Internationally acclaimed classical vocal ensemble.

"Whitacre is that rare thing, a modern composer who is both popular and original"
- The Daily Telegraph, London

Eric has inspired millions as composer, conductor, innovator, broadcaster and charismatic public speaker. His compositions rank among the most popular and frequently performed of the early 21st century, their reach broadened since 2010 by the extraordinary success of his online Virtual Choir project. Light & Gold, his first album as composer and conductor, won the 2012 Grammy® Award for Best Choral Recording and instantly topped the US and UK classical album charts.

Born in Nevada, he discovered a passion for choral music while studying at UNLV and he began composing soon after. He went on to study at the Juilliard School of Music in New York under John Corigliano. Many of his choral compositions, Cloudburst, Lux Aurumque and Sleep among them, have entered the standard choral repertoire and his orchestral music has been performed by some of the world’s most distinguished orchestras both sides of the Atlantic. Eric is currently Composer-in-Residence at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge University, UK.

A distinguished speaker, Eric has been invited to address the UN Leaders Programme, give the closing plenary at Davos World Economic Forum and to speak for UNICEF and Google among others. He has appeared twice on the main stage at the global TED conference in Long Beach CA, earning standing ovations on both occasions. Recent Virtual Choir projects include ‘Glow’ written for the Winter Dreams holiday show at Disneyland© Adventure California and the Virtual Youth Choir, in association with UNICEF, which premiered at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Broadcast live to 119 countries worldwide, Eric made his iTunes Festival debut with his professional choir in 2014, inviting multi award-winning composer and conductor Hans Zimmer to join him on stage. The performance was consequently released as a live album. Eric returned to the Minnesota Orchestra for a second residency in 2015 culminating in three performances at Orchestra Hall.


The works of Boston-based composer, Joshua Shank (b. 1980), have been widely performed by educational and professional ensembles alike.  His music has been called “jubilant…ethereal” (Santa Barbara News-Press) and “evocative and atmospheric” (Gramophone).  The Boston Classical Review  called his Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo “powerful” and “emotionally charged.”

His music often features the human voice and focuses on social justice or the amplification of marginalized communities.  His work, capable of anything, celebrated the nationwide passage of marriage equality in the United States, and his oratorio, "Magnificat for the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo," tells the story of the organization of Argentine mothers who campaigned for their children who had been “disappeared” by the military junta that formally governed the nation.  His work, "Primavera en silencio," is based on American conservationist Rachel Carson’s landmark writing on climate change, and his "alleluia (from quarantine)" was commissioned by a consortium of 35 ensembles from across the United States as a way to raise money for gigging musicians whose livelihoods have been decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has been commissioned by ensembles such as True Concord Voices & Orchestra, Lorelei Ensemble, and The Choral Project. From 2004-2014 he served as Composer-In-Residence for the Minneapolis-based professional choir, The Singers: Minnesota Choral Artists, where he collaborated annually to expand and invigorate the repertoire for professional-caliber ensembles through innovative programming as well as new works written specifically for the choir.  In 2002, he became the youngest composer ever awarded the prestigious Raymond W. Brock Composition Award by the American Choral Directors Association. The winning piece, "Musica animam tangens" (“Music touches the soul”), was premiered in Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center and has since been performed and recorded all over the world.  His music was featured in the 2009 documentary about the extensive choral tradition in the Upper Midwest, "Never Stop Singing," and his published works have sold over 150,000 copies worldwide. 

Joshua received his undergraduate degree in Music Education from Luther College where he studied conducting with Weston Noble.  He has also earned master’s and doctoral degrees in Musicology and Composition from the University of Texas at Austin where he studied with Charles Carson, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Donald Grantham, and the late opera composer Daniel Catán.  A fierce advocate for students’ access to music education, he served as a public school teacher in Minneapolis/St. Paul for many years and he has taught on the faculties at Gonzaga University, Valley City State University, and Eastern Washington University.

Kantorei is a Denver-based, choral ensemble comprised of volunteer singers under the direction of Artistic Director Joel M. Rinsema.

Kantorei’s choral artists have studied at schools with strong music programs across the United States such as Baylor University, Brigham Young University, Eastman School of Music, Indiana University, St. Olaf College, Wartburg College, and Westminster Choir College. Kantorei’s singers reside throughout the greater Denver area. Some serve as choral music educators, church choir conductors, and vocal instructors. Others are doctors, social workers, optometrists, counselors, clinical psychologists, accountants, realtors –all brought together in weekly rehearsals for shared artistic excellence and community.

Kantorei frequently performs at major choral conventions across the U.S., has toured around the world, and works with composers and conductors of international renown. Kantorei has sung under the batons of René Clausen, Simon Carrington, Eric Whitacre, Karen Kennedy, and Anton Armstrong.

Kantorei has commissioned and premiered new choral works from renowned composers including Kim André Arnesen, Eric William Barnum, Abbie Betinis, René Clausen, Ola Gjeilo, Jake Runestad, Joshua Shank, and Eric Whitacre.

Its first international released recording in January 2018, “Infinity: Choral Works of Kim André Arnesen” on the Naxos label climbed to the #2 best-selling classical album on iTunes, #6 on the Traditional Classical Billboard Charts and #19 on the overall Classical Billboard charts. 

In August 2020, Kantorei released "Sing, Wearing the Sky" choral music of Jake Runestad, again on the Naxos label. It reached #4 on the Traditional Classical Billboard Charts, #2 Amazon Hot New Releases, and #4 Top iTunes Classical.

Santa Barbara Music Publishing Inc., publishes the Kantorei Choral series.

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