Created in 2012, at the initiative of the renowned international conductor Ion Marin, with the help of
the Madrigal Choir volunteers, the Cantus Mundi National Program was institutionalized by the Government
Decision no. 821/2014, thus becoming, from just a simple idea, a Direction of the institution under the
Ministry of Culture: “Madrigal - Marin Constantin” National Chamber Choir.
Cantus Mundi was inspired by similar projects in the world, like El Sistema-Venezuela. The impulse was
given by Michael Hilti, famous promoter of sociocultural initiatives around the world.
The National Program that attempts to unite all the children in Romania, was launched on September 29th,
2012 in the Rosetti Hall of the Romanian Parliament. The Cantus Mundi Gala, broadcasted live on
TVR1. The event featured over 700 children on the same stage, who sang together for the first time,
conducted by Anna Ungureanu.
So far, over 30 000 children benefit from the application of the program. Cantus Mundi's proposed goal is
to reach over the next three years 250.000 children in Romania. They will be joined by children in
Moldavia, Germany, Ukraine and Serbia.
Since the launch of the Program, over 800 choirs from 37 counties in Romania have joined the Cantus Mundi
platform, which provides free access to an extensive database of online scores, video lessons and
audio-scores, as well as a forum moderated by specialists.
Principles of Cantus Mundi National Programme
Social inclusion - All children of Romania have the right to
develop
harmoniously, to
communicate among themselves and to grow together. We believe that through the Cantus Mundi
program,
social inequalities can be overcome through musical language used by choral singing.
Overcoming all forms of discrimination - choral chant, as a group
activity, helps
creating a social identity, through non-verbal communication, without distinction of race,
religion,
social affiliation, economic condition.
Development in areas lacking culture - Given that in the
countryside,
cultural centers
almost entirely lost the role for which they were established, choral movement stimulation
revitalizes these spaces, encouraging youth participation in joint activities and relations
between
vocal groups in different localities.
Communication and cultural interactivity - Through music, young
people
belonging to
different cultures that coexist in Romania will manage to open channels of communication and
networking, to know each other and accept each other.
Currently, Cantus Mundi teams, made up of conductors, members of the Madrigal Choir and social workers
hold weekly workshops on choir conducting in all parts of Romania. The workshop lasts 3
days, is free of charge and offers all participants the basic know-how of choral conducting and the
knowledge to create and manage a choir. The syllabus contains information about the anatomy of the human
vocal tract, technical exercises, vocalizations, as well as music theory practice, conducting notions
regarding interpretation, musical style and child psychology. The courses offered by the Cantus Mundi
teams are based on the Cantus Mundi manual and lay the foundation for a true revolution in the field of
choral music singing - all at the initiative of conductor Ion Marin.
