Nova Twinds

The most comprehensive collection of organ music by a major forerunner to Monteverdi, recorded on a historically significant instrument by an organist with a distinguished catalogue of 17th-century repertoire.

Ars Nova: This female keyboard trio started in the next line-up: Keiko Kumagai (keyboards), Kyoko Kanazawa (bass) and Akiko Takahashi (drums). In '92 ARS NOVA released their promising debut-album "Fear & Anxiety", a tribute to ELP with floods of powerful Hammond organ and flashing synthesizer solos, supported by a strong and adventurous rhythm-section. After several album and changes in the line-up, ARS NOVA is still going strong and end 2003 the trio released their new CD entitled "Biogenesis Project": it's loaded with spectacular instrumental prog rock in the vein of ELP, UK and TRACE. The current ARS NOVA includes Keiko Kumagai (keyboards), Akiko Takahashi (drums, voice) and Mika (vocal and chorus)…

Canadian songstress Sarah Slean first joined forces with Symphony Nova Scotia in April 2012, in an electrifying, groundbreaking collaboration that earned rave reviews and three standing ovations, and was broadcast nationwide by CBC. One of the highlights of the performance was "Lamento", a new work by Canadian star composer Christos Hatzis that was praised as “marvelously colorful and dramatic” (Chronicle Herald, Halifax). In 2018, Symphony Nova Scotia jumped at the chance to work with Sarah again, this time as part of Bernhard Gueller’s "Bucket List”, celebrating his final season as Symphony Nova Scotia’s Music Director (2002-2018). For this new collaboration, Symphony Nova Scotia and the Thunder Bay Symphony co-commissioned another work for Sarah from Christos Hatzis – this time titled "Ecstasy", a counterpoint to "Lamento". Audience reviews called the project “magical” and “a match made in heaven.” Now, Symphony Nova Scotia, Bernhard Gueller, Sarah Slean, Christos Hatzis, and producer Jeff Reilly are proud to release both recordings on one album.

The Story of Bossa Nova features 20 remastered original recordings from the late '50s/early '60s combined with a few modern interpretations of the genre, including 14 tracks written by composer Antonio Carlos Jobim. Taken from the vast EMI-Odeon archive of classic Brazilian music, this introductory set includes Marcos Valle's "Samba De Verao," Sylvia Telles' "Dindi," and the pre-Astrud Gilberto version of "Girl From Ipanema" by Pery Ribeiro.