Cantus

Slovakia

The mixed voice choir CANTUS was founded in 1984 at the Cultural Centre of Bratislava’s borough of Ružinov, where it is based. The ensemble has been shaped by prominent Slovak conductors such as Zdeněk Bílek, Ondrej Šaray, Jozef Búda, Pavol Tužinský, as well as Blanka Juhaňáková, who led the choir from 1989 to 2007. Her successor, the teacher, composer, musicologist, and conductor Juraj Jartim, who also conducts the Bratislava Conservatoire’s Symphony Orchestra, has been at the helm of the choir since 2017. In addition to a cappella music, the ensemble’s repertoire includes large-scale liturgical works for choir and orchestra. CANTUS has performed at numerous festivals in Slovakia and abroad, including the Bratislava Music Festival, Europe Day, Musica Sacra, the Bratislava Coronation Days, and the Sagra Musicale Umbra in Perugia. They have also sung in various European countries, including Hungary, Germany, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, and Denmark. The choir's collaboration with renowned soloists and orchestras has been documented on several CD recordings. Since 2012, alongside the Slovak Chamber Orchestra, CANTUS has participated in the Slovak Philharmonic’s Music in Churches series. In 2023, the ensemble took part in the 50th anniversary edition of Mundi Cantant, a competition of the Festival of Songs in the Moravian city of Olomouc. In the same year, it achieved the Golden Level at Viva il Canto, a nationwide competition held in Spišská Nová Ves.