Chicago a cappella (CAC), Chicago’s premier unaccompanied vocal ensemble, opens its 2025/26 season with Cantaré, a celebration of Mexican music featuring works commissioned from Mexican composers through CAC's ¡Cantaré! Chicago program. Touring throughout Chicagoland September 27 – October 27, 2025, the Cantaré concert series kicks off at the National Museum of Mexican Art on September 27 before heading to Evanston, Naperville, and Oak Park. During this full-length concert program (110 mins with an intermission), listeners will discover the culturally rich and diverse voices composing in Mexico today. Tickets for all performances are on sale now at chicagoacappella.org.
More than just an ensemble, Chicago a cappella is an organization dedicated to advancing the art and appreciation of ensemble singing with initiatives that underscore their commitment to inclusivity and mentorship – including ¡Cantaré! Chicago, launched in 2016 to bring composers from Mexico into Chicago classrooms, and HerVoice, a program launched in 2021 to provide mentorship and training to women choral composers.
Before the Cantaré concert at the National Museum of Mexican Art on September 27, CAC will host an intimate fundraiser, the Cantaré Prelude Benefit, featuring art, music, food and a conversation on identity and composition with composers Elisa Schmelkes and Agustina Crespo, joined by CAC Artistic Director John William Trotter. The benefit will celebrate a decade of Chicago a cappella’s ¡Cantaré! Chicago program with dinner from Taqueria Los Comales, guided tours of the museum’s acclaimed collection, plus a silent auction and raffle—all supporting Chicago a cappella’s artistic and educational programs.
The Cantaré concert program features four pieces commissioned over the course of the last ten years by Chicago a cappella through its ¡Cantaré! Chicago program, and additional pieces by Mexican composers Elisa Schmelkes and Julio Morales. The concert also includes a work commissioned in 2012 for Chicago a cappella by longtime friend of CAC, Jorge Córdoba. Audience members can also expect HerVoice premiere pieces by 2024 winners Buenos-Aires based Agustina Crespo and Emma Wilde, currently based in Morelia, Mexico. For the Chicago performance, students from Hubbard High School will perform a piece written by Schmelkes earlier this year as part of the ¡Cantaré! Chicago program. This concert series reflects the organization’s longstanding relationships with composers from Mexico and its commitment to presenting these works to Chicago audiences.
“This season, Chicago a cappella is all about making rich connections through music - across borders, traditions, generations, and musical styles,” shares John William Trotter, CAC’s Artistic Director. “We’re starting things off with Cantaré, an adventure bringing together the vibrant and distinctive voices of many Mexican composers we’ve grown to know and love, all together in one place for the first time. The variety and energy of these new artistic voices create a one-of-a-kind experience we can’t wait to share with our audiences.”
Singers for Cantaré are sopranos Megan Bell, Carolyne DalMonte and Amanda Kohl; mezzo-sopranos Miya Higashiyama and Thereza Lituma; tenors Ace Gangoso and Trevor Mitchell; basses Ryan Cox, Adam Kosberg and Joe Labozetta.
Tickets and Performances:
The performance schedule for Cantaré is as follows:
· Saturday, September 27, 2025, at 7:30 PM at the National Museum of Mexican Art, 1852 W. 19th Street in Chicago, preceded by Cantaré Prelude Benefit at 5:00 PM
· Sunday, September 28, 2025, at 3:00 PM at Nichols Concert Hall , 1490 Chicago Avenue in Evanston
· Friday, October 10, 2025, at 7:30 PM at Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Avenue in Naperville
· Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 3:00 PM at Pilgrim Congregational Church, 460 Lake St. in Oak Park
Tickets are $40.00 general admission and $50.00 for preferred seating, with a limited number of $10 Student tickets and Pay What You Can tickets available at each performance. Additionally, audiences have the opportunity to purchase a ticket to receive a link to a digital version of the performance for $40.00, available to stream from home beginning the week of October 27. Further discounts are available for members and groups of ten or more. Tickets for all performances in CAC’s 2025/26 Season are available now at chicagoacappella.org.
About CAC:
Chicago a cappella is a dynamic ensemble comprising ten exceptionally talented singers who passionately celebrate every music genre. With remarkable voices, charismatic personalities, and an unwavering commitment to ensemble singing, their creative concert experiences forge deep connections with audiences, inspiring both awe and laughter. Founded in the early '90s, Chicago a cappella has traversed the nation, collaborating with esteemed guest artists, and earning accolades for their CDs.
Chicago a cappella’s season continues with Holidays a cappella (December 5 - 14, 2025); and Building American Pop (April 19-26, 2026). For more information about Chicago a cappella visit chicagoacappella.org.