Testimonies ...
-Not only have you all accomplished something truly unique in being the choir for the 3rd ever performance of Cantata Memoria, but you have also raised the bar substantially for choral singing in Chemung County. The Cantata Singers performed tonight at level that has not been heard in these parts in many, many years. Both halves of a very challenging program were performed brilliantly! You should all be so very proud of the work you do!
- [Cantata Memoria]First off, thank you for the remarkable performance yesterday. The music is so textured in part because it contains such a range of emotions, and the performances were just outstanding. Not only were the soloists dramatic and subtle, but I was impressed with the youth choir, too. They drew out such tenderness and playfulness, which deepened the poignancy for me. And the Cantata Singers carried the day--they filled that vast space with their collected and antiphonal voices. I was very impressed.
-This concert was for me a more moving experience than the one at Carnegie Hall . It was truly emotional and life changing. I felt like I, we, were part of a truly great work of art.
- [Upstate Premier and 3rd ever performance of Karl Jenkins' Cantata Memoria] We had another commitment after the concert yesterday, so we couldn't stick around to congratulate you, but we want you to know that we LOVED the concert. Truly, it was spectacular. The composer made a colossal mistake in not getting himself up to Elmira, New York to hear his work performed so beautifully. Bob just said that I should've used the word magical in there somewhere, so add magical into the mix too. You'd better start booking yourselves into bigger venues! Louise Paul
- What a treat the concert was! Academically, I knew that The Cantata Singers were the best our area had, but you are more than that. You deserve to be at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and anywhere els that good music is performed.
- What does it take to prepare a work like this? (Rutter Requiem) Talent of course, but also commitment, dedication and passion. The performance was polished to perfection, extraordinarily beautiful. Of greater significance was the emotion it invoked - moving, profound, disturbing, uplifting, hopeful, inspiring. As a listener I experienced everything from chills to a heavy heart to a sense of serenity to tears streaming down my face from the exquisite, positive ending message of hope/possibilities/peace. The compositons of John Rutter were angelic ... the 23rd Psalm brought me to a reflecton. I found myself with a tear flowing down my right cheek.
- God was indeed there, the awareness of the spirit and gratitude was palpable.
- I am so grateful for the opportunity to hear such beautiful music. Job well done! Thank you for sharing this with the world.
- I looked up and saw dozens of people in the crowd dabbing away the tears. I view those moments as a "cleansing" of my soul. They joy and peace can only be describes as pure spirit. The sun seems to take on a whole new feeling as you step back outside. Thanks for the lovely experience!
- Although tie constraints left me with plans to leave at intermission, I actually stayed through the entire concert. I was compelled. I heard every word and note.
- I was moved to tears during the conccert as the music stirred up powerful feelings of beauty and holiness.
- Thank you and all of the musicians for the magnificent and generous gift of yesterday's concert. It was exquisitely beautiful. The chorus and orchestra sounded so sublime they seemed o be from another realm, transporting me to Holy ground. It was such a profound and moving experience, that words cannot describe it. I left just before the very end so that words would not profane the experience. I remained in total silence for a long time so I could allow the beauty of every note of the Requiem to go deeper into my soul.