The ensemble Vocal Group Ars Nova, consisting of twelve singers, is one of Scandinavia’s leading chamber Choirs in the field of polyphonic Renaissance choral music and experimental vocal music of our own period. Ars Nova has recorded many internationally acclaimed CD's and has given
more than a thousand concerts in Europe, Israel, Japan, Africa, South
America and USA. Ars Nova was started in 1979 by a group of singers and
the conductor Bo Holten. Since 1996 Hungarian-born Tamás Vetö has been
the principal conductor of the choir. Ars Nova has worked with
prominent conductors like Peter Philips (The Tallis Scholars), Bruno
Turner (Pro Cantione Antiqua) and Paul Hillier (The Hilliard Ensemble,
Theatre of Voices), the regular guest conductor of the ensemble since
1997. Ars Nova has been among the pioneers in work on polyphonic
Renaissance choral music, with highly acclaimed performances of the
masterpieces of the period, by composers like des Prez, Tallis, di
Lasso, Palestrina and Taverner; the choir has also rediscovered
neglected masters like Pierre de la Rue, Nicolas Gombert, Philipe de
Magalhaes, Giaches de Wert, Alonso and Duante Lobo, Manuel Cardoso and
Jacob Obrecht, to whom Ars Nova and Paul Hillier have devoted a whole
CD. In avant-garde music Ars Nova focuses on music after 1968 and in
this connection has worked closely with Nordic composers like Per
Nørgård, Ib Nørholm, Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen, Sven-David Sandstrøm,
Poul Ruders and Hans Abrahamsen, all of whom have written works for the
ensemble. The same applies to central jazz composers like Jan Gabarek,
Palle Mikkelborg, Pierre Dørge, Marilyn Mazur and Egberto Gismonti. Ars
Nova also works with contemporary music drama, and has collaborated
with among others Bill Forsythe (the Stuttgart Ballet), Peter Langdal
(Betty Nansen Theatre) and Kirsten Dehlholm (Billedstofteater and Hotel
Pro Forma), whose Operation: Orfeo Ars Nova premiered in 1993 and has
appeared in since. Ars Nova has been responsible for more than 150
first performances, and the repertoire includes works by Takemitsu,
Gorecki, Pärt, Riley and John Cage, whose choral works Ars Nova
recorded on CD in 1998.
Ars Nova was awarded the Danish Music
Critics' Artist's Prize in 1998, a Danish Grammy in 1991 for the
recording of sacred music by Nicolas Gombert, and a Diapason d'Or
(France) for their CD of works by Josquin des Prez.