The Slovenian composer Nana Forte is one of the most interesting young choral composers in Europe. Her music is sung at concerts and festivals around the world and has been performed and premiered by a large number of ensembles in the absolute top tier of Europe's professional music life, not least the Radio Choir. Nana Forte writes advanced, polyphonic choral music with evocative sounds in layers upon layers and strong personal expression. In addition to choral music, her extensive catalog also includes works for chamber ensemble, vocal music, musical theater and orchestral music.
Nana Forte, born in 1981, graduated in composition at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, then continued at the Carl Maria von Weber Academy of Music in Dresden, finishing with a master's degree at the Universität der Künste in Berlin, in 2009. She has written works for solo instruments as well as chamber and orchestral music and opera but has achieved perhaps the greatest success in choral music, to which she has had a strong connection since early childhood. Her choral music has been premiered and performed by, among others, the Radio Choir, the Netherlands Chamber Choir, the BBC Singers, several of the German radio choirs, the Norwegian Youth Choir, the World Youth Choir and many others. Top conductors such as Peter Dijkstra and Krista Audere regularly program Nana Forte's music whenever the opportunity arises.
Libera me for double choir a cappella from 2009 is one of her first major successes and has been performed, among other things, during the Netherlands Chamber Choir's concert tour in 2018 and as a compulsory piece in the conducting competition Europa Cantat 2009. Also En ego campana is written for double choir a cappella with evocatively layered chimes. It was commissioned and premiered by the Radiokören and its then chief conductor Peter Dijkstra during the Baltic Sea Festival 2017 and was on the program during the finals of the conducting competition Eric Ericson Award 2021. Also the grand hymn suite Four Sacred Pieces has gained wings and is spreading across the music world.
Nana Forte lives and works in Slovenia.
Photo: Sani Okretič Resulbegović
