Choir

Cantus Novus Wien was founded in 1990 by Ingrun Fußenegger and has been directed by Thomas Holmes since 2001. Its broad repertoire ranges from a cappella works to major choral-orchestral repertoire. The choir has collaborated with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (ORF RSO Wien) at the Hollywood in Vienna film music gala, performing alongside Broadway and Hollywood stars, including Disney composer Alan Menken. Through world premieres of commissioned works, international collaborations with choirs and composers, concert tours to Stockholm, London, and Zurich, and acclaimed video productions, the choir was named “Choir of the Year” by the Vienna Choral Forum (Chorforum Wien) in 2018. At the invitation of Gesellschaft der Musikfreunde, Cantus Novus Wien made its debut at the Musikverein performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. The choir also participated in the 2020 inauguration of the new organ at St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna and performed at the nitsch museum by personal invitation of Hermann Nitsch. To mark the Beethoven anniversary year in 2020, the choir released recordings of Beethoven’s canons and secular choral works on the Naxos label. Cantus Novus Wien was a finalist and received a Gold Award at the International Choir Competition Ave Verum 2022. The choir celebrated its 33rd anniversary in 2023 with a gala concert at Vienna’s MAK – Museum of Applied Arts, together with VOCES8. Other recent highlights include participating in the staged world premiere of the church opera Caecilia by Magdalena Severin, performing at Vienna’s ODEON with [dunkelbunt] alongside traditional Indian and Yiddish music, and most recently receiving invitations to perform at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (KHM) and at the Long Night of Churches 2026 in St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Vienna.