Founded in 1981 by James Wood, the New London Chamber Choir is one of the stars in European contemporary music scene and its foremost chorus. Whilst specialising in twentieth and twenty-first century music and particularly on contemporary works, NLCC's mission is to perform the avant garde of every period. The Choir has given many world and British premières and continues to commission and promote new work. NLCC performs works in all imaginable scorings: from full chorus to solo voices; a capella, with traditional instruments, or with recorded or live electronics, and under many different conductors. James Weeks succeeded James Wood as NLCC's Musical Director in November 2007.

The Choir has enjoyed close and fruitful working relationships with leading composers, including Jonathan Harvey, Mauricio Kagel, György Kurtág, György Ligeti, Toru Takemitsu, and Iannis Xenakis. Both Harvey and Xenakis, among other composers, have written works especially for NLCC. Pierre Boulez became Patron of the Choir in 1986.

The Choir appears at festivals throughout Europe and has worked with the Ensemble InterContemporain, the London Sinfonietta, the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Champ d'Action, Ictus, Percussive Rotterdam and other instrumental groups. NLCC has toured on the Arts Council Contemporary Music Network; and has often appeared at the Aldeburgh, Bath, Huddersfield and Oxford Contemporary Music festivals as well as at the BBC Promenade Concerts in London.

NLCC broadcasts frequently on BBC radio, and has also appeared in the BBC2 series Music in Camera with the London Sinfonietta. The Choir's numerous CDs reflect the enormous diversity of its repertoire and have been widely acclaimed: NLCC's recording of Stravinsky's Les Noces came out top in BBC Radio 3's Building A Library programme and the Choir's Xenakis CD, which earned rave reviews, was tipped as a CD of the year.

The Choir's past engagements include: IRCAM's Agora Festival in Paris; Strasbourg MUSICA; Oslo Ultima; Nuova Consonanza in Rome; with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra in Brussels and Luxembourg; with The Taverner Consort at the Luzern Easter Festival; several visits to the Flanders Festival; concerts under Andrew Parrott at the Fairfield Halls, Croydon and at the BBC Promenade Concerts; the Dublin International Organ & Choral Festival and Nice Manca Festival.

In 2003, to wide acclaim, the choir presented a massive programme of music by Xenakis and James Wood at the BBC Proms and performed works by Kagel and Sawer at the Aldeburgh Festival. In late 2003 NLCC renewed its collaboration with the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra in three performances of Debussy's Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien under Emanuel Krivine. In 2004 NLCC has performed at Mulhouse, France, at the Aldeburgh Festival, and gave the UK première of Stockhausen's Litanei 97 (picture, top) as part of Liverpool Cathedral's centenary celebrations.

In May 2005 NLCC promoted a four-performance UK tour of James Wood's new work, Hildegard and in October the Choir gave two concerts of contemporary and early music in the Flanders Festival, including the Belgian première of some movements of Hildegard.

2006 saw the Dutch première of Hildegard. NLCC also took part for the first time in the BMIC Cutting Edge series with a performance of works by Feldman and Harvey. In early 2007 the choir recorded a CD of works by Feldman for Mode Records in early 2007 (expected to be released in 2008), gave a performance of Bach's St John Passion with ViVA under Nicholas Kok and performed an all-Scelsi programme at the Archipel festival in Geneva. In November the Choir appeared at the 7 Locks Festival in Northamptonshire and gave a run of performances of Stravinsky's Les Noces with the Michael Clark Company at the Barbican Centre, London.

Plans for 2008 and beyond include a Messiaen-themed concert in London and a performance in Portugal of Jonathan Harvey's Passion and Resurrection.