Uzhgorod's professional Cantus Chamber Choir will visit Corvallis area

By Wendy Geist

Gazette-Times reporter

For more than 15 years, the people of Uzhgorod and Corvallis have shared their culture and lives with each other.

Since 1991, more than 650 people representing Corvallis have traveled to Uzhgorod as volunteers in dozens of projects, and for that the people of Uzhgorod have been thankful. In return, they have wanted to give something back to Corvallis.

Next month, Uzhgorod's Cantus Chamber Choir will share their love of music not only with Corvallis, but also with cities throughout the Northwest in a tour entitled "Cultures in Concert."

From April 5 to April 25, the 22-member professional choir will perform in 14 concerts and present master classes and workshops in Seattle, Portland, Salem, Albany, Corvallis and Eugene. Four of those concerts will take place in Corvallis and one in Albany.

Cantus sings liturgical and folk music from the Transcarpathia region of Eastern Europe as well as American favorites. The choir has achieved European acclaim, including a recent invitation to the prestigious Salzburg Festival. The tour to the Northwest will be Cantus' first tour in the United States.

Ray William, chairman of the cultural exchange committee of the Corvallis Sister Cities Association, said people typically associate the Ukraine with dance, and that introducing the people in the Northwest to the music of Ukraine is a rare treat.

"Music is a very fundamental part of their culture. They do it spontaneously on the street corner and in social events, and so that was something they thought they could share with us," William said.

The planning involved to bring Cantus to the Northwest has taken more than two years to complete. In 2002, Corvallis Sister Cities sent a delegation to Uzhgorod in search of a performance group, and Cantus was selected.

After the board chose to invite the choir, Cantus business manager Stanislav Sokach visited Corvallis and preliminary plans for the tour were made.

"I hope our trip to the U.S.A. will contribute to better understanding of the cultures of our two nations through our personal contacts with our friends in Corvallis," Sokach said. "We would like to introduce to American audiences our music, our traditions, and our folk and sacred songs, including Orthodox choir music."

Following Sokach's visit, the cultural exchange committee began contacting venues and the tour came together, William said.

The choir will present classes and perform with various ensembles, including the University of Oregon and University of Washington School of Music, Lewis and Clark College, the Boeing Employees Choir, the Linn-Benton Community College Chamber Choir, the Eugene Vocal Arts Ensemble, First Presbyterian Chancel Choir, Heart of the Valley Chamber Choir, Jubilate!, the Oregon State University Chamber Choir and "Bella Voce" Women's Chorus, and the Crescent Valley and Corvallis High School concert choirs. A number of churches in Oregon and Washington are also hosting Cantus.

The tour, including airfare, will cost Corvallis Sister Cities about $70,000, William said. More than $23,000 has already been raised in Corvallis from businesses and individual donations, and more than 100 donors and eight sponsors have contributed. Four sponsors in Uzhgorod also have provided significant contributions.

Between 500 and 600 volunteers throughout the region are providing venues, organizing receptions and hosting home stays and meals for the choir members.

For more information or to make a donation, contact Ray William at 753-1979, williamr@science.oregonstate.edu or Paul Brashnyk at 757-1509, ext. 11.

At a glance

Uzhgorod's Cantus Chamber Choir will perform several concerts as part of its Northwest tour, including:

April 12 - LBCC Choir and Cantus, at the Russell Tripp Performance Theater in Albany, 7:30 p.m., $10

April 15 - Cantus, at First United Methodist Church in Corvallis, 7:30 p.m., $12

April 20 - Corvallis High School, Crescent Valley High School and Cantus choirs, at the Crescent Valley High School auditorium, 7:30 p.m., $10 adults, $5 students.

April 23 - Choral Festival with seven choirs and Cantus, at LaSells Stewart Center, OSU, 7:30 p.m., $15

April 24 - Fourth Sunday at Four with Cantus, at Church of the Good Samaritan in Corvallis, 4 p.m., donation

Tickets for the April 15 and April 23 concerts are available at Grass Roots Books & Music, Rice's Pharmacy, Gracewinds Music, the Scandinavian Trading Co. and at the door.