By Robin McKee Williams
On Monday, December 21, the virtuoso choral group Chanticleer sang their “Chanticleer Christmas” concert at the Carmel Mission. The concert opened with singers entering in a procession down the aisle singing the plainsong Hodie Christus Natus Est. From the first note it was evident that this concert promised to be an outstanding evening of singing, musicianship and entertainment. The concert spanned nearly eight centuries of music, from Josquin Desprez and Giovanni Maria Nanio to Mendelssohn, Arvo Pärt, and Hugo Distler, to spirituals arranged by Joseph Jennings. The New Yorker has called Chanticleer, “the world’s reigning male chorus,” and Musical America has named Chanticleer as “2008 Ensemble of the Year.” This Grammy award-winning ensemble is now in its 32nd season.
