The NOW Orchestra is a 15-piece improvising ensemble that falls under the banner of the New Orchestra Workshop Society, an artist-run society since 1977 that is dedicated to producing concerts and workshops of West Coast Canadian creative music.  The current ensemble features some of today's most important voices in Canadian improvised music.

In 1988, the NOW Orchestra performed with the internationally acclaimed pianist Marilyn Crispell as guest soloist.  In February of 1994, the orchestra developed a new extended work, Witchgong Game II/10, with celebrated British bassist/composer Barry Guy.  This work was recorded and released on Maya.  In October 1994, NOW performed live with the acclaimed Swiss musicians Hans Koch, Martin Schutz, and Fredy Studer.  In February 1995, a week-long residency with Canada's own Rene Lussier and Pierre Tanguay resulted in a studio recording, Le Tour de Bloc, and concerts at the Festival de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, and at the Vancouver Du Maurier International Jazz Festival.  Other collaborations have included Muhal Richard Abrams, EDAM (Experimental Dance and Music), Vinny Golia and George Lewis.
 

The NOW ORchestra appear on the following SPOOL releases:

Wowow
w/George Lewis / The Shadowgraph Series: Compositions For Creative Orchestra