The choir Kántus was founded in 1739 by György Maróthi, the genius of mathematics, professor of the Reformed College of Debrecen, who was able to reconstruct the whole school during the short six years of his activity. Earlier there existed only a funeral quartet being organized during the epidemic of the plague and it was extended later to a 30 member mixed boy's choir. Maróthi's intention was to introduce the part-singing of psalms to the church services according to Swiss model. He planned a music ensamble "Collegium Musicum" but his early death at the age of 29 put an end to this. Therefore this plan could not be carried out but the first Hungarian youth choir Kántus was established continuously functioning since then.

    This choir proclaims with its organization and mentality even now the centuries old students' republic, having educated generations in faith and in trained work, following the motto of the College: "Orando et laborando" (praying and working). After the beginning period of the boy's mixed choir, then the longer period of the men's choir, Kántus functions since 1954 as a mixed choir. The number of its members is about 60-80/year, consisting of secondary school pupils, students of the Theology and of other Departments of the University. The church and secular repertoire of the choir enables the participation at different competitions and qualifications of the Hungarian choir movement. At the competition of the "Singing Youth" the choir won the golden grade. The qualification of the choir is the highest one in Hungary: concert choir - summa cum laude. The choir obtained excellent places on several international competitions: Debrecen, 1982; Middlesbrough (England), 1984; Spittal (Austria), 1988; Maasmechelen (Belgium), 1996; Budapest, 1997; Busan (South-Korea), 2002.

    In the course of their trips abroad the choir visited Austria, the earlier East and West-Germany, Yugoslavia, England, Holland, the USA, Canada, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden and lately also Belgium, Japan, Scotland, Germany, South-Korea, Taiwan, as well as the Hungarian territories beyond the frontier, as Ukraine, Transylvania and Slovakia. The choir had also possibilities to perform several times in the Radio and Television broadcasts. They have 3 longplay records, 2 CD recordings, and 3 cassettes were also issued abroad. Hungarian composers as Lajos Bárdos, Zoltán Gárdonyi, Lajos Vass, Sándor Szokolay, József Birtalan and others, composed or commended several compositions to the choir. The repertoire of the choir comprises church and secular compositions from the old epochs up to our age.