Anam Cara

Anam Cara is a rotating twenty-voice professional choral ensemble based in Philadelphia formed in 2006 by its conductor, James Jordan. Singers are selected from a roster of approximately thirty singers in their twenties, selected to reflect the musical style of the pieces performed.

The accompanists for the ensemble are Marilyn Shenenberger and Bernard Kunkel. The ensemble is composed of present students and graduates of the Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Singers are chosen for the ensemble not only because of their vocal abilities but for their humanity and shared musical experiences. The conductor, James Jordan remarks:

I searched my musical memory for current and former students and friends with whom I had shared musical experiences from Westminster or from other parts of my career and whom, I believed, possessed common core human elements. The serendipity of our coming together, in hindsight, was quite the miracle. As I had dreamed of what such an ensemble would sound like, the realties exceeded both my fantasies and my dreams.

The ensemble is a member of Chorus America and can be contacted through their Web site, Anamcara.com. In 2007 the ensemble will release two CDs on the GIA VocalWorks label, Innisfree and The Music of Gerald Custer.