Dancing Tree: Choral Landscapes St. Charles Singers & Jeff Hunt
Album info
Album-Release:
2026
HRA-Release:
21.08.2026
Label: Navona Records
Genre: Classical
Subgenre: Choral
Artist: St. Charles Singers & Jeff Hunt
Composer: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), Claude Debussy (1862-1918), Charles Forsberg (1942), Jake Runestad (1986), John Rutter (1945), Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)
Album including Album cover
- 1 Rutter: Dancing Tree: I. Stone in the water 01:49
- 2 Rutter: Dancing Tree: II. Foxglove 02:19
- 3 Rutter: Dancing Tree: III. In my garden 04:00
- 4 Rutter: Dancing Tree: IV. Dandelion 02:29
- 5 Rutter: Dancing Tree: V. Daniel Brent 01:05
- 6 Rutter: Dancing Tree: VI. Spin me a web, spider 02:05
- 7 Rutter: Dancing Tree: VII. At Candlemas 02:58
- 8 Rutter: Dancing Tree: VIII. I am the song 02:49
- 9 Stanford: The Blue Bird, Op. 119, No. 3 (48 kHz) 03:04
- 10 Forsberg: Buttercup Days 02:35
- 11 Debussy: Trois Chansons: I. Dieu! qu’il la fait bon regarder! (48 kHz) 01:52
- 12 Debussy: Trois Chansons: II. Quant j’ai ouy le tabourin (48 kHz) 01:44
- 13 Debussy: Trois Chansons: III. Yver, vous n’estes qu’un villain (48 kHz) 01:58
- 14 Britten: Hymn to St. Cecilia, Op. 27 (48 kHz) 09:47
- 15 Runestad: Cello Songs: I. Summer 02:24
- 16 Runestad: Cello Songs: II. Autumn 01:48
- 17 Runestad: Cello Songs: III. Winter 04:56
- 18 Runestad: Cello Songs: IV. Spring 01:50
Info for Dancing Tree: Choral Landscapes
"Dancing Tree" presents the St. Charles Singers, conducted by Jeff Hunt, in a program ranging from early 20th-century masterworks to contemporary pieces. The title work, written for St. Charles Singers, is Sir John Rutter’s Dancing Tree, an eight-song cycle drawn from the poetry of Charles Causley, whose verse blends folklore, nature, and emotional directness. The program proceeds with Benjamin Britten’s Hymn to St Cecilia, Op. 27, Claude Debussy’s Trois Chansons, Charles Villiers Stanford’s The Blue Bird, Jake Runstad’s Cello Songs, and Charles Forsberg’s Buttercup Days — the latter two, written for the St. Charles Singers. Cellist Jean Hatmaker, harpist Erin Freund, and pianist Stephen Uhl support the choir with steady, flowing musicality and verve.
Erin Freund, harp
Jean Hatmaker, cello
Stephen Uhl, piano
Karen Rockett, soprano
Marybeth Kurnat, soprano
Debra Wilder, contralto
Robert Campbell, tenor
Antonio Quaranta, bass
St. Charles Singers
Jeff Hunt, musical director
St. Charles Singers
Founded and directed by Jeffrey Hunt, the St. Charles Singers is a chamber choir dedicated to choral music in all its forms. Hailed by American Record Guide as “a national treasure,” the mixed-voice ensemble includes professional singers, choral directors, and voice instructors, some of whom perform with other top-tier Chicago choirs. Classics Today has called the ensemble “one of North America’s outstanding choirs,” citing “charisma and top-notch musicianship” that “bring character and excitement to each piece.” Choral Journal proclaimed, “They sing with versatile musicality, vibrant tone, and impeccable diction.” England’s Choir and Organ declared, “With a well-balanced and beautifully blended choral sound, the St. Charles Singers are totally committed to what they perform.” Among the St. Charles Singers’ prominent guest conductors have been renowned English composer Sir John Rutter, founder of the Cambridge Singers; Philip Moore, composer and former music director at England’s York Minster cathedral; and Grammy Award-winning American choir director Craig Hella Johnson. The choir launched in St. Charles, Illinois, in 1984 as the Mostly Madrigal Singers.
The St. Charles Singers’ newest album, “Dancing Tree: Choral Landscapes,” will be released August 21 on Navona Records. It features Rutter’s “Dancing Tree,” written for the St. Charles Singers and heard in its world-premiere performance.
Jeffrey Hunt
received music degrees from Taylor University and Northwestern University. In 1984 he founded and became director of the St Charles Singers. In 1985 he was appointed Director of Music at Baker Memorial United Methodist Church in St Charles, Illinois. Baker Memorial is also the church where he received much of his childhood music education. In addition he is currently Adjunct Instructor at Elgin Community College in the music department. In addition to conducting and teaching, he has an active voice studio. Under his direction, the St Charles Singers have made several recordings, and are active in the choral music scene in the Chicago area with several yearly subscription concerts and tours.
This album contains no booklet.