ARS NOVA Copenhagen was founded in 1979 and is widely recognized as one of the world's finest vocal ensembles. The esemble's chief conductor and artistic director since 2003 is the acclaimed British conductor Paul Hillier. Ars Nova has also worked with Bo Holten, Tamás Vetö (both former chief conductors), Kaspars Putnins, Andrew Lawrence King, Anthony Rooley, Kees Boeke, Michael Bojesen and Søren K. Hansen (all of which has appeared as guest conductors).
The ensemble specializes in the interpretation of the polyphonic choral music of the renaissance and new vocal music. Ars Nova is also building collaborations with creative artists in different fields such as drama, film and ballet, as well as cultivating new modes of concert performance and innovative repertoire.
The groups performances are marked with precision and nerve and with a sound that attracts attention worldwide. With an annual concert season in Copenhagen and Aarhus, numerous concerts in the rest of Denmark and recurring tours worldwide, the group is now more in demand than ever. In the coming year the group will visit several countries. In 2015 the group completed a longer tour to China with more than ten concerts as a significant part of the Danish cultural campaign in the country.
Ars Nova has recorded a number of CDs that have won numerous awards, including a Grammy for The Little Match Girl Passion with music by David Lang. Two recent CDs is 'Carl Nielsen - Songs for Choir' with 21 songs by the most prominent Danish composer who would have turned 150 this year released on on the Danish label DaCapo and ‘Gallos y Huesos’ with music by Pablo Ortiz, a contemporary Argentinian composer who has written several pieces for the group.
Heinrich Schütz has a special place at Ars Nova, the group has in the years 2008-2011 has recorded the composer's entire dramatic works for Easter and Christmas. The four CDs has received countless praises both at home and abroad. This was reflected when the group in October 2014 was invited to be artist in residence at the German Heinrich Schütz Musikfest in and around the composer's hometown Dresden.
Other notable publications (in selection) is 'Creator Spiritus' on Harmonia Mundi with music by Arvo Pärt and 'The Golden Age of English Part Songs' on DaCapo Records with music by a line-up of top Danish vocal composers from the past 200 years.
