Chantry enchanted Washington area audiences for 25 years from its founding in 2001 to its final concert in 2025.  The Washington Post hailed Chantry’s “edge-of-seat vitality,”"vast expressive capacity and deeply ingrained sense of style," "nuance and lyricism," and "gut-level understanding of the idiom" of early music, and lauded its presentation of “exceptionally interesting and moving music.”  Reviewing Chantry's performance of Renaissance polyphony, Washington Classical Review said Chantry "sings this music extremely well," with pieces "crystalline in structure and balance," sound with "a virtuosic sheen," and singing with "delightful rhythmic alacrity."  According to All Arts Review, “Chantry is one of the musical glories of Washington.”

 

Chantry’s 8-16 professional early music voices are dedicated to fresh, vibrant, historically informed performance of neglected masterpieces of Renaissance polyphony and music of the early Baroque era.  Chantry has performed with major early music ensembles including Hesperus Viols, Piffaro, Modern Musick, and the Bach Sinfonia.  The name "Chantry" comes from the old French chanterie ("to sing").  In medieval and Renaissance times, a "chantry" was a chapel (often a small chapel inside a large cathedral) dedicated to the singing of masses for someone's soul.

 

David Taylor, Chantry's Founder and Music Director, holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in choral literature and performance from the University of Colorado, a Master of Music degree in conducting from the University of Maryland, where he studied with Dr. Paul Traver, his major teacher, and a Bachelor of Music degree in organ from Andrews University.  In addition to serving for 25 years as Chantry’s Founder and Music Director, Dr. Taylor founded the chamber choir Musicorum of Mankato, MN, spent 15 years as a college choral director, including serving as Director of the Hendrix College Choir, was Assistant Conductor of Paul Traver’s world-renowned University of Maryland Chorus, was a member of the Choir of Men and Boys of Washington Cathedral under Dr. Paul Callaway, and made his conducting debut with the Battle Creek Academy Band at age five.  He has served as organist-choirmaster or director of music for numerous churches since beginning his church music career at age 13.  Chantry has sung virtually all of the more than 800 pieces in its 25-year repertoire from performing editions prepared by Dr. Taylor.