In September, 1981, several members of the Carmel Bach Festival Chorus met to discuss the idea of forming an independent choral group on the Monterey Peninsula.  From the beginning, the emphasis was on gathering together quality singers who would be dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in choral performance. I Cantori di Carmel (“the Singers of Carmel”) is a volunteer chorus of auditioned singers and our programs include major choral works as well as lesser-known jewels of the choral repertoire.

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I Cantori di Carmel at the Carmel Mission Basilica, with Dr. Sal Ferrantelli and Pianist Pauline Troia.

I Cantori Welcomes Daniel Henriks as New Music Director!

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Daniel Henriks is ready to "get his feet wet" as he begins his first season with I Cantori!
I Cantori di Carmel is pleased to welcome Daniel Henriks as its new Music Director.  Born in Essen, Germany to parents who were teachers, Henriks showed musical talent from an early age and recalls wanting to be a conductor from as early as age 7 or 8.  Henriks recalls, “My mother played in a guitar-mandolin orchestra and I remember noticing that all eyes were on the conductor.  I wanted to be THAT guy!” 
 
While the route to any career is usually not a straight one, Henriks kept his focus on music. He sang in school and church choirs, gaining mentors along the way who provided him with unique experiences.  In fact, the chorus master at his school was taken ill just before a concert, and Henriks was selected to step in as conductor despite being only 13 years old at the time!  During high school, Henriks also took voice lessons and received training in choral conducting at the nearby Folkwang Conservatory.

Following high school, Henriks and three friends founded the Junger Chor Ruhr​ and Junge Philharmonie Ruhr, with Henriks as Music Director and the others taking roles as Stage Manager, Business Director and Musicologist.  The choir and orchestra performed classical music and were featured in concerts, on the radio and created recordings under Henriks’ baton.  Opportunities to conduct arose, as when he was invited to conduct musicians in the young Romanian democracy following the overthrow of Ceaușescu, as well as conducting the Ukranian National Academic Orchestra in Kiev and on tour in Germany.
 
Henriks was also enrolled at the Hannover Conservatory of Music and Theater. A hand injury prevented him from achieving the elevated caliber of piano performance the school required in order to be accepted as a conducting major, so he studied voice instead.  It was ultimately Henrik’s voice that gained him admission to his next level of studies at The Julliard School in New York.
 
Henriks completed a Master of Music degree in vocal performance at Julliard.  Still interested in conducting, Henriks supplemented his coursework at Juilliard with classes in counterpoint, ear training and harmony for conductors and composers, but his dramatic baritone was to provide him with a successful career in the world of opera.  Upon completion of his degree, he was offered a five-year contract with the Hannover State Opera back in Germany. Following his time in Hannover, he performed roles such as Scarpia in Tosca, which Henriks describes as “fun,” as well as the more “touching” characters of Falstaff and Rigoletto.  His further career took him to opera houses throughout Europe:  the Cologne Opera, the State Operas of Saarbrücken, Oldenburg and Mainz, the Théatre National du Luxembourg, the Theater an der Wien, and the Opera Houses in Zurich and Bern, among others. Henriks compares singing dramatic baritone roles to surfing.  “It’s a brutal force,” he says. “Singing is a physical act, like riding a big wave.  It takes an enormous amount of energy.”
 
Henriks met his wife, Alexa, while performing at the Stuttgart State Opera’s production of Bach’s Actus Tragicus, a music and drama production of six Bach cantatas performed by singers and illustrated by actors staged within a cross section of a four-story building.  Alexa, a Carmel native who studied music at San Jose State University and at Boston University, is also classically-trained soprano.  She and Henriks went out for drinks after a performance, talked all night, and the rest (as they say) is history.
 
Daniel and Alexa always talked about the “ideal life” as one being lived between the south of France and California, and they have lived in France and traveled in the American Southwest.  Just before the pandemic, they decided to make the California portion of the ideal a more permanent reality, moving to Alexa’s family home in Carmel. 
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I Cantori di Carmel was searching for a Music Director, and Henriks was looking for an opportunity to both engage with the music community and to return to his early passion - conducting.  It was a fortuitous match.  Henrik’s grounding in the European classics and his broad experience as a performer and teacher fit seamlessly with I Cantori’s strengths and history.  I Cantori will formally introduce Daniel Henriks to Monterey Peninsula audiences as the choir celebrates its 40th year with holiday concerts on December 11th and 12th.  Our first post-pandemic concert will feature Mozart’s Krönungsmesse (Coronation Mass)!  Be sure to join us!

I Cantori Returns!
Rehearsals begin Wednesday, September 1st at 7pm. Interested in singing with us?  Contact Susan Mehra for an audition at 831/917-1141 or
​at susan.mehra@gmail (dot) com. 

VOCI a cappella

VOCI a cappella is a small vocal ensemble and the fund-raising arm of I Cantori. The group is available for outside performances at weddings, community events, private parties, with or without accompaniment.  Please contact Susan Mehra at 831/917-1141 for information.
>> More about VOCI a cappella

Donations are welcome!

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Go to AmazonSmile and designate I Cantori di Carmel as your charitable organization.  Once that is done, make sure to make http://smile.amazon.com your start page for all Amazon shopping.  Amazon will donate some of their profit to us when you make purchases at Amazon.com. Thank you for your order!
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​I Cantori di Carmel Choir
Would you like to sing with I Cantori di Carmel? To schedule an audition, please contact Susan Mehra at 831/917-1141 or at susan.mehra@gmail (dot) com.
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I Cantori di Carmel is supported in part by a grant from the Arts Council for Monterey County through funding from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors and the Community Foundation of Monterey County.
The members of I Cantori di Carmel gratefully acknowledge our 37-year affiliation with Monterey Peninsula College.
Monterey County Weekly Community Fund
​Community Foundation for Monterey County

REVIEWS

“I Cantori di Carmel does more than achieve high standards and real artistic success. It inspires." 
Scott MacClelland, The Monterey Herald

Recent concert reviews

​December 7 and 8, 2019: 
​Our concerts featured music for choir and brass ensemble, including John Rutter's joyous "Gloria". 
>> Read a review from Peninsula Reviews
>> Read a review from Performing Arts Monterey Bay
May 4 and 5 2019:
Our featured work was the west coast premiere of the musical book of poems "Pushkin Garland" by Georgy Sviridov
>> Read a review in Peninsula Reviews
​>> Read a review in Performing Arts Monterey Bay
December 8 and 9, 2018:
Our concerts featured the California premiere of conductor Cyril Deaconoff's Cantata, "Canticles of Love, Despair, and Hope" with soloists and orchestra.  
>> Read a review in Performing Arts Monterey Bay
​>> Read a review in Peninsula Reviews
May 5 and 6, 2018:
"I Cantori di Carmel ... delivered a delightful tapestry of choral music throughout the centuries. ...the choir sang with a great deal of expression, and even though a wide variety of styles was presented the choir members seemed at home in every one."
>> Read review of the concert in Peninsula Reviews
>> Read a review in Performing Arts Monterey Bay

December 2-3, 2017: 
"This was an evening of delectably delicious music offerings beautifully executed."
>> Read full review of the concert in Peninsula Reviews
>> Read a review in Performing Arts Monterey Bay
>> Read more about Tom Lehmkuhl in Peninsula Reviews
“The real star of the evening was the chorus. They sang with an intensity, precision and abandon which made the spirits soar. As I watched the many faces of the chorus members, I wondered who these people were, what they did for a living and how they came by the skill which they displayed so magnificently during this joyous evening. Bravo to the chorus!” 
Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews
Spring 2017 concert: Peninsula Reviews
Winter 2016 concert: Peninsula Reviews
Spring 2016 concert: Performing Arts Monterey Bay
Winter 2015 concert: Peninsula Reviews
Spring 2014 Concert:  http://performingartsmontereybay.com/i-cantori-di-carmel/
Additional reviews can be found here: http://www.salferrantelli.com/press-reviews.html