Århus Sinfonietta was formed in 1990 by a group of musicians from the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra and the Jutland Ensemble in collaboration with the composer Hans Abrahamsen. The regular core of the ensemble consists of fifteen professional musicians who together represent all the instruments of the symphony orchestra. The repertoire includes works for larger ensembles as well as chamber music and works for solo instruments. Contemporary Danish music is something close to the heart of the ensemble - Århus Sinfonietta has commissioned and premiered works by a number of prominent composers including Per Nørgård, Karl Aage Rasmussen and Bent Sørensen. But music of all ages and places finds a place in the repertoire. The ensemble's concert programmes often try to show the interconnections between the art of the past and the present. Århus Sinfonietta gives concerts all over Denmark, usually headed by the ensemble's regular conductor Søren K. Hansen. Since its foundation, Århus Sinfonietta has worked with international conductors (Elgar Howarth and Michel Tabachnik) and soloists. Since 2000 Erik Kaltoft has been the artistic director of Århus Sinfonietta.