Cantus: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

Is there some kind of weird vocal vortex in Minnesota? The state turns out so many excellent choral groups — at the school, church and professional levels — that it can arguably be dubbed the choral center of the U.S. The members of the male vocal ensemble called Cantus, who huddled around Bob Boilen’s desk to sing for us, hail from that vortex — specifically Minneapolis-St. Paul. A quick note on the group’s name, because it’s more appropriate than you might think. “Cantus“ means “singing“ in Latin, but it also refers to an old European tradition. A student group who gathered to sing traditional songs and drink beer was once called a “cantus.“ And this modern-day group of Minnesotans indeed got its start in 1995 as a student singing group at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn. They didn’t tell us much about the beer, though. Cantus went professional in 2000 and has cut 15 albums on its own label. Unlike some choral groups who specialize in one style of music, Cantus prides itself on diversity. Just take