Cantiones performing at the Llangollen Eisteddfod, 1990.
Cantiones was founded in 1982 by Michael Smith, the then organist of the Parish Church of St. Oswald, King & Martyr, Oswestry. Under its original name "Cantiones Sacrae" the choir comprised 15 voices and set its sights on performing some of the more challenging music in the chamber choir repertoire.
Before long it swelled to well over 20 voices and concerts were given as far afield as Chester and Shrewsbury, as well as an appearance at the Llangollen International Festival. Cantiones dropped the "Sacrae" from its title in the mid-nineties when its repertoire widened to include more and more of the quality secular music available.
Over the years Cantiones has had no more than a handful of Musical Directors. Michael Smith was followed by Geoffrey Talbot, then Chris Argent, Christopher Symons and John Clenaghan, Gerry Howe, and currently it flourishes under the baton of Martin Bussey. At the present time Cantiones is considered to be towards the top of the premier division of choirs in the area.
Covid and Beyond
Cantiones is particularly proud of its activities during the inevitable problems associated with being a choir during and after the lockdowns. We were determined to come out of this period as a cohesive group so work began very quickly. Virtual Cantiones, a Facebook group, was set up for the choir in order to provide a forum for keeping in touch and sharing ideas and information. Also, in the spirit of ‘Tuesday night is Cantiones night’ the publicity officer compiled and sent a weekly newsletter containing ideas for online and virtual activities, various light-hearted items but with the central part being a self-written focus on each member of the choir in turn. We learned many things about each other we didn’t otherwise know.
Our MD, Martin Bussey, ran a weekly zoom rehearsal; a most unusual activity but one we very much appreciated.
Our Chairman spent much time researching ways in which we could meet to sing in person. Once the rules changed and, also led by MD Martin, we sang in fields and car parks without masks and in a Welsh church distanced in masks. Our first concert for the public was outside in Oswestry’s bandstand and our second in Holy Trinity in masks. It was a challenging time but we feel Cantiones is a strong, cohesive and inclusive group as a result.
