FOUNDing ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: CANTATA PROFANA
2013-2023
"An outstanding ensemble." - The New York Times
Previous to Heartbeat Opera, Jacob was the founding “impressive Artistic Director” (New York Times) of Cantata Profana, a fearless ensemble of inquisitive musicians, boldly juxtaposing masterpieces from the medieval era to the 21st century in lovingly curated shows filled with unexpected works and daring theater. At the heart of each signature Cantata Profana production was a vision for a new kind of programming: breathing life into classical music by carefully weaving together rarely-heard works from every chapter of music history and reveling in how it all fits together. In 2016, CP was awarded the CMA/ASCAP National Award for Adventurous Programming.
A “crack ensemble” (New Yorker) with “a taste for the dramatic” (New York Times), for ten years Cantata Profana was passionately dedicated to new music, old music “to most anything, so long as the mixture is put together thoughtfully and put across persuasively” (New York Times). CP’s artists were specialists in a dizzying array of musical genres, able to transform themselves from “a stylish early music ensemble” (New York Times) into “exacting and sensitive” performers of contemporary music (Boston Globe) all within one show.
After ten glorious years of changing the way music is programmed and performed around us, Cantata Profana we celebrated its final season in 2022-23 with a banner year of three raucous shows, spending the last of our funds on artists we love. Since Jacob founded the group in 2013, CP took a daring approach that not only earned us awards and critical acclaim, but best of all, fostered a new style of chamber music creation that spread through the work of countless CP artists all over the world. The influence of CP continues everywhere to this day! Visit the Archive and our Youtube channel to relive the magic.
WWW.CANTATAPROFANA.COM
