Ars Nova Singers

All Music Guide:

With a rich academic and performing background in jazz and classical music, composer/multi-instrumentalist Bill Douglas brings an experienced, creative approach to his playing and compositions.

Douglas began his musical journey as a teenage rock and jazz performer in Canada, performing Elvis covers in his very first band. He went on to receive formal musical degrees from the University of Toronto and Yale University, where he studied with avant-garde composer Mel Powell.

While at Yale, he also met clarinetist Richard Stoltzman; together, they developed a touring and recording collaboration, with Douglas accompanying Stoltzman on piano and bassoon in classical and jazz styles. Along with playing with jazz artists like Eddie Gomez and Gary Burton, Douglas also played bassoon with the Toronto Symphony.

Douglas explored his teaching and compositional skills during a seven-year stay at the California Academy of Arts, and then settled in Boulder, CO, where he teaches music history and technique classes at the Naropa Institute. Douglas also developed "Rock Etudes" -- a rhythm study program for music classes -- used by music teachers worldwide.

During the summers, Douglas focuses on his compositions, which blend his diverse experiences and interests into a cohesive and lyrical whole. Albums like Jewel Lake, Cantilena, Deep Peace, Earth Prayer, and 2000's Eternity's Sunrise reflect his multifaceted abilities.

Wikipedia:

Ars Nova Singers is an a cappella choral group based in Boulder, Colorado, USA. Founded in 1986 by Artistic Director Thomas Edward Morgan, Ars Nova is composed of forty selectively auditioned all-volunteer singers from the greater Denver metropolitan area. Ars Nova has achieved significant national recognition, recording eight critically acclaimed solo recordings as well as performing on seven recordings with Boulder composer and instrumentalist Bill Douglas (musician).

Ars Nova performs a variety of music, ranging from works of early Renaissance masters to contemporary works by 20th and 21st century composers. The ensemble's musical accomplishments include performances of the music of Hildegard of Bingen, concerts of the complete Responsoria by the late-Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo, acclaimed performances of the a cappella masterpieces of Rachmaninoff (the Vespers and Liturgy of St. John), and the commissioning and premiering of new works.

Performances

Ars Nova Singers has been featured on radio broadcasts throughout the United States, Canada, South America, Australia, Japan, and Europe, including such National Public Radio programs as The First Art, Music from the Hearts of Space, and locally on Colorado Public Radio's Colorado Matters and Colorado Spotlight programs.

Honors include an invitation-only performance on National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. (2006); performances at the national conventions of Chorus America (2002) and The American Guild of Organists (1998); and support from the Chorus Program of the National Endowment for the Arts and the Performing Ensembles program of the Aaron Copland Fund for Music.

Collaborations

Ars Nova has collaborated with other musicians and arts organizations in the Rocky Mountain region, including: the Kronos Quartet; Boulder Philharmonic; Colorado Music Festival; Colorado MahlerFest; Frequent Flyers Dance Company; St. Martin’s Chamber Choir; Denver Chamber Orchestra; Colorado Mormon Chorale; and the newly formed Lafayette Pro Musica chamber orchestra.

The choir has participated in commissioning/new music projects, performing new works by Libby Larsen, Stephen Paulus, Luis Jorge González, Jan Gilbert, R. Anthony Lee, and Terry Schlenker. In September 2002 the ensemble premiered I Heard a Voice, a major new work composed by Thomas Edward Morgan and New York visual artist Lesley Dill and subsequently performed internationally at the Evergreen Cultural Centre in Coquitlam, British Columbia (2003). In 2007, the ensemble premiered a commissioned work by composer Steven Stucky, winner of the 2005 Pulitzer Prize.

Thomas Edward Morgan, Artistic Director

Thomas Edward Morgan is the Artistic Director and founder of the Ars Nova Singers. Morgan received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Music summa cum laude from Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and a Master of Music degree in composition from the University of Colorado. Morgan currently holds an ongoing invitation-only fellowship in the Lucas Artists Program at the Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga, California.

Ars Nova Singers | 24th Season Roster (2009-10)

Jan Botwinick / Aaron Brockett / Evanne Browne / Tana Cochran / John Davies / Bruce Doenecke / Kathryn Donaldson / Juliane Dowell / Brian du Fresne / Brant Foote / Amy French / Jessica Harbeson / Sarah Kiefhaber / Steve Klentz / Kim Lancaster / Amanda Lucarini / Kathe Lujan / Steven Mitchell / Stephanie Moore / Paul Munsch / David Nesbitt / Shannon Pennell / Mark Persiko / Julie Poelchau / Geoffrey Quelch / Karen Ramirez / Anna Robinson / Jack Rook III / Lorienne Schwenk / Glenn Short / Bruce Smith / Tara Mianulli U’Ren / Rhonda Wallen / Lou Warshawsky / Rick Wheeler / Don Wilson / Steve Winograd