The Sixteen (previously known as the Symphony of Harmony and Invention[1]) are a British choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers, they started as an unnamed group of sixteen friends in 1977, giving their first billed concert in 1979.[2]
The Sixteen are "The Voices of Classic FM", TV media partner with Sky Arts and associate artists of the Southbank Centre in London and Bridgewater Hall in Manchester. The group promotes an annual series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall as well as the Choral Pilgrimage, a tour of Britain's finest cathedrals: bringing music back to the buildings for which it was written. The BBC television series Sacred Music was produced in collaboration with the Sixteen; between 2008 and 2015, two full series aired along with numerous specials.[citation needed]
The Sixteen tour throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas and have given regular performances at major concert halls and festivals worldwide, including the Barbican Centre in London, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Opera City and the Vienna Musikverein. They have also performed at the BBC Proms and the festivals of Granada, Lucerne, Istanbul, Prague and Salzburg.[citation needed]. In the United Kingdom, each year since 2000 (excepting pandemic years) they have toured a selection of UK cathedrals and other venues with a tour entitled "The Choral Pilgrimage".[4]
The Sixteen have an education programme and projects have included a series of school matinées for hundreds of primary school children in Bury St Edmunds, Liverpool and Southwell under the national Sing Up initiative. The Sixteen also have close ties with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Trinity College of Music, offering opportunities for young people about to embark on careers as professional musicians.
The group leads a training programme for 18-23 year olds, Genesis Sixteen, which aims to nurture the next generation of young singers through an annual series of vocal courses, mentoring and masterclasses.[5]
Discography
Over 90 recordings reflect the Sixteen's range of work, spanning the music of 500 years and winning many awards including the Grand Prix du Disque, numerous Schallplattenkritik, a Gramophone Award (Early Music, 1992), the Classical Brit Award in 2005 for Renaissance and IKON, which was nominated for a Grammy Award and two Classical Brits. These latter two discs were recorded as part of the group's contract with Universal Classics and Jazz.[citation needed]
Since 2001, the Sixteen have had their own record label, CORO, which has released over 90 titles to date. More recent recordings include Handel's oratorio Messiah, with soloists Carolyn Sampson, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Mark Padmore and Christopher Purves (winner of a MIDEM Classical Award 2009), Dixit Dominus featuring Handel's eponymous early work and Steffani's Stabat Mater, Ceremony and Devotion: Music for the Tudors, which accompanied the 2010 Choral Pilgrimage, and Hail, Mother of the Redeemer which accompanied the 2011 Choral Pilgrimage.[citation needed]
A selection of recordings by The Sixteen
Year
Album
Label
Detail
1985
Handel: The Messiah
Erato
With the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra and Ton Koopman
1987
Christmas Music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe
Hyperion
Conductor: Harry Christophers
1990
The Rose and The Ostrich Feather: Eton Choirbook Volume 1
CORO
Conductor: Harry Christophers
1993
The Flower of all Virginity: Eton Choirbook Volume IV
