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Cor Cantiamo is a professional chamber choir based in DeKalb, Illinois, that specializes in contemporary choral music. The choir was founded in 2009 by Dr. Eric Johnson, who serves as its artistic director and conductor. Since its inception, Cor Cantiamo has become one of the most respected and innovative choral ensembles in the United States, known for its commitment to new music and its dedication to excellence in performance. Eric Johnson was born in 1973 in St. Paul, Minnesota. He grew up in a musical family and began singing in choirs at a young age. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree in vocal performance from St. Olaf College in 1995, where he studied with Anton Armstrong and John Ferguson. He went on to earn his Master of Music degree in choral conducting from the University of Arizona in 1998, where he studied with Maurice Skones and Bruce Chamberlain. He completed his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral conducting at the University of North Texas in 2005, where he studied with Jerry McCoy and Richard Sparks. After completing his doctoral studies, Johnson served as the director of choral activities at Northern Illinois University from 2005 to 2013. During his tenure at NIU, he founded Cor Cantiamo as a way to showcase the talents of his students and to explore the rich and diverse world of contemporary choral music. The choir quickly gained a reputation for its innovative programming and its commitment to new music, and it began to attract some of the best singers and composers in the country. One of the highlights of Cor Cantiamo's early years was its performance at the 2011 National Collegiate Choral Organization Conference in Tucson, Arizona. The choir was one of only six ensembles selected to perform at the conference, and it received rave reviews for its performance of works by Eric Whitacre, Jake Runestad, and other contemporary composers. The performance helped to establish Cor Cantiamo as a major force in the world of choral music, and it led to many other opportunities for the choir to perform and collaborate with other artists. Over the years, Cor Cantiamo has commissioned and premiered dozens of new works by some of the most exciting and innovative composers of our time. These include works by Jake Runestad, Dominick DiOrio, Stacy Garrop, and many others. The choir has also collaborated with a wide range of artists, including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Grant Park Music Festival, and the Joffrey Ballet. In 2018, Cor Cantiamo released its first commercial recording, "Cathedrals," which features works by several contemporary composers inspired by the architecture and acoustics of great cathedrals around the world. In addition to its many performances and recordings, Cor Cantiamo has also received numerous awards and accolades over the years. In 2013, the choir was awarded the American Prize in Choral Performance, which recognizes the best choral ensembles in the United States. In 2015, the choir was invited to perform at the National Convention of the American Choral Directors Association in Salt Lake City, Utah, one of the highest honors in the choral world. In 2019, the choir was awarded the ASCAP/Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, which recognizes ensembles that demonstrate a commitment to new and innovative music. Today, Cor Cantiamo continues to be one of the most exciting and innovative choral ensembles in the United States.

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