On a good night, the 12 members of the vocal ensemble Chanticleer and attendees at their performances can find themselves on the same musical wavelength in the eyes of its music director, Matt Oltman.

"Oftentimes, we really feel like we're locked in with an audience," he said. "We can almost feel them breathing with us and feeling the music with us, and when we get to that point, it forms a special bond with us and the audience."

Scheduled to perform Friday at Chapel of the Resurrection, Chanticleer was formed in San Francisco in 1978 by vocalist Louis Botto. An all-male ensemble consisting of 12 members, a concept behind forming the ensemble harkens back to the renaissance era, when women were not permitted to sing in churches and men took on vocal roles now held by their female counterparts.

Performing compositions that date as far back as the 15th century to new works commissioned by the ensemble and covering musical grounds from renaissance to gospel to contemporary classical to jazz to holiday themed works, to name just a few, Chanticleer has recorded more than two dozen full-length sets.

In 2000, Chanticleer took home a Grammy award for Best Small Ensemble Performance for their set "Colors of Love," and took home an additional pair three years later for their 2002 set, "Lamentations and Praises." Last year, the ensemble was inducted into the Classical Music Hall of Fame.

For Chanticleer baritone and assistant music director Jace Wittig, his performance at VU's Chapel of the Resurrection brings him close to home turf. Reared in Carmel, a town north of Indianapolis, Wittig was first introduced to the ensemble as a member of the Indianapolis Children's Choir, when a former Chanticleer visited the group.

Wittig, who received a bachelor's degree in vocal performance from Ball State in 2004, became a member of Chanticleer two years after graduation and took on the assistant music director duties earlier this year.

"Our blend of male voices, both in the baritone/tenor/bass range with male sopranos and altos, (creates) a timber that very few choirs have," Wittig said.

"The way we tune (our voices), the way our voices blend together since we are all men is different than a mixed voice choir."

Oltman was reared in Des Moines, Iowa, and received a master's degree in performance from the University of York in England. He became a member of the ensemble in 1999 and assumed the reins of music director a year ago.

"One of the most enjoyable aspects of being in Chanticleer is the fact that you are constantly stretching yourself," he said. "You're always learning new repertoire and the vocal technique that's required for each style, as a singer, it keeps you on your toes. It's a constantly changing and exciting job."

Wittig agrees.

"We're a professional ensemble and this is our full-time job, and we have a lot of time to devote to the music," he said. "We have a lot of time for rehearsal, we spend a lot of time delving into the meaning behind this music that we're singing and the feeling that we want to invoke with each piece." Chanticleer's Friday performance at VU, titled "In Time Of ... " will touch on the variety of styles that make up the ensemble's repertoire. It also includes a recently penned work created by Mason Bates, a San Francisco-based composer and hip-hop/trip-hop club D.J.

"We're able to give a concert that gives a great amount of variety that keeps people coming back," Oltman said. "They're going to hear things that they're familiar with and things that their unfamiliar with.

Hopefully they'll come away enjoying something new and enjoying something old."

Chanticleer's current itinerary has them performing from New York to California with plenty of shows in between now and year's end. In 2010, the ensemble is slated to perform in France, Austria, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands along with a hearty schedule of shows on this side of the pond.

"People appreciate music no matter where they're from and what language (it's being sung)," Wittig said. "Not every place has this blend of 12 individual singers who are both good solo singers and good ensemble singers.

"Even in our world today, where you can get on iTunes and download our music, it's something you don't hear very often in person," he added. "A (recorded listening) doesn't quite match a (Chanticleer) concert experience."

Chanticleer's performance at VU is the first in their three decade-plus career.

"Chanticleer has an International reputation for performing a varied choral repertoire," said Jeff Hazewinkel, director of VU's Center for the Arts. "Their a cappella sound is quite unique and very well suited for the Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection."

Chanticleer's "In Time Of ... " 8 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Chapel of the Resurrection, Valparaiso University, 1700 Chapel Drive, Valparaiso

COST: $25 adults, $15 VU students, staff and faculty with ID

FYI: (219) 464-5162; VALPO.EDU/VUCA

Chanticleer's Friday performance at Valparaiso University's Chapel of the Resurrection is the first in the university's 2009-10 Choral Concert Series.

On Nov. 6, the Vienna Boys Choir is scheduled to perform at the Chapel, with the university's Symphony Orchestra, men and women's choirs and the Valparaiso University Chorale coming together for their annual Christmas Concert Dec. 4 and 5.

VU's Symphony Orchestra, University Chorale and Bach Choir are slated to perform Johann Sebastian Bach's acclaimed composition "St. Matthew Passion" at the Chapel March 20. The series concludes May 2, with the VU Symphony Orchestra leading a performance of Gustav Mahler's "Symphony No. 2."

"The audience will experience some of the most loved works in the world performed at the highest level in a wonderful venue," said Jeff Hazewinkel, director of VU's Center for the Arts, of their upcoming choral concert season.

Season ticket packages are available ranging from $70 for seniors and students to $250 for golden circle tickets, with tickets for individual performances varying.

FYI: (219) 464-5162; VALPO.EDU/VUCA.