Terra Nova Collective Chamber Orchestra
The TERRA NOVA COLLECTIVE, with artistic director Vlad Weverbergh at the helm, was launched in Antwerp in 2012. The object of the new initiative was to generate interest in the many musical gems created by the composers of the Southern Netherlands with particular attention for the repertoire of the classical and romantic periods. The intrinsic quality of these rediscovered works is revealed when they are performed in the context of more canonical pieces of the Western classical repertoire and gives audiences a chance to enjoy the remarkable diversity of European classical music in the second half of the 18th century and the early 19th century.
From the very outset Terra Nova Collective has enjoyed improvising on the fashions in concert etiquette of the period, alternating symphonic movements with concertos and arias, or even performing a series of selections from different works for chamber ensembles. Terra Nova’s concerts always include top pieces by composers as well known as Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven along with musical gems by sadly neglected composers such as Pieter van Maldere, Henri Joseph Tobi, Hébert Leemans and many others. The ensemble invites the listener to join them on a journey that revisits the time-honoured tradition of musical exchange and offers new insights into the shared musical heritage of the period.
Vlad Weverbergh brings this off with verve by surrounding himself with the finest of Belgium’s and Europe’s musical talents in a flexible ensemble which has the skill and daring needed to deal with its unique repertoire. Right from the start Terra Nova Collective combined Vlad Weverbergh's artistic and creative vision with the dramaturgical and musicological guidance of Dr. David Vergauwen. The quality and energy of the musicians’ ideas, new research and the development of a novel approach to the programme pay off handsomely in the ensemble’s concerts and recitals.
The interpretation of the more familiar repertoire has in fact been illuminated by the rediscovery of these forgotten works. The significant investment in research has been recompensed by the availability of scores, online videos, 14 albums and numerous "Portrait of the Composer" podcasts.
Terra Nova Collective performs on period instruments using historically informed performance practices. A seasoned clarinettist, Vlad Weverbergh closely follows the work of recreating historical instruments, such as the basset clarinet, by artisan instrument makers. When Mozart's final concerto, for example, is performed on the instrument for which it was written, the melodic lines become more logical and the tonal palette broader.
Terra Nova Collective is deeply committed to its educational vocation. “Music lovers” in the most noble sense of the term were the employers of professionals like Haydn or Mozart. The ensemble seeks to honour this tradition not just by its involvement in numerous activities with young audiences but also by working closely with young musicians from music schools so that the latter become familiar with the repertoire.
For more than a decade, the ensemble has performed in the most prestigious venues of Europe, Asia and the United States as well as in more intimate settings with the aim of bringing its music to the widest possible an audience.
Starting in 2024 Terra Nova Collective also hopes to explore the choir and orchestra repertoire of Henri Joseph Tobi just as they did with Johann Adam Faber's Missa Maria Assumpta in 2021.
TNC has enjoyed the structural support of the Flemish government since 2023.
