The vocal ensemble Cappella Pratensis is a leader in the performance of polyphonic masterpieces from the 15th and 16th centuries, with a particular focus on the Low Countries. The group goes straight to the source, performing from facsimiles of original partbooks or choirbooks, the latter placed on a central music stand or projected on a large screen. Its programmes are intensively prepared and based on thorough musicological research, often in collaboration with leading scholars. Cappella Pratensis also enjoys a formal partnership with the Alamire Foundation, International Centre for the Study of Music in the Low Countries (University of Leuven). This multi-faceted approach results in a deep engagement with the music, in performances that get to the heart of this extraordinary repertoire. Cappella Pratensis also appears in surprising new contexts, regularly collaborating with dance companies, jazz artists, theatre makers, and composers.
In addition to regular appearances at concert venues in the Netherlands and Belgium, Cappella Pratensis performs at leading international festivals and concert series throughout Europe, North America and Japan. The group has been ensemble-in-residence at Harvard University, the Fondation Royaumont (France), and Boston University, giving courses, presenting concerts and working with distinguished musicians. Its CD recordings have met with critical acclaim and distinctions from the press (including the Diapason d’Or and the Prix Choc). Gramophone magazine recognised the ensemble’s recording of the Ockeghem Requiem as the best out of more than 20 recordings made over the last 40 years.
Cappella Pratensis makes a priority of passing on its knowledge to both professionals and amateurs through masterclasses, workshops, multimedia presentations, and an annual summer course. In addition, it trains young singers within the ensemble itself.

Jacob Obrecht was one of the composers who assured the excellent reputation of Dutch-Flemish music in the Renaissance. Obrecht worked in Bergen op Zoom, Cambrai, Bruges, Antwerp, and finally for a short period in Ferrara, Italy. In his earlier work, Obrecht was strongly influenced by his predecessors, especially Ockeghem. Soon his works grew bigger and more energetic, although he did have a short period in which he preferred calmer and more stable music. He was most prolific between 1485 and 1491, when he composed many missas and motets in a professional, yet extremely varied style. After this period, his style became less ambiguous. He strove less towards a pleasant sound, and more towards intelligible structures. In his final years, he mostly composed motets.