Cantus to perform "All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914" at Rozsa Nov. 16

HOUGHTON -- The Rozsa Center for the Performing Arts and Minnesota Public Radio will proudly present Cantus: All is Calm, the Christmas Truce of 1914 at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16. "All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914," by Peter Rothstein, with musical arrangements by Erick Licthe and Timothy C. Takach, recalls the remarkable World War I truce between Allied Forces and German soldiers on Christmas eve, 1914.

This true story took place as both sides began to sing "Silent Night" in the trenches on Christmas eve. Cantus and Theatre Latte Da tell the story in new arrangements of European Christmas carols and war songs.

According to Tom Huizenga, music producer, reporter and blogger for NPR Music, "Cantus means singing in Latin, but it also refers to an old European tradition. A student group who gathered to sing traditional songs and drink beer was once called a 'cantus.' This modern-day group of Minnesotans, (presumably not strangers to good beer on dark winter nights!) indeed got its start in 1995 as a student singing group at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minn."

Considered by some to be "the premier men’s vocal ensemble" in the United States (Fanfare), Cantus is committed to inspiring audiences with music performed at the highest level. The Washington Post hails the ensemble’s sound as having both "exalting finesse" and "expressive power," and refers to their music-making as "spontaneous grace."

In addition to the performance, there will be a free pre-show discussion in the Rozsa Lobby at 6:30 p.m. with WGGL program host Jeff Esworthy and members of Cantus, and the performance will be followed by a post-show Christmas reception in the Rozsa Lobby. This performance is sponsored by Minnesota Public Radio, and each ticket will include admission to the concert and a CD of the music by Cantus. To make the evening compete, enjoy a special "pre-show" dinner at the Shelden Grill, in the Magnuson Franklin Square Inn, featuring a unique menu, and buy-one-get-one-half-off prices for anyone with tickets to the Cantus performance. For dinner reservations, please call the Shelden Grill at (906) 482-4882.

Tickets for the performance are on sale now. Please call (906) 487-2073, go online at rozsa.mtu.edu or visit Ticketing Operations at Michigan Tech’s Student Development Complex (SDC). Tickets are $19; youth (17 and under) are $8; and Michigan Tech students $5. Please note the Rozsa Box Office is closed during regular business hours, and will only open two hours prior to show times.