Cantemus is led by Patty Denmark.
Cantemus (Latin for "let us sing") was formed by Patty Denmark in the summer of 2014.
“I had attended the American Choral Directors Association convention in Jacksonville, Florida, with Jane Morison (director of the Mountain Empire Children’s Choral Academy). We attended many wonderful women’s choir concerts that weekend. I mentioned to her during one of the concerts that I wished we had something like that in the Tri-Cities area, and she said, ‘Start one,’ so I did,” Denmark says.
Cantemus sings a variety of music that is written for or arranged for women’s voices. They sing chant, Renaissance, Baroque and classical to contemporary. The group usually performs four concerts per season: two in Kingsport, Tennessee, and usually one in Bristol and one in Johnson City, Tennessee.
The next concerts are Dec. 15 at State Street United Methodist Church in Bristol, Virginia, and Dec. 17 at First Broad Street United Methodist Church in Kingsport, Tennessee. The group has spring concerts planned for May 10 and 11, but the venues have not been confirmed yet.
“I believe that music is for everyone, and that singing makes life 100 percent better. Rehearsal is a wonderful, collaborative time, and there is a wonderful spirit of camaraderie. Many times, we come to rehearsal tired from a hard day of adulting, and every single time we leave feeling energized. There is nothing quite like singing a beautiful piece of music with other people in a beautiful venue and acoustic space,” Denmark says.
Cantemus rehearses on Tuesdays from 7-9 p.m., at Colonial Heights Presbyterian Church, Kingsport, Tennessee. Auditions for the 23-24 season are Sept. 5 and 12 at 7 p.m.For more information regarding auditions, email cantemuswomenschoir@gmail.com or send a message to the group’s Facebook page.
The audition is a check of pitch, blend and skill level, and it takes about 10 minutes. Each candidate will vocalize and do some exercises to check pitch memory. Then each candidate sings an a cappella hymn by themselves and then a second time with one of the directors to check for blending.
Denmark was the music director at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church in Kingsport, Tennessee, for 18 years. In 2015, she became the assistant director at Dobyns-Bennett High School and took over as the head director in January of 2020.This is her ninth season as the director of Cantemus.
For more information, visit www.cantemuswomenschoir.org.
