Beyond the power of 10 with Cantus

Cantus is a splendid, relatively new male a cappella choral group that swells the ranks of our current golden age of ensemble singing in a distinctive way.

Other groups aim for a honeyed but disembodied sound. Cantus matches that blend, but it also revels in a heft of sound hardly imagined possible from 10 men singing without accompaniment. At times, in its Los Angeles debut Saturday in UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall, Cantus sounded 50 voices strong.

It’s also a group whose members sing to one another, seriously listening to and believing in what they are saying. On only a few occasions did all of them face the audience full out. Otherwise, they stood in a curved line, with the singers at the ends turned toward each other.

Far from distancing them, this configuration, which changed from piece to piece, offered some advantages. The focal point shifted intriguingly as different sections became prominent, although the deep richness of sound was never lost.

It also felt like being in some cozy place listening to a group of friends enjoying themselves. Which is true. The group hails from Northfield, Minn., where it was formed at St. Olaf College in 1995 when a bunch of friends decided to give themselves a break from studies and have some fun.

On paper the program looked eclectic, if not weird, ranging from Inuit chants to Smokey Robinson, from a 19th century Romantic love lyric to gospels and contemporary Nordic songs. Actually, it was all geared toward entertainment, with more serious art music followed by more popular fare -- all wonderful.

Erick Lichte, Cantus artistic director, and Michel Hanawalt, executive director, stepped out of the chorus to drolly introduce most of the selections from the stage. Albert Jordan was the fine tenor soloist in Smokey Robinson’s “Who’s Lovin’ You.”