The Austrian vocal ensemble NovoCanto was founded in 2000 with the intention of interpreting little-heard literature, primarily from the field of early music, in an appropriate style. In the meantime, however, the ensemble has also proven its expertise in choral literature from the Romantic period and the present day.
The performers come from all parts of Tyrol and are predominantly graduates of the Mozarteum University Salzburg or the Tyrolean State Conservatory and most of them work full-time as music teachers.
A cornerstone of the choir's project-related work is its collaboration with international experts: in the past, specialists such as Howard Arman, Frieder Bernius, Attilio Cremonesi, Kasper de Roo, Christophe Rousset, Eduardo Egüez and others have stood at the conductor's podium. The ensemble works with internationally renowned ensembles such as the British Hilliard Ensemble, the French baroque orchestra Café Zimmermann, Les Talens Lyriques, Accademia Bizantina, Theresia, the Tiroler Barockinstrumentalisten, the Austrian-Italian ensemble Windkraft, the Neue Hofkapelle Graz and the Italian-Argentine ensemble la Chimera.
Since its foundation, the choir has not only been able to establish itself nationally through numerous innovative and tightly themed programs with stylistically confident execution, but has also created live broadcasts for radio and television and has already been documented many times on recordings. Invitations to renowned festivals such as the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, the Baroque Festival Varazdin, the Forum Concerts Breslau, Musik&Kirche Brixen, the Klangspuren Schwaz, the Tiroler Barocktage and many more are the logical consequence.
NovoCanto is directed and rehearsed by Wolfgang Kostner and performs with a regular cast of 16 singers, which can be expanded or reduced depending on the repertoire profile. The repertoire profile covers sacred literature spanning six centuries, but also secular oeuvre from scenic baroque opera to experimental music of the 21st century. The ensemble has already premiered several works dedicated to it by established contemporaries (including Christoph Dienz and Manuela Kerer).