The album, The Cardinal and the Roller, was released on October 16, and it includes 16 song selections — eight American and eight African.
Missouri State University Director of Choral Studies Cameron LaBarr first heard the TUKS Camerata Choir at their homebase at the University of Pretoria when he visited them in October of 2013.
“I was so taken by the choir and their work. It was otherworldly,” said LaBarr, “And I knew that I was sitting there experiencing something really special and quite unique. I had no idea what was to come with our choir now and their choir.”
During that visit LaBarr met the then conductor of TUKS Camerata, Michael Barrett.
“So we stayed in contact. And over the years, this incredible, beautiful friendship, not just from a music and professional point of view, but also a genuine love for each other, for our philosophies, for our belief in why music can change the lives of the students that sing for us as well as those that listen,” said Barrett.
The choirs came together to perform in Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas before a three-day recording session with Grammy award winning producer Dirk Sobotka.
When the choir finished recording and Labarr was reading through the track list and addressing the choir, he thanked all those who gave their time and supported the project.
“Each one of these tracks that we've worked so hard on, each one of them tells a different and unique story,” said LaBarr, “These bits of music connects us in different visceral and real ways that we will always cherish for the rest of our lives.”
Barrett hopes that people takeaway moments of peace and hope from listening to the album.
“I want them to, for a moment, be transported to a place where there is no news, where there is no hardship, where there is no strife, where there is no burden at that point in time,” said Barrett, "We cannot take away the burdens of people. That's not our goal. But for a moment, to allow them to experience a moment of relief, a moment of escape and the reminder that there is always beauty in the world, no matter how dark, there is always light.”
The album is available on all streaming platforms.
