Cantus, one of the top professional vocal groups in the country, performed Dr. Alec Schumacker‘s arrangement of “Over the Rainbow” during their recent concert series and released a video recording of it on Facebook and Instagram in September. The low-voice ensemble is renowned for its signature warmth, blend, innovative programming, and captivating performances. The Washington Post lauds the ensemble’s sound for its “exalting finesse” and “expressive power,” highlighting the “spontaneous grace” of its artistry. The group also features baritone Jeremy Wong, an alumnus of the Master of Music program at the UH Mānoa Music Department.
Two compositions of Dr. Takuma Itoh were recently spotlighted on new album releases. A Melody from an Unknown Place for solo violin appears on Patrick Yim’s album, One: New Music for Unaccompanied Violin. The other composition, Faded Aura, written for shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki and Hub New Music, is featured on the album a distance, intertwined. The album has received critical acclaim with reviews on I care if you listen, PAN M 360, and Cresendo Magazine (French). Frédéric Cardin of PAN M 360 praised the work, noting, “Takuma Itoh’s Faded Aura is perhaps my favorite of the set, with its subtle interplay of reflections and amplification of the shakuhachi by the soloists of the unusual Hub New Music quartet.” The release of Faded Aura by Hub New Music follows the new music group’s release of another one of Itoh’s compositions, Wavelengths, that was featured in the Boston Globe’s 2023 Highlights from a Year of Local Listening (subscription required).