This ensemble continued to flourish throughout the early and mid 1990's under the direction of Austin Probst, entertaining Asheville audiences with concerts on a regular basis. The final performance of the Asheville GMC took place in the Spring of 1997 at the GALA festival in Tampa, Fla.
In the fall of 1997 a group of singers led by Dr. David Friddle formed Cantaria.
The first public appearance of Cantaria took place on December 7, 1997 as part of an interfaith healing service for World Aids Day held at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Asheville. Other performances of note from the first season included appearances at the UNCA Gay Studies Conference, a joint concert with "Zipper" (the Seattle GMC small ensemble), and two appearances in conjunction with NC Pride 1998.
With the departure of Dr. Friddle, leadership of Cantaria was undertaken by Jason Jones. A spring concert was presented in June of 1999, followed by an appearance in Greensboro at NC Pride 1999. Christmas concerts were also presented that December in Greenville, S.C., Hendersonville, and Asheville.
In the summer of 2000, Cantaria was selected by audition to appear in the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C. as part of the Festival of Churches. This same program was presented shortly thereafter to audiences in Hendersonville and Asheville.
In the Fall of 2000, leadership of the group was assumed by Paul Templon. Under his direction, Cantaria was honored in the spring of 2001 to be invited to return to Piccolo Spoleto, this time as a part of the prestigious "Choral Artist Series". A program entitled "Injustice-Conflict-Memorial" was presented to great acclaim. (A CD recording of this program is still available.) Other notable performances under Mr. Templon's tenure included Cantaria's first appearance North of the Mason-Dixon line at the GALA 2002 Eastern regional festival, several joint ventures with the Asheville Lyric Opera, and a Gala performance honoring outgoing Asheville mayor Leni Sitnick.
In January of 2004, noted local choral artist and singer Gary Mitchell took over as Artistic Director of Cantaria. A highlight of this season was Cantaria's international debut at the worldwide GALA 2004 festival in Montreal. Following our December concert of 2005, Mr. Mitchell announced that he would no longer be able to serve as Artistic Director for Cantaria. Following Mr. Mitchell's resignation Mr. Michael Porter was appointed director beginning in Feb. 2006.
Throughout its history, Cantaria has enjoyed a close relationship with the Episcopal Cathedral of All Souls, and has provided music for parish services on a regular basis. Rehearsals take place Sunday evenings from 5 to 6:30 PM at The Cathedral in Biltmore Village. All Gay and Gay supportive men who love singing a wide variety of Choral literature for Men's voices are invited to join our group. The ability to read music, while helpful, is not a requirement. A formal audition is not necessary, although the conductor will wish to hear the prospective member privately to determine his placement in the ensemble.
For further information, please contact Michael at 828-242-3766.
