Founder Thomas Edward Morgan directs his talented, Boulder-based, mixed-voice ensemble in a program of classical a cappella religious pieces. These 12 songs begin with Hildegard of Bingen's (1098-1179) haunting "O viridissima virga," Carlo Gesualdo's (1561-1613) "Tristis est anima mea," and Robert Pearsall's (1795-1856) soaring "Lay a Garland." Following are contemporary works by Arvo Part, "Magnificat," Herbert Howells' beautiful 6-part "Requiem" and two wonderful pieces by John Tavener, "Ikon of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne" and "Song for Athene." Ars Nova has built their fine national and international reputation on performing beautiful, difficult Choral works like these, flawlessly!

Songlist: O viridissima virga, Tristis est anima mea, Lay a Garland, Magnificat, Requiem:, -Salvator mundi, -Psalm 23, -Requiem aeternam I, -Psalm 121, -Requiem aeternam II, I Heard A Voice From Heaven, Ikon of St. Cuthbert of Lindisfarne, Song for Athene

40 mixed-voice, Boulder, CO-based ensemble Ars Nova, specializing in a cappella music of the Renaissance and the 20th and 21st centuries, bring us another strikingly different collection. The 17 tunes begin with Wm. Albright's 5-part "Chichester Mass," 4 by Arvo Part," "Prayer after the Kanon," "Bogoroditse Djevo," "Summa" and "Solfeggio;" the lovely "i thank you God" by Eric Whitacre, conductor and founder Thomas Morgan's "Two Poems of e.e. cummings, the Polyphonic "o purple finch" and "when god lets my body be;" Lars Johan Werle's 4-part "trees" and Bruce Stark's "Wind Song."

Songlist: Chichester Mass:, -Kyrie, -Gloria, -Sanctus, -Benedictus, -Agnus Dei, Prayer after the Kanon (from Kanon Pokajanen), Bogoroditse Djevo, Summa, Solfeggio, i thank You God, Two Poems of e.e. cummings:, -o purple finch, -when god lets my body be, Trees:, -!blac, -trees, -(sitting in a tree-), -now all the fingers, Wind Song

Boulder, CO's 40-strong, mixed-voice Choral ensemble 8 works by 5 composers of Polyphonic works, two from the Renaissance, Thomas Tallis' "Spem in alium" and Alessandro Striggio's "Ecce beaatam lucem," both motets for 40 voices; Stephen Paulus' 3-part "Meditations of Li Po," conductor Thomas Edward Morgan's "Images from Thoreau" (for 40 voices); and Georgy Ligeti's "Lux aeterna" (for 16-part chorus). There is a stunning photo of the Northern Lights on the cover of "Luminescence," and what we hear is the musical equivalent of this beautiful, haunting show. 

Songlist: Spem in alium, Meditations of Li Po, ...and even my soul remains quiet, I lift my eyes to watch the mountain moon, ...and now the last cloud drains away, Images from Thoreau, water into the earth, the hollow mansions, Lux aeterna, Ecce beatam lucem

The Boulder-based 40 mixed-voice ensemble Ars Nova focuses on a sacred a cappella work by Sergei Rachmaninoff (1872-1943), the 15-part "Vespers (All-Night Vigil, op.37)." "Come, Let Us Worship," "Bless the Lord, O My Soul," "Gladsome Light," "Lord, Now Lettest Thou," "Rejoice, O Virgin"...these are all lovely, classic spiritual works, beautifully performed by the renowned Ars Nova. There are some church bells here, but mostly wonderfully harmonic a cappella!

Songlist: Come, Let Us Worship, Bless the Lord, O My Soul, Blessed is the Man, Gladsome Light, Lord, Now Lettest Thou, Rejoice, O Virgin, The Lesser Doxology, Praise the Name of the Lord, Blessed Art Thou, O Lord, Having Beheld the Resurrection of Christ, My Soul Magnifies the Lord, Glory to God in the Highest, The Troparion "Today Salvation Has Come", The Troparion "Thou Didst Rise from the Tomb", To Thee, the Victorious Leader

Ars Nova, 40 mixed-voice ensemble from Boulder, CO, directed by Thomas Edward Morgan, bring us a striking collection of 18 tunes. Favorites are 3 Polyphonic pieces written by director Morgan, "Three Haiku," followed by Antoine Burmel's "Agnus Dei," "Two Motets" by Terry Schlenker, R. Anthony Lee's "Jesu ducis memoria," Edwin London's "Bach (Again) Chorale: Wer hat dich so geschlagen," "Konstateringer" by Pelle Gudmundsen-Homgreen, "The Ash Grove" (arranged by Morgan), the 4-part "Suite de Lorca" by Einojuhani Rautavaara" and "Irish Tune from County Derry" arranged by Percy Grainger. A beautiful, varied collection by Ars Nova.

Songlist: Three Haiku:, I The moon passes wetward, II The moon in the water, III The temple bell stops, Agnus Dei, Two Motets:, -Sicut Rosa, -O magnum mysterium, Hear My Prayer, O Lord, Jesu dulcis memoria, Bach (Again) Chorale: Wer hat dich so geschlagen, Like This, Suo-Gan, Konstateringer, The Ash Grove, Suite de Lorca:, -Cancion de jinete (Song of the Horseman), -El Grito (The Scream), -La luna asoma (The Moon Rises), -Malaguena (Song of Malaga), Irish Tune from County Derry