The ISU women’s choir Cantamus has been selected as one of only nine choirs to perform at the Music Educators National Convention in Minneapolis. Of the 150 choirs that auditioned, Cantamus was the only women’s choir selected.

“Cantamus is the first choir from Iowa State to be selected for the National MENC,” says Kathleen Rodde, adjunct assistant professor of music and director of the choir.

This is the first year the choir was eligible for selection, Rodde says.

The choir was founded three years ago during a restructuring of the choral program at Iowa State, and three years is how long a choir must be in existence before it can audition for the Music Educators National Convention.

The 62 women in the choir come from a broad range of academic backgrounds. Rodde says only about 10 percent of the members are music majors. Jessica Markham, senior in psychology, sings soprano II in Cantamus. She says she has been involved in the choir since she was a freshman.

“I was a little skeptical about joining a women’s choir back in the beginning, but I really enjoy it,” Markham says. “Rodde is a great director and we all get along.”

Rodde says audition tapes were submitted to the conferences last spring. The choir got the news it had been selected in the fall.

“Choirs submit tapes to a state chair,” Rodde says. “Then, tapes worthy of consideration are forwarded to a panel at either the regional or national level to be selected to perform.”

The Music Educators National Convention will be held April 15-17 in Minneapolis. The choir has also been selected to perform at the American Choral Directors Association Regional Conference, which takes place March 4-7 in Sioux Falls, S.D.

“I think it’s a huge honor to perform at the conventions,” Markham says.

There will be eight other choirs performing at the Music Educators National Convention. Rodde says Cantamus has been given a one-hour performance slot, and the music selection is left up to the director.

“The program is a combination of music from around the world,” Rodde says. “There is music from Russia, Hungary, Belgium, British Columbia, Macedonia, Portugal and we close with a piece from the United States.”

In November, Cantamus debuted the music it will be performing at the conventions. At the end of the month, the group will present its “Bon Voyage Concert,” which is a completely memorized performance of the same music.

“Rehearsals haven’t been increased because the women consistently work at a very high level,” Rodde says. “I thought it was very important to keep the rehearsal routine the same. It is, after all, how we got selected to begin with.”

Rodde says she enjoys working with the choir and is excited about future projects, including producing a CD.

“I really hope other students will come out and see the choir,” Rodde says. “These women work so hard.”