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Cantus Offers Comfort In The Midst Of COVID-19

In early to mid-March, when performances and tours were swiftly cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a small window of time, before lockdowns were set into place. The professional male vocal ensemble Cantus seized the opportunity and recorded as many songs as they could in a span of three days, a total of twenty-eight, which they have called the COVID-19 sessions. The eight-member ensemble chose selections from their repertoire that they knew they could put together quickly and that would also bring comfort to their fans. They are releasing two videos per week and you can find them on Facebook, Youtube, and on their website at http://cantussings.org

Cantus is also in the midst of "Cantus Idol Online",  https://www.cantussings.org/cantus-idol-online/ which is a competition between current and selected past members of Cantus, where each contestent sings a solo and people vote on their favorite with a donation, which goes to supporting their educational outreach mission. The heated competition is currently in its third round, with the online finale and virtual 25th Anniversary gala taking place on Sunday, May 3rd at 7pm CST. Videos of all three rounds can be found on their website or again, on their Facebook https://www.facebook.com/CantusSings/ or Youtube pages.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5M2uD0Y4D4" target="_blank">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5M2uD0Y4D4

Melony calls the beautiful mountains of Boone, N.C., home, although she was born near Greensboro, N.C. There’s just something about those Blue Ridge Mountains that got in her blood and never left after she moved there to attend Appalachian State University (ASU). While at ASU, she majored in piano performance and music therapy and began to cultivate a love for accompanying and for collaborating with other musicians. This soon led her to earn a master’s degree in collaborative piano at the University of Tennessee, which she attended from 2006-2008.