The 12 male voices of the internationally esteemed a capella group Chanticleer last graced the University in January 2004 to celebrate the renovation of the inspiring space that is Hill Auditorium. This Thursday, they will return to celebrate not the work of human hands, but another source of inspiration - the natural world - in the concert "EarthSongs" at 8 p.m. at St. Francis Catholic Church on East Stadium Boulevard.

The San Francisco-based group was founded in 1978, and since then has become one of the most in-demand choral groups in the world. Following their European tour earlier this year, Ann Arbor is one stop on its 16-state U.S. tour.

"EarthSongs" reflects the breadth of Chanticleer's repertoire, one of the group's most notable characteristics and undoubtedly a reason for its wide appeal. Mixed in with Renaissance madrigals, 19th-century traditional Irish songs and a piece by post-romantic composer Gustav Mahler are works by Chanticleer's former artist-in-residence Chen Yi and Sarah Hopkins, whose piece "Past Life Melodies" incorporates the Australian Aboriginal singing method of overtone singing, where higher notes play over a low, sustained drone.

President and General Director Christine Bullin explained how Chanticleer usually organizes its program around a theme. and this year chose the Earth. She said that "EarthSongs" hopes to "demonstrate our universal relationship to and dependence on her. Of course, there could be no more pertinent theme today."

Several of the pieces are derived from poetic meditations on nature, such as works by Walt Whitman and German poet/playwright Bertolt Brecht. Yi's piece "Wild Grass" is meant to evoke the atmosphere of the composer's native southeast China. This evocation is facilitated by "word painting," in which sound is deliberately suggestive of an image.

"EarthSongs" seems to be in the same vein as Chanticleer's 29th and most recent CD, Sound in Spirit. The recording focuses on sacred music from traditions as variant as Tibetan and Byzantine chant and incorporates outdoor sounds, much as "EarthSongs" addresses centuries of human attitudes toward the, for some, sacred force of nature.

The variety of the program to be presented on the 20th is designed to showcase Chanticleer's wide range. Bullin said it will "have something for everybody, but hopefully will also show how the joy of singing and the relevance of music crosses all centuries and styles."

Chanticleer
Thursday at 8 p.m.
$30
At St Francis Catholic Church