Now celebrating 21 years of artistic excellence, Cantabile Chamber Chorale continues to seek opportunities to share the gift and joy of choral music, to lift the human spirit and to show the commonalities of humanity through musical expression, enlightening programming, and supportive friendships.

We've demonstrated that new music and eclectic programming provides opportunities to speak to the diverse communities of Central New Jersey. We do this because it is our mission, and because it is the responsibility of the arts to unite the common thread of humanity that is achievable only through musical expression.

Cantabile Chamber Chorale (England, 1989)

The idea for Cantabile was formed over 20 years ago when a group of singers who had performed together in the Rutgers Musica Sacra Oratorio Chorus asked Rebecca Scott to lead their small chamber ensemble for a summer season. After performing together for three summers, the ensemble and Ms. Scott expanded their schedule to a year round schedule. On December 6, 1987, a group of 18 singers performed its first concert as the Cantabile Chamber Chorale under the direction of Rebecca Scott with the late David Shilleto as piano accompanist. The vision stated 20 years ago continues today--"Cantabile will provide the challenge of singing the repertoire for small ensemble with all its difficulties, nuances and special performing problems, while providing the love and good fellowship of joining with close friends in an artistic endeavor."

Cantabile and Ms. Scott have also received the ASCAP-Chorus America Award for Adventuresome Programming, which is granted to choruses demonstrating a commitment to performances of choral music written in the last 25 years. Cantabile has also been honored with the Excellence in Achievement Award from the Middlesex County (NJ) Cultural and Heritage Commission. This award is given to arts organizations in recognition for exceptional accomplishment, which is exemplary in programming, or which achieves great strides in development and outreach.

Rebecca Scott, founder and artistic director of Cantabile, is a multi-faceted artist, who holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Education and Piano from the Eastman School of Music and a Masters degree in Conducting from The Juilliard School where she is presently on the faculty.

For over thirty years, Ms. Scott has worked with professional, amateur and educational arts organizations. Her commitment to twentieth century music and diverse music programming has resulted in critical acclaim. Cantabile's performance of The Wellfleet Whale, under the direction of Ms. Scott, was selected as a "Best Premiere of A Choral Work" by the Newark Start Ledger. Under Ms. Scott's direction, Cantabile has also received an ASCAP-Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming and The Excellence in Achievement Award from the Middlesex County Cultural and Heritage Commission.

Ms. Scott continues to collaborate with contemporary composers. She has premiered several of the vocal and choral works written by Eric Ewazen. Since 1987, Ms. Scott and Cantabile have also commissioned and premiered several works by Bruce Lazarus, Gerald Cohen, Scott Steidl, David Bruce Goldberg, Eric Sessler, Ruth Scott Clark and Barbara Rogers.

Pianist, Lloyd Arriola has concertized widely across the United States and Europe. His wide repertoire of solo piano music, concertos, chamber music and vocal music ranges from the pre-Bach period to his own music written as recently as 2000. As a pianist and musical director, Lloyd has been heard on Swiss Radio across Europe and on television over the CBS Information Network, ABC, CNN, Reuters and Korean Television. Lloyd is the music director of the Knickerbocker Opera Ensemble, a group devoted to briging dramatic vocal performances of scenes from operas, operettas and musicals to audiences all over the country. Dr. Arriola completed his doctoral studies at The Juilliard School.