About Schola Cantorum

Schola Cantorum of Syracuse is an early music vocal ensemble which since 1975 has been performing European classical music from the Medieval, Renaissance and early Baroque eras: music before Bach, as it were, from such masters as Machaut, Ockeghem, di Lasso, Byrd, and Schütz.

Concerts: Each season Schola Cantorum presents three or more vocal ensemble concerts, as well as additional concerts by smaller early music ensembles.

Workshop: Every summer since 1982, Schola has conducted its Summer Workshop for Singers, at which participants sing early music repertoire and develop the singing skills peculiar to early music ensemble singing.

A black-and-white portrait of a middle-aged man with glasses, a beard, and short hair, smiling slightly.

Barry Torres, Music Director

Schola’s founding and present Music Director Barry Torres, for whom early music been a longstanding professional passion, served 25 years as Director of Music Ensembles at St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, until his retirement in 2023. At St. Lawrence he taught singing and 16th Century performance practice in addition to directing the Laurentian Singers (St. Lawrence's 28-member select choir), the University Chorus, and the Gospel Choir and Band. As a singer and as a player of early wind instruments, Mr. Torres has appeared with the Orchestra of Northern New York, with NYS Baroque, and as a member of Sonare. His dedication to early music began at the Syracuse University School of Music, where he studied composition and music theory.

History

A choir of men and women in black standing on stage, with a guitarist seated on the left, performing in a church or concert hall.

Schola Cantorum of Syracuse emerged in 1975, under the musical direction of Barry Torres, as the community-based successor to an early music collegium that had functioned the previous three years at Syracuse University. Mr. Torres has served as Schola’s music director from 1975 to 1980, from 1991 to 2000, and from 2009 until now. Schola has been privileged also to sing under the direction of Bruce Campbell, Jay Hersher, Leonard Phillips, Alex Rakov, and Joyce Irwin.

Board of Directors

Meira Hertzberg, President

TBA, Vice President

Rachel Bass, Secretary

Michael Daly, Treasurer

Richard Molitor

Richard Hezel

Arthur Lewis

Barry Torres, Music Director, ex officio