Cantala is now well into its 2024 Spring project. This year we are recording James Rolfe’s Lullaby with Michelle Colton on Marimba in Walter Hall at the end of June 2024. This will be released on our next album, titled Songbird, this coming Fall 2024. The album features newly published works by many local Toronto Composers. It is exciting to finally see this project come to fruition as it was delayed due to the COVID pandemic.

Amanda Jernigan, Lyricist https://www.kingstonwritersfest.ca/festival-author/amanda-jernigan/

James Rolfe, Composer jamesrolfe.com

We have always enjoyed singing Rolfe’s compositions. They are always crafted with a wonderful mix of the “harmonically unexpected” which thrills on many sensory levels. Lullaby is no different. With lyricist Amanda Jernigan, whose words evoke a dark, mysterious passage between this life and the next, the mythological characters Charon and Persephone take us to a moment where we stand still and wonder. Thanks to Rolfe’s repeating three note cluster motif and syncopated rhythmic ostinato, this piece stands at the centre of our musical hearts here at Cantala. We are excited to share this very soon, both on recording and in concert on December 7th, 2024.