I Cantori di Carmel brings "Carmina Burana" to the Great Outdoors of the Central Coast

KAZU

Published May 26, 2026 at 11:17 AM PDT

Maestro Daniel Henriks leads a rehearsal of the I Cantori Chorus performing "Carmina Burana."

Maestro Daniel Henriks is bringing Carl Orff's earthy cantata "Carmina Burana" to the great outdoors when he conducts I Cantori di Carmel Beneath the open sky. The piece calls for expanded forces with its driving rhythms, exuberant choruses, and soloists. Henriks came by the KAZU studio recently to talk to KAZU's Lisa Ledin about the lingering power and magic of this work.

Lisa Ledin: We're in the Green Room with Daniel Henriks. We're listening to "O Fortuna," which begins and ends the cantata. It's a very popular piece. It's been in movies and in advertisements, even in sports arenas. And then you're telling me it's kind of like an incantation.

Orff: Carmina Burana: I. O fortuna

Daniel Henriks: That is true. That very famous opening that everybody knows is actually an incantation to the moon because it kind of equates the good or bad fortune that people have to the
moon. Sometimes it's full and round and sometimes it's just a thin little sliver.

LL: How does it tie in with the fickleness of fate and fortune?

DH: Well, you know, the fascinating thing about "Carmina Burana" is that it's 13th century poetry, Medieval poetry. Most of the Medieval poetry that we know is sacred in nature, right? But here we have poetry that actually deals with things that are normal, like good luck, bad luck, love, lust, fun—being in a bar and having a few drinks too many. All these things give us an insight into what was on peoples' minds at that time and what moved people in their normal everyday life.

Click the audio player at the top of this story to listen to the interview or read the highlights below. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Daniel Henriks [l] and KAZU's Lisa Ledin in conversation in the KAZU studio

Daniel Henriks on what audiences can expect from I Cantori's performance of "Carmina Burana" Outdoors.

DH: "We're going to put 150 people on stage. There's a children's chorus. There are soloists, a 60-something piece orchestra with five percussionists."

Maestro Henriks in rehearsals for "Carmina Burana" with the I Cantori chorus.

Lisa Ledin: "Let's talk about the venues and kind of magical setting being under the stars at the Outdoor Forest Theater."

DH: It's the perfect space for it. It's more like a celebration, a collective party.

LL: Bring your picnic.

DH: Bring your picnic.

LL: There's another venue and you're excited about that.

DH: Yeah, so there's the Quarry Amphitheater in Santa Cruz. It's this old quarry on the university campus in a redwood grove. I think we're the first classical group that's performing there. It's usually used by rock bands. We have a bunch of great new singers. There's an influx of great new voices and they rock.

I Cantori's performances are May 29th through the 31st at Carmel's Forest Theater and June 5th in Santa Cruz at the Quarry Amphitheater. I Cantori is one of KAZU's underwriters. Our editorial decisions are made independently of sponsorship agreements.