April 3, 2024 | Theatre,

A Brief History of Ars Nova Copenhagen, The Featured Chorus in Book of Mountains and Seas

Huang Ruo & Basil Twist’s The Book of Mountains and Seas is an awe-inspiring new work featuring an ensemble of massive puppets and a powerful live chorus, seamlessly blending together to retell ancient Chinese creation myths and offer an honest portrait of our natural world. In anticipation of this show’s arrival at the Emerson Paramount Center on April 19, here is a brief look at Ars Nova Copenhagen, the chorus featured in The Book of Mountains and Seas.

Ars Nova Copenhagen is a 12-piece vocal ensemble founded in 1979 by composer Bo Holten, who held his position from 1979-1995. Its past notable chief conductors included Tomas Veto (from 1995-2000), Paul Hillier (2003-2023), and newly appointed Sofi Jeannin (2024-present). The current roster of singers of the group consists of soprano, alto, tenor, and bass singers. 

It is widely recognized as one of the world’s finest of its kind, focusing on the interpretation of the polyphonic choral music of the renaissance and new vocal music. The ensemble has released several CDs, some of which have won numerous awards, including a Grammy for The Little Match Girl Passion with music by David Lang (Harmonia Mundi).

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 group’s performances are marked with precision and nerve and with a sound that attracts attention worldwide. In recent years the group has visited Great Britain, Finland, the Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Italy and China. 

The US has been added to this list with the newly written stage work Book of Mountains and Seas, playing at the Emerson Paramount Center Robert J. Orchard Stage from April 19-21. Tickets are selling quickly, so be sure to secure your seats for this must-see show today!