The five virtuosi of Canadian Brass have made the brass quintet an exciting vehicle for serious concert music. They have a special affinity for Cathedral Baroque music, which requires the brilliance and musical structure that has become the Canadian Brass' trademark. The quintet - now in its 34th season - consists of new members Charles Lazarus, trumpet, and Bernhard Scully, horn, alongside original members Stuart Laughton, trumpet, Gene Watts, trombone,
and Chuck Daellenbach on tuba.

Millions of television viewers have seen the Canadian Brass in such shows as The Tonight Show, Today, and Entertainment Tonight. They have appeared as guest artists on Evening at Pops with John Williams and the Boston Pops, and numerous PBS specials. The quintet has also created eight videos that have gained an international audience and has just released a DVD that captures the group in performance over three decades entitled "Three Nights with Canadian Brass". With over three decades under their belts, Canadian Brass continues to fill concert halls and thrill audiences around the world. AND They don't look like letting up anytime soon. Visit their website: http://www.canbrass.com

Each year this production changes and becomes even more spectacular - drawing capacity crowds from all over the Coastal Bend. Over 200 Singers, dancers, musicians and even sheep, angels, shepherds and wisemen, just to name a few, will melt your hearts as you become a part of the pageantry in the retelling of the Birth of the Savior. Celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany (the arrival of the Magi paying homage to the God-child), this event under the direction of Lee Gwozdz and Christi Carter, will feature members of the Cathedral Pontifical Chorale, Youth Chorale, Cathedral Choristers, Cherub Choir, Handbell Choir under the direction of Daniel Vasquez, Schola Cantorum under the direction of Eddy Fernandez, Eugene Gwozdz and members from the Corpus Christi Symphony Orchestra. A Concert Series Special that culminates the Holiday Season in the Coastal Bend - Tickets will go fast for this one!

By audience demand, The St. Olaf Choir returns to the Cathedral Concert Series since their last astounding performance in 2001! With 75 mixed voices, the world-renowned St. Olaf Choir is the pioneer a cappella choir in the United States. For more than three-quarters of a century, the choir has set a standard of choral excellence and remained at the forefront of choral artistry. Directed since 1990 by Anton Armstrong, the St. Olaf Choir continues to develop the tradition that originated with its founder, F. Melius Christiansen. In 1996, the choir marked the 125th anniversary of his birth.

Since its founding, the St. Olaf Choir has set a standard in the choral art, serving as a model for choirs of all levels. The annual tour brings the choir's artistry and message to thousands across the nation and around the world, performing for capacity audiences in the major concert halls of Norway, France, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, New York City, Washington, D.C, Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, and the Twin Cities.

As a concluding event to the city's Festival of the Arts, the Cathedral Concert Series will feature London Opera Star Frances McCafferty and Corpus Christi's own Nancy Lanmon Cooke.

Mezzo soprano Frances McCafferty enjoys the admiration of audiences and colleagues alike for her lively and colourful character portrayals of many of the 'characters' of the mezzo repertoire. Today she is a regular guest artist at the Royal Opera, Covent Garden. Other engagements have included concerts and oratorios with many of the major orchestras in the UK, the RTE and National Orchestra of Ireland, the Ulster Orchestra, the Singapore Symphony Orchestra and the BBC Concert Orchestra. Her recent association with Carl Davis has led to concerts in a lighter vein, including programmes of Broadway music with the Halle, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Opera North orchestras. Miss McCafferty's recordings include Marcellina The Marriage of Figaro for Chandos Records.

Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, soprano Nancy Lanmon Cooke is a graduate of Hardin Simmons University, and continued her music studies as a Rotary International Foundation Scholar at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London, England. Nancy began her professional career in England touring with the D'Oyly Carte Opera and Welsh National Opera companies, as well as performing recitals and concerts in the United States, the United Kingdom and The Republic of Ireland.

Impeccably arranged vocals; layered harmonies; instrumental and vocal versatility, and strong ties to the local church-- these are the hallmarks of GLAD. GLAD, the band, began on the campus of West Chester State University near Philadelphia, PA in the early '70's. Formed as a progressive Christian rock band with classical/jazz leanings and an emphasis on complex vocals, GLAD has always borrowed from a wide range of musical genres. The band made its first two records for Myrrh/Word between 1978 and 1980. On their second outing, Beyond a Star, the group began to dabble with an a cappella sound ("The Reason"). In '81 the group signed with Benson Records (now Benson Music Group) which would become their home for thirteen years and twelve recordings. Over time the group's sound evolved into a sophisticated pop/jazz style, with one a cappella offering on each recording. As an experiment, in 1988, the group recorded an entire album of a cappella -- a mixture of original tunes and elaborately re-arranged hymns. The public responded in a big way by purchasing over 300,000 copies of The Acapella Project, and GLAD began to alternate their "band" and a cappella recordings. Glad continues to tour at the rate of about fifty concerts per year. The group's concert ministry has two primary thrusts: 1) to effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ while emphasizing themes such as God's sovereignty and delighting in God, and; 2) sharing with audiences about the child development work of Compassion International.