The Nova Music Trust was founded in 2009 to promote and curate performances of contemporary and twentieth century music, through its own daughter performing groups – Orchestra Nova, Nova Opera and Nova Ensemble. Nova Music was the brainchild of the highly respected British conductor and festival director, George Vass and the enlightened young producer, Alison Porter.

AIMS
 
  • To commission and produce contemporary chamber opera, together with orchestral, instrumental and vocal music;
  • To promote and present contemporary chamber opera and orchestral music throughout the United Kingdom and further afield, in partnership with Festivals and other promoting bodies;
  • To produce commercial recordings of music by living composers in partnership with labels such as Dutton Epoch and Guild Music;
  • To present twentieth century classics in new and innovative ways;
  • To present community opera and education projects in partnership with Festivals and other promoting bodies.
 
DATES
 
  • March 2010 – Orchestra Nova recordings for Dutton Epoch of Concertos by David Matthews and Paul Patterson with Philippe Graffin, Sarah-Jane Bradley and Alice Neary;
  • May 2010 – Nova Opera at the English Music Festival – concert performance of Gustav Holst Savitri with David Wilson-Johnson as Death;
  • August 2010 – Presteigne Festival Orchestra (26-31 August).
 
HISTORY 
Orchestra Nova is the senior element of Nova Music – it began life as an offshoot of the Presteigne Festival Orchestra having made its debut at the Purcell Room on London’s South Bank in October 2001. Orchestra Nova still forms the nucleus of the Presteigne Festival Orchestra. The group’s first commercial CD, a recording of Stephen Dodgson’s Concertino for two guitars and orchestra, was chosen as Editor’s Choice in the March 2003 edition of Gramophone magazine. John Duarte wrote: ‘In every respect the performances and recording are of the highest quality … This is a landmark recording.’
 
Orchestra Nova performed at Stephen Dodgson’s 80th birthday concert and has released a steady stream of highly successful discs for the Dutton Epoch label – four CDs of choral and orchestral works by Cecilia McDowall, British works for viola and orchestra by Alwyn, Holst, Elizabeth Maconchy, David Matthews and John McCabe with soloist Sarah-Jane Bradley and a selection of orchestral and vocal music by David Matthews.
 
In the field of chamber opera, George Vass and Alison Porter worked together as music director and producer on two highly successful seasons for the Hampstead and Highgate Festival. In 2008, Hampstead and Highgate Festival Opera premiered That Man Stephen Ward, a virtuoso hour-long music theatre piece by Thomas Hyde to a libretto by David Norris. After the success of That Man Stephen Ward, Hampstead and Highgate’s Springfest Opera gave a critically acclaimed production of Britten’s church opera Curlew River in May 2009, with cast members including Robert Murray (Madwoman) and Lynton Black (Abbot).

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