About Cantabile d'Eymet
Cantabile d’Eymet is the Franco-English choir open to all who love to sing music from many traditions. It’s a choir of forty singers of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass voices which has contributed since 1994 to the cultural life of the Portes Sud Périgord area through its cycles of concert programmes and musical events in collaboration with other musical organisations in the area.
In 2023 we delivered three concert programmes, including in April, Stainer’s Crucifixion and Fauré’s Requiem; in June Bob Chilcott’s Little Jazz Mass, Leonard Bernstein’s Suite from West Side Story, Canteloube’s Songs from the Auvergne, and in December Vaughan Williams’s Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Morten Lauridsen’s O Magnum Mysterium and a sequence of early French and English carols from the 15th century onwards.
The Association
Cantabile d’Eymet is 29 years old this year so in 2025 will celebrate 30 years of music-making! As an Association of the Commune of Eymet, the choir benefits in many ways, from the provision of our rehearsal space, co-promotion of our concerts, communications and collaboration with local organisations. We thank the Eymet Mairie team for its ongoing support and encouragement.
Cantabile d’Eymet continues to renew itself, to grow and attract talented amateur singers from a wide catchment area. Our goal is to improve further the balance our Francophone and English forces and in this we are having great success.
Musical Directors
Our Musical Directors combine long experience of teaching, performance and accompaniment. Their style is constructive, encouraging and challenging to bring out the best in each member of the choir.
Penelope Martin-Smith is a Licentiate in Singing Performance from Guildhall School of Music, London and holds a B.Mus Honours degree from London University. A soloist and choral soprano, she is Vocal Director of Vivaldi’s Women, Associate Director of Oxford Youth Choirs, Director of Monteton Anglican Choir and Eymet Jazz Choir.
Adrian Inscoe is a widely experienced organist, accompanist and bass soloist whose musical interests span ecclesiastical, theatrical and jazz settings. He has directed choirs and sung as a Deputy Lay Clerk at Canterbury Cathedral, England.
Venues
Cantabile d’Eymet seeks always to perform in venues where the qualities of the music are enhanced by the venue in which they are performed, be that a church, a theatre space or in the open air.
As its home base, the choir regularly performs at Eymet’s beautiful church of Notre Dame and in collaboration of Les Amis de l’église d’Issigeac, at the magnificent C15 church of St Félicien at Issigeac. Cantabile d’Eymet has also performed at Monbazillac’s Salle des Fêtes; the initimate courtyard of l’Hôtel de Ville at Castillionnès and Bergerac’s historic church of St Jaques. It also performs at Eymet’s Armistice Day commemerations, Christmas church services and Carol Singing celebrations, in collaboration with the Eymet Mairie and local primary school.
Join Cantabile d'Eymet
Cantabile d’Eymet has a loyal membership of singers of French, Dutch, American and United Kingdom heritages. Its tradition is one of friendship and enjoyment. We welcome singers whether confident sight readers or those learning with musical scores and audio rehearsal material.
New members typically join at the start of a new term to integrate fully into the choir with a new programme of music. Cantabile d’Eymet has three terms per year (September-December, January-March, April-June) during which rehearsals are held weekly from 19.00-21.00 at 'La Gare', Eymet’s brand new centre for community activities and events. As a international choir, rehearsals are conducted bilingually, in English and French. Written communications to the choir, also, are published in English and French.