Columbia Pro Cantare: Homegrown And Lustrous

By Joan M. Kasura



In its 26th season, the Columbia Pro Cantare chorus (CPC) continues to thrive and succeed despite the handicaps that commonly plague local and regional performing arts organizations. Much of that success can be attributed to the vision, talent and drive of CPC's founder and director, Frances Motyca Dawson.

When Dawson founded the Pro Cantare in the spring of 1977, her purpose was two-fold: She wanted to provide performance opportunities for Howard County singers, and she planned to bring high quality musical experiences to Howard County audiences. She has fulfilled that mission overwhelmingly on both counts.

Longtime CPC board member Ron Carlson attributes much of that success to both Dawson's dedication and her in-depth knowledge of the music world. "Frances is very diligent about brokering relationships in the arts community so that you have this great combination of people who are professional and those who are volunteers."

This year, those dedicated volunteers number about 130 choral members. They are a diverse mix of singers ranging from high school teenagers to 80+ elders. While most come from various parts of Howard County, the chorus also includes members from Baltimore City, Rockville and Silver Spring.

Every Tuesday evening from September to May, these singers come together to rehearse and learn the music. Brian Anderson, who originally joined the Pro Cantare to fill a tenor spot with its smaller Chamber Singers some five years ago and who has sung with similar choral organizations both in Minneapolis and in this area, expressed his pleasure at the collegial atmosphere that pervades those weekly rehearsals. "There are very few people with big egos in the chorus. Everyone pulls together and works really hard during rehearsals. There also are no guilt trips about not getting a part. If we need to work on a part, then we work on it."

Vivianna Holmes, who with her husband Chuck has been a member of the Pro Cantare for 18 years, seconded Anderson's sentiments and noted, "Most of the chorus' members are very committed, because otherwise you can't learn the subtleties of the music's interpretation and how to blend with the group."

In short, CPC's members are just as committed as Dawson in putting together performances that have earned significant praise from music critics throughout the region, including critics for both The Baltimore Sun and The Washington Post. Indeed, driven by the music itself, Dawson never gives anything less than her all, hiring professional soloists and an orchestra for all of the concerts of the full chorus. These last two elements, explained Holmes, "add yet another layer of luster to the concert."

Nevertheless, despite its success as "a program that's lived and endured and become known for producing quality programs year after year," Ron Carlson noted, "it is still a struggle to find the next dime to pay for the facilities, the professionals hired, Fran [Dawson] and the staff." That ongoing financial tug-of-war, Dawson explained, arises from one of the enduring myths that continue to plague nonprofit performing arts organizations. "Tickets sales never pay for the cost of a performance, and the public is always surprised to hear that."

Moreover, despite being called "one of the elite choirs in Maryland" by a Baltimore Sun music critic, Dawson and Carlson both noted that the Pro Cantare continues to toil under yet another universal myth which often dogs local and regional performing arts organizations. Flatly stated, Dawson said, "It is the belief that if it is homegrown, it can't be as good as something from outside the community."

Carlson agreed, noting, "It is a strange culture we have where we feel that if you go into Baltimore or Washington for a concert, it has to be better than something performed locally in the Jim Rouse Theatre." Nonetheless, Dawson remains undaunted. "We are always cultivating an audience, figuring once they're in the door, they'll be back."

Dawson explained that many of the soloists who appear at Pro Cantare concerts sing nationally, even though they may have local connections. An example is Kishna Davis, who grew up in Columbia and now has a national career with appearances that most recently included the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in its November 2002 "All Gershwin Program." Davis has performed with CPC off and on over the last five years with her most recent appearance in May 2002.

Another audience enticement, Dawson said, is "the chorus tries to do the standard classic choral works," including its annual performance of Handel's "Messiah" at the Jim Rouse Theatre, traditionally held on the first Sunday in December. (This year it occurs on December 8 due to the lateness of the Thanksgiving weekend.) "But, we also try to do lesser known pieces that the audience might enjoy as both contrast and to enrich their experience."

Another successful venture has been the addition of the Columbia Pro Cantare Chamber Singers about six years ago. Carlson said that although "we [CPC's Board] stay out of [Dawson's] hair and let her and her staff manage the organization, we did encourage her to put together a smaller ensemble." The result, a group of 21 to 27 singers, who put in additional practice before and after the regular Tuesday evening practice, has led to more visibility for the larger chorus.

Able to sing in smaller venues as well as do different types and levels of music literature, Carlson stated, "the Chamber Singers have been a very popular addition" to the Pro Cantare's repertoire. In addition, for those singers who, like Brian Anderson, find themselves looking for something more, the Chamber Singers offers an opportunity "to take on musical challenges that you can't do in a larger group setting."

That the Columbia Pro Cantare has endured, Dawson says, is due to "a lot of support from community businesses as well as the Maryland State Arts Council, the Howard County Arts Council and The Columbia Foundation. Those last two have played a great role in keeping us going. They always step up annually both with funds and in educating the community as to what is available in the arts arena."

Dawson also credits the Pro Cantare's ability to keep its "vision on the long goal of communicating between the chorus and the audience so that it is a shared experience. In these times, in particular, people find a great deal of solace in and are uplifted by beautiful music."