arnesen, Eric William Barnum, Abbie Betinis, René Clausen, Ola Gjeilo, Jocelyn Hagen, Sarah Quartel, Jake Runestad, Joshua Shank, and Eric Whitacre. In the summer of 2022, Kantorei performed the Central American premiere of Jake Runestad’s “El Último Hilo” in Guatemala City and Antigua, Guatemala, along with Guatemelan choir Vocalis. In the fall of 2021, Kantorei began its three-year collaboration with M. Roger Holland, II as Artist-in-Residence.
Kantorei has released two recordings on the Naxos label. “Sing, Wearing the Sky” (2020) choral music of Jake Runestad reached the #3 best-selling classical album on iTunes, #4 on the Traditional Classical Billboard Charts, and the top ten in both the best-selling classical album and new classical release categories on Amazon. “Infinity: Choral Works of Kim André Arnesen” (2018) climbed to the #2 best-selling classical album on iTunes, #6 on the Traditional Classical Billboard Charts and #19 on the overall Classical Billboard charts. Santa Barbara Music Publishing Inc. publishes the Kantorei Choral series.
Organization name
Kantorei
1998
Tax id (EIN)
84-1446895
Category
Arts, Culture & Humanities
Organization Size
Medium Organization
Address
3501 S Colorado BlvdMailing
3501 S Colorado BlvdArapahoe County, CO, US
Denver, CO, US
Adams County, CO, US
Cherry Hills Village, CO, US
Englewood, CO, US