New songs for peace

Chanticleer is a 12-member San Francisco men’s choir, or “orchestra of voices,” which has issued 28 recordings and won numerous awards, including three Grammys, in its nearly 30 years of performing.

The ensemble also has commissioned more than 60 works. The most recent breaks significant new ground: It is a mass, honoring the 10-year anniversary of the death of Chanticleer’s founder, Louis Botto.

The ensemble asked five contemporary composers to share in its creation. Each worked independently, not hearing each other’s contributions until completion. The result is And on Earth, Peace: A Chanticleer Mass (Warner Classics). The premier performance was given in April at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.