Orchestra Nova

Britain's Orchestra Nova functions as one arm of the Nova Music Trust, an entity that also stages operas, supports the creation of fresh compositions, and nurtures emerging vocalists and instrumentalists. Distinct from similarly titled ensembles in Australia and a now-defunct American counterpart, the orchestra has accompanied the Trust's operatic ventures while also presenting and documenting new instrumental pieces. Conductor George Vass, a seasoned figure in British orchestral circles known for his uncommon dedication to contemporary repertoire and once hailed by BBC Radio 3 as "the saviour of contemporary classical music," originated Orchestra Nova, Nova Music Opera, and the Nova Music Trust itself; the organizations have sustained his focus. Established in 2001, the ensemble has delivered orchestral programs across the United Kingdom, including a 2013 appearance at the Proms at St Jude's in London and a 2018 concert of American works at St John Smith's Square in London. It has joined forces with several prominent English choirs and presented two concerts each year alongside the St. Albans Choral Society, events that have centered on standard repertoire such as Handel's Messiah instead of modern scores. During the 2010s its principal performing schedule centered on Nova Music Opera productions, launched in 2010 by a staging of Gustav Holst's Savitri at the English Music Festival. Numerous commissions followed, among them Cecilia McDowall's Airborne and Stephen McNeff's Drown'd (both 2014), Charlotte Bray's Entanglement (2015), and Joseph Phibbs's Juliana (2018), the last drawn from August Strindberg's play Miss Julie. Its recordings concentrate on recent British works, exemplified by the 2018 release The Heavens and the Heart, which surveys music by James Francis Brown. The orchestra has worked with the labels Dutton Laboratories, Toccata Classics, Guild, and Resonus Classics.