{"id":198,"date":"2020-03-08T13:03:06","date_gmt":"2020-03-08T12:03:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alba-nova.be\/?page_id=198"},"modified":"2023-10-30T17:58:13","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T16:58:13","slug":"english","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/alba-nova.be\/index.php\/english\/","title":{"rendered":"English"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Alba Nova, a mixed vocal ensemble from the Malmedy region, was founded in 2003 and is currently led by Els Crommen, singing teacher at the Malmedy Music Academy. The choir is a member of the \u00ab\u00a0Tourn\u00e9es Art et Vie\u00a0\u00bb of the French Community of Belgium and is constantly trying to innovate by adding many different styles of music to its repertoire.<\/p>\n

The vocal ensemble Alba Nova consists of around 30 amateur choir members with musical and vocal training. The deliberately limited number of members of the group makes it easier for the vocal ensemble to strive for a homogeneous timbre that should ideally be adaptable to any musical environment. Alba Nova has set itself the goal of presenting a wide range of different vocal works to the public.<\/p>\n

Each year Alba Nova usually sets up two or three music projects and takes part in two singing seminars. In addition, the vocal ensemble gives between 10 and 12 concerts annually.<\/p>\n

After completing its project on Francis Poulenc in 2004, the vocal ensemble went first on a \u00ab\u00a0Journey through the ages\u00a0\u00bb from Monteverdi to the present day, and finally continued its international orientation with \u00ab\u00a0Christmas here and abroad\u00a0\u00bb. In addition, Alba Nova successfully completed an APSAM placement test in autumn 2004 and was classified in the \u00ab\u00a0Excellence\u00a0\u00bb category at amateur level.<\/p>\n

In 2005 the project \u00ab\u00a0Melodies from here and abroad\u00a0\u00bb was a great success with the public, for example at concerts in the Malmedy region, but also in Namur, Brussels and the Royal Chapel of Fischbach in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.<\/p>\n

In 2006 Alba Nova worked on a 100% South American repertoire by tackling the \u00ab\u00a0Misa Criolla\u00a0\u00bb by Ariel Ramirez and various arrangements by Astor Piazzolla.<\/p>\n

In July 2006, Alba Nova went on a one-week concert tour to Bamberg, Bayreuth and Prague, with South American and English-language pieces on the programme. In the autumn of the same year, Els Crommen proposed to approach the repertoire of German Romantic Music, and in September Alba Nova invited the Dutch chamber choir \u00ab\u00a0Mi Canto\u00a0\u00bb from the ‘s-Hertogenbosch region. For its traditional Christmas concert, Alba Nova invited \u00ab\u00a0Signum\u00a0\u00bb, a choir from Kortessem in Limburg, Belgium.<\/p>\n

After the success of the Latin American programme, Alba Nova was invited to both Grevenmacher (Grand Duchy of Luxembourg) and Stavelot. The \u00ab\u00a0Quatuor Lamina\u00a0\u00bb and the tenor Alain Gabriel participated in these two concerts in April 2007, and their talent further enhanced the performances. In September 2007, at the invitation of \u00ab\u00a0Mi Canto\u00a0\u00bb, a concert at Heeswijk Abbey in Holland followed, before the year ended on a festive note with the traditional Christmas concerts. The very talented youth choir \u00ab\u00a0Da Capo\u00a0\u00bb, also directed by Els Crommen, participated in the Christmas concert in Malmedy as a special guest.<\/p>\n

In April 2008, Alba Nova set itself the goal of promoting talented Belgian composers, also teaming up with the ensembles \u00ab\u00a0Carmina Viva\u00a0\u00bb from St. Vith and \u00ab\u00a0Musa Horti\u00a0\u00bb from Leuven and thereby symbolically bringing together the three language communities of the country. The three concerts (one in each community) introduced an enthusiastic audience to a wide range of Belgian music.<\/p>\n

In 2009, Alba Nova was very lucky to be able to work with the excellent \u00ab\u00a0Quatuor Lamina\u00a0\u00bb on a concert programme with songs from Musicals, and to have the opportunity to perform this concert seven times. Alba Nova also had the great honour of opening the classical music festival in Stavelot in August 2009 with the \u00ab\u00a0Messe des Artistes\u00a0\u00bb (artists’ Mass) in the local Saint S\u00e9bastien church.<\/p>\n

2010 was the year of the operetta. In cooperation with the choir \u00ab\u00a0Aveland\u00a0\u00bb from Hoeselt, a concert entitled \u00ab\u00a0L\u2019op\u00e9rette vagabonde\u00a0\u00bb was staged first in Malmedy and then in Tongeren. Alba Nova also had the pleasure of opening the Stavelot Festival with the \u00ab\u00a0Messe des Artistes\u00a0\u00bb for a second time (this time with a Mass by Raymond Micha, a composer from Stavelot).<\/p>\n

Alba Nova celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013, and the vocal ensemble has also been invited to appearances in Cologne Cathedral (2009 and 2014) and in the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula in Brussels (2016).<\/p>\n

In 2018 – as part of the commemorations of the end of the First World War 100 years ago – the vocal ensemble joined the ensembles \u00ab\u00a0Carmina Viva\u00a0\u00bb, \u00ab\u00a0Zephyros\u00a0\u00bb and \u00ab\u00a0Kaleidoskop\u00a0\u00bb, under the overall musical direction of Rainer Hilger, in a special performance of the very moving \u00ab\u00a0The Armed\u00a0\u00bb Man: A Mass for Peace \u00ab\u00a0by Karl Jenkins.<\/p>\n

We refer you to our calendar<\/a> to discover our work since 2019 and especially our news. And we hope to see you at one of our concerts soon!<\/span><\/p>\n

ELS CROMMEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Els Crommen was born in Tongeren (Belgium) and grew up in the nearby village of Hoeselt. After her secondary education she went to the Royal Music Conservatory in Li\u00e8ge and attended the classes of Edith Cuypers, Raymonde Serverius, Greta de Reyghere and Jos\u00e9 Van Dam. At the Conservatory she obtained diplomas in opera, song, solf\u00e8ge and chamber music.<\/p>\n

After that she attended masterclasses of Noel Barker, Marl\u00e8ne Malas and Mikael Eliasen. In addition to that she participated in several courses at the Fondation Royaumont (France) and the European Centre for Opera and Vocal Arts (ECOV).<\/p>\n

Els Crommen feels comfortable in a large variety of musical styles and she regularly collaborates with different ensembles:<\/p>\n

Contemporary music:<\/p>\n