Press Reviews

"IN 1981 members of the volunteer Carmel Bach Festival Chorus saw an opportunity to form their own independent chorus in order to keep singing during the rest of the year. Newly hired by Monterey Peninsula College, Sal Ferrantelli more or less fell into their laps as the ideal music director and conductor and I Cantori di Carmel was born. Ferrantelli came to MPC with a PhD in choral conducting, undergraduate and graduate degrees in music and a long history as an entertainer in his native San Diego. “I could play anything by ear, melody, harmony,” he told me. 'And I could sell a song.'"
>>Read the full interview with Sal at Performing Arts Monterey Bay

"Ferrantelli always presents interesting programs, and this was no exception. The programmed works shifted back and forth between centuries during the first half of the concert, and then after intermission, came the largest and most substantial work on the program - Haydn's Theresienmesse, and it was a knockout. Chorus, soloists, orchestra, and Ferrantelli's exciting direction kept us enthralled throughout the performance. It may have been a cold night outside, but inside the mission the musicians really brought up the temperature with intense and moving performances."

- Lyn Bronson, December 4, 2016
Peninsula Reviews

“I Cantori’s Director, Sal Ferrantelli, always proves to us that he is a fine musician with the highest standards and a loving respect for the music he performs. ...Dr. Ferrantelli composed a new work for this concert, Magnificat 2015, that impressed us with its Baroque elements, soaring melodies, dotted rhythms and lovely violin solos by Dave Dally."

- Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews

“I Cantori di Carmel performed the first of two performances of the German Requiem by Johannes Brahms last night in the Carmel Mission Basilica. More performances will be needed. The first night played to a capacity crowd, and by the time the word of the quality of the performance gets around, there very probably won’t be enough seats to meet tonight’s demand...The chorus has developed into a genuinely fine ensemble. Despite the fact that it is made up of non-professional singers for the most part, they are capable of supporting some extremely difficult musical lines, as well as the constant demand of maintaining interpretive mood.

Like solo singing, choral singing should be well articulated, and like a professional singer, this choir doesn’t scoop or slide into its notes. It hits the tone right on the mark.

Better yet, it sings without fear. When the moment arrives for expression, the choir gives it with passion and conviction. It is involved in its efforts, and its devotion to performance involves the audience in its music.

The care taken was obvious from the very opening bars, the soft benediction of the mourners. A choir that can bring that kind of intensity to its piano passages is rare enough, but the group manages an admirable variety of levels – as quickly proved by the power and inevitability of ‘All flesh is like the grass.’ There are fortes and fortes, we found; some appropriate to furnish a momentary summation, and others of massive finality…Again, an orchestra assembled by David Dally went beyond mere capability to become a responsive and exciting ensemble. The basic economics of the situation indicates that there could have been few full rehearsals, yet the collaboration of choir and orchestra was achieved with finish and finesse.

Despite the excellence and value of this concert, I want to emphasize that these are not professional performers, but amateur ones in most part. That’s not said to lessen the strength of my praise for their music, but to underline the fact that when real devotion and genuine involvement are clearly evident, no matter what the source, quality and musical integrity are the result. It’s not amateur performers who require allowances, but amateur hearts and spirits.”

- Patrick Franklin, Herald Music Critic, The Monterey Herald

"Often, amateur musical groups expect easy treatment sheerly on the basis of good will for their good intentions. Fortunately, others realize that no music is worth doing on any level without direction, devotion, and dedicated effort.

I Cantori di Carmel definitely falls in that latter category, and their concert last night at the Carmel Mission Basilica easily rose from amateur status to a performance anyone might be proud of. The group’s short existence has been marked by a constant improvement that comes from continual polish and attention to detail.

The program they chose to perform was a reflection of their dedication. Each selection was a work of deeply felt philosophic or religious content written by a composer intent on expressing sincere feeling. The honesty of the music was echoed in an honest, moving performance.

Anton Bruckner was so religious that he dedicated each of his symphonies to God; his motets are filled with emotional fervor. Two of those, his ‘Ave Maria’ and ‘Os justi’ opened the program with a challenge of richly scored lines sung a capella.

In them, I Cantori set its standard and showed its ideals. Exact intonation was met with real expression of the words. Even the pianissimo opening section found a purity of attack that marks the best kind of choral singing. Consonants ticked clearly from their lips; no stuttering rat-tat-tat of unclear diction muddied their meaning…Conductor Sal Ferrantelli knew what he wanted from orchestra and chorus, and directed its development through a wide range of color and dynamics…This concert will be repeated at 8 tonight in the Carmel Mission Basilica. If you love choral music, it should not be missed; if you don’t, it should be enough to convert you.”

- Patrick Franklin, The Monterey Herald

“If you want to know Sal Ferrantelli’s heart (and it is a good heart to know!), you have only to attend a performance by his fine chorus I Cantori di Carmel. You will hear a sweep of expressive music that elevates the emotions and speaks to the soul, spiced with just-for-fun pieces now and then…At this important anniversary juncture, it seems appropriate to take a bigger view of I Cantori than just this 2002 winter concert, which as usual was packed with gems of the classical choral repertoire.

I Cantori has become a beloved local chorus. This is a direct tribute to Ferrantelli, who as his singers will tell you, strives tirelessly for a pure unity of sound. Though the perfection Ferrantelli seeks is rarely attainable, the constant striving pays off in a consistently high level of performance for the ensemble…As for Ferrantelli’s heart, patrons heard it beating purest and true in his own version of Ave Maria, a strikingly sweet and sensitive setting in the Romantic style with which he feels such resonance…So, bravo I Cantori! Congratulations on your 20 magnificent years, your indefatigable commitment to excellence and ongoing service to the arts.”

- Barbara Rose Shuler, The Monterey Herald

"Ferrantelli has been a formidable musical presence on the Monterey Peninsula as a Professor of Choral Music at Monterey Peninsula College and also as a singer, director of choral ensembles, arranger and composer. Above all it is his love and commitment to music that has made him such a special person. His infectious enthusiasm has not only imbued every performance under his direction with a special significance and inevitability, but it has also helped him develop special relationships with instrumental and vocal musicians on the Monterey Peninsula."

- Lyn Bronson, May 7, 2017
Peninsula Reviews

“I Cantori di Carmel does more than achieve high standards and real artistic success. It inspires. On Saturday night at the Carmel Mission, the group proved once again that quality art demands discipline of both intention and execution. In this regard, I Cantori leaves the competition far behind, even though numbers include members of other local choral efforts.

But to know conductor Sal Ferrantelli is to recognize that he is competing not with other choirs, but with those choral vagaries that keep singers from getting it right with the composer. He has single-handedly breathed a living spirit into the great choral tradition that we have otherwise witnessed only at the Bach Festival…The above references to Beethoven’s great Solemn Mass are not idle. I Cantori’s readiness was sufficiently proved in Saturday’s performance of that composer’s Mass in C – not as grand an opus as the Mass in D Major – but neither a simple nor easy piece to sing…I Cantori had gotten plenty warm during the preceding Bach cantata, Gottes Zeit, and achieved a sparkling new vitality with each succeeding movement of the large and mercurial Beethoven. The sheer power, coupled with articulate clarity, that studded the reading easily rode over the 33-piece orchestra. The final fugue of the Gloria, for example, was thrilling in its vitality and tis accumulating energy. No less effective were the quiet moments in which the choir distinguished itself for sustained intensity at pianissimo volume.”

Scott MacClellend, The Monterey Herald

“To say that I Cantori is the best choral group performing locally is an understatement. The Saturday night concert at Carmel Mission Basilica proved that Sal Ferrantelli’s singers are performing at standards far higher than any of their peers, genuinely approaching professional levels.

This is a model to hold up for other ensembles which excuse their shortcomings with the plaint, ‘we’re only amateurs.’

I Cantori singers are also amateurs, but in the fullest and best sense of the word; they may not be paid for their efforts, but they love what they do. That love comes across in demonstrations of care, attention and involvement in their music and its meaning…The same solid, full-bodied sound brought great enjoyment to the ‘Naenie’ of Brahms…This reading was moving and profound, nicely set off by an orchestral accompaniment that was equally sensitive to the mood and intent.”

- Patrick Franklin, Herald Music Critic, The Monterey Herald

“The sell-out audience at Sunday’s concert expected quality because the reputation of Sal Ferrantelli, I Cantroli’s leader, has flowered, with scarcely a faltering step, to standards only seen during the summer Bach Festival…Ferrantelli’s techniques for getting good results include caution. The Cantori’s previous concerts in Pacific Grove may be viewed as a shakedown in anticipation of this one, their debut in the town whose name they carry. There’s wisdom here. The Cantori, at a complement of 53 voices, have arrived at an ideal balance of flexibility and sonority. Their confidence and their purpose are clearer than they’ve ever been….The Vivaldi Gloria that closed the program achieved the most excitement as Ferrantelli fairly danced high energy into it. The fast movemnets sizzled with a brilliance typically found in smaller professional choirs.

The articulations, the etching of the different voicings, and the tone production surpassed even many of the Bach Festival programs in the Basilica of the Mission…There remains no question of the Cantori’s ascent. They are this town’s finest non-Bach Festival choir in years, and that is intended as a high compliment. Bravo.”

- Scott MacClelland, The Carmel Pine Cone, Carmel Valley Outlook

“The real star of the evening was the chorus. They sang with an intensity, precision and abandon which made the spirits soar. As I watched the many faces of the chorus members, I wondered who these people were, what they did for a living and how they came by the skill which they displayed so magnificently during this joyous evening. We heard glorious precision in imitative entrances between sections of the chorus, a beautiful control of dynamics and excellent delineation of every melisma. Bravo to the chorus!”

- Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews

“Last Saturday, Sal Ferrantelli conducted his I Cantori chorus in a concert of rare Italian sacred settings that included one of his own, an Ave Maria composed in 1976. In a new arrangement, a string orchestra, featuring concertmaster solos, doubled the alluring vocal lines whose texture and harmonies reflected both the style and reverence of late 19th-century Romantic writing. In particular, Ferrantelli admits to the influence of Bruckner and Brahms…The evening’s big effort, Cherubini’s Mass in G of 1819, demanded and got both greater drama and the stamina necessary to deliver it. Without soloists (here as elsewhere) the chorus was at center stage throughout. And while the work alternates contemplative with theatrical moments, it allows no letdown of focus and intensity. But under Ferrantelli’s animated and empowering conducting style, this has become I Cantori’s hallmark, its signature blend of thrusting confidence and resonant sonority. These qualities burned with exceptional brightness in the highly calisthenic Gloria.”

- Scott MacClelland, Monterey County Herald

"A bouquet of musical flowers perfect for Mother’s Day sounded Sunday... Titled “Musica Primavera,” the program sampled short works that ranged from the English and Spanish renaissance to a startling new piece by 36-year-old American composer Joshua Shank, and included both serious and capricious bits from every era in-between. In several instances, solo voices were drawn out of the 57-member chorus, as for instance the Kyrie from Ariel Ramirez’ Misa Criolla. ...The Ramirez was among the opening Hispanic set that began with the Kyrie from Missa ego flos campi by 17th century Spaniard Juan Gutierrez de Padilla. Right away, Ferrantelli’s skills with phrasing and dynamics were obvious. Miguel Matamoros, Cuba-born in 1894, produced a heartsick love song called Juramento (oath). It included percussion as would the dancing second half of Geronimo Gonzalez’ Serenissima una noche, a charming nativity villancico from 16th century Mexico."

- Scott McClelland, Performing Arts Monterey Bay

“Dr. Sal Ferrantelli’s singers, I Cantori di Carmel, have established a consistently high level of excellence over the past six years. As a group, their clear diction and accurate intonation are a boon to any work they choose to interpret. Never having heard this choir outside of the Carmel Mission Basilica, it was a thrill to come to a realization of just how much of their excellence was not a function of acoustical enhancement. Their crystalline execution of the most difficult passages in the “Messiah” flowed easily. It should be recognized that the greatest efforts in a performance have most likely been expended where there is apparently none at all.”

- Lee Brooks, Monterey County Herald

“Opening the musical program was Lotti’s sacred motet, Psalm 119, Ad Dominum cum triblarer, featuring smoothly-flowing contrapuntal lines. Its concluding melisma with its remarkable use of imitation and suspensions was breathtaking. The chorus sounded rich and solid with beautiful dynamic control.

Ferrantelli’s Ave Maria which followed is a beautifully constructed and moving work whose added string parts utilized an effective long pedal point and a nice violin solo by David Dally.”

- Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews

“…There was a very special close to the first half of the program. This was Ferrantelli’s composition. ‘We Will Sing in the Spirit,’ which he composed and ‘offered with gratitude and affection to I Cantori on its anniversary.’ A celebratory work with a triumphant contemporary sound and oddly pleasing dissonances, the performance was lustily delivered with verve and enthusiasm. The orchestral writing was bright and very colorful.”

- Nathalie Plotkin, Monterey Herald

“I Cantori di Carmel celebrated 25 years of choral singing with a strong, proud anniversary concert last weekend, directed by its dedicated and accomplished leader Sal Ferrantelli...The ensemble explored the ecstacy and agony of love with delightful choral variations in Brahms’ Neue Liebeslieder Walzer, Opus 65, given fine four-hand piano accompaniment by Pauline Troia and Kumi Uyeda at the keyboard. The crowning spiritual Elijah Rock arranged by Moses Hogan made a terrific finale with its complex and rhythmic work, an exciting song that culminated in a great epiphany of sound, executed masterfully by the chorus.

Happy anniversary, I Cantori! Thank you for your musical dedication and for bringing us so many choral treasures over the years.”

- Barbara Rose Shuler, The Monterey Herald

“During this concert everything came together so beautifully with the chorus, soloists and orchestra, and the music itself being so powerful, that I began experiencing a wave of goosebumps (I actually lost count after a while).

The I Cantori chorus, consisting of amateur music lovers from our community, has consistently sung with extraordinary enthusiasm, and on this occasion outdid themselves in the many levels of dynamics (from the most beautiful pianissimo to strong fortissimo) and well articulated expression.”

- Lyn Bronson, Peninsula Reviews

“Conductor Sal Ferrantelli and I Cantori di Carmel proved that one needn’t look further than the 19th century to find unknown musical masterpieces. A 40-minute Mess de requiem by Saint-Saens gave everyone something significant to ponder Saturday night at the Carmel Mission Basilica. In a performance as fine as any in I Cantori’s long tradition, this stunning piece ran the gamut from Verdi to Wagner, from thunder to shimmer, from Gallic lyricism and “Sound effects” to smoldering Italian drama and pathos.”

- Scott MacClelland, Coast Weekly

“Sal Ferrantelli has been the heart and soul, the leader and fire behind I Cantori since its inception. Just keep your eyes on Sal when he conducts and you know exactly what to do. May he forever reign as the guiding light and inspiration for this treasured ensemble!”

- Reg Huston, Peninsula Reviews

“Lovers of sacred vocal music enjoyed a special treat last Friday evening, as the voices of I Cantori di Carmel resounded through the Carmel Mission Basilica. Dr. Sal Ferrantelli led his singers and the skilled orchestra assembled by concertmaster David Dally in a concert featuring Mozart’s Requiem and a setting of the Magnificat by Vivaldi. It was a chilly night, yet the Mission was filled to capacity by an enthusiastic audience that was well rewarded…Ferrantelli guided the choruses with determination and motion, and the response was thrilling. The dynamics were carefully applied and skillfully executed, notably in the three central movements. ‘Confutatis’ was persuasive in its depiction of confused men and praying women, and the extreme control in the ‘Lacrymosa’ with its poignant text painting and gentle swells was enough to bring tears to one’s eyes. The audience was quickly on its feet to give a well deserved standing ovation.”

- Jeff DeMarco, Coasting

“Of particular interest was Ferrantelli’s Kyrie eleison. Although it was harmonically and musically challenging, the chorus easily performed the difficult key changes and abrupt modulations. This ambitious a cappella piece remained nicely in tune as new keys were introduced and intricate rhythms emerged…It is inspiring to hear volunteer choral singers who meticulously prepare choral music spanning several centuries in four different languages, and this concert demonstrated how I Cantori’s singers have worked hard to develop their vocal technique and musicianship…I Cantori di Carmel, with the inspiration of Ferrantelli’s direction, presents these choral concerts to the public, and it is truly a gift to hear them perform.”

- Robin McKee Williams, Peninsula Reviews

Dr. Sal ferrantelli

Press Reviews