Utopia vocal ensemble

Utopia unites five singers who have enjoyed long-term experience of singing with renowned ensembles such as Collegium Vocale Gent, Huelgas Ensemble, Capilla Flamenca, Nederlandse Bachvereniging, and Bach Collegium Japan. Their shared passion for Renaissance music brought them together in order to create a new group with a fresh sound.

The name of the ensemble has been adopted from the eponymous book by the English philosopher Thomas More, written in Antwerp in 1516. Inspired by the intriguing and innovative ideas in the book, Utopia aims to play a role in today’s society through their innovative projects and collaborations.

One of the results of these activities is the biannual Utopia Festival which creates a common platform for music, fine arts, film and photography, accompanied by lectures and debates on social themes.

So far, two CD recordings by Utopia have been released by Etcetera Records: “The Lamentations of Cristóbal de Morales” (to excellent reviews) and “Luther, the noble Art of Music”, in collaboration with the ensemble InAlto and featuring works by Josquin Deprez, Balduin Hoyoul, and Michael Praetorius.

Utopia is currently the ensemble in residence at the magnificent St Paul’s Church in Antwerp. The venue provides an excellent space for Utopia’s concerts and innovative projects.

The members of Utopia specialize in vocal music from the 16th and early 17th centuries. They have also inspired several works of contemporary music, composed especially for the ensemble among whose main achievements has been a great versatility of musical expression.

Utopia performs without an artistic leader; having based their approach on the equality between their five voices, its members have been able to attain an exceptionally full and homogeneous sound.