The Sixteen
Encyclopedia
The Sixteen are a choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers
in 1979.
The group's special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th century music, is drawn from the passions of conductor and founder Harry Christophers.
At home in the United Kingdom, 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 Sixteen featured in the BBC Four
television series Sacred Music, presented by actor Simon Russell Beale
. A second series was broadcast on BBC Four in 2010.
The Sixteen tour throughout Europe, Japan, 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.
In addition, The Sixteen’s period orchestra have taken part in semi-staged performances of Purcell
’s Fairy Queen in Tel Aviv and London, a fully staged production of Purcell’s King Arthur in Lisbon’s Belem Centre, followed by new productions of Claudio Monteverdi
's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
at Lisbon Opera House and The Coronation of Poppea at the English National Opera
. 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, the Gramophone Award for Early Music, 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.
Since 2001 The Sixteen have been building their own record label, CORO, which has released over 90 titles to date. Recent recordings include Handel’s oratorio, Messiah, with an all-star soloist line-up: 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 accompanies the 2011 Choral Pilgrimage.
The Sixteen also have an increasingly busy education programme and recent projects include a series of school matinees 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.
Harry Christophers
Harry Christophers is an English conductor. He attended the King's School, Canterbury and was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Allan Wicks and played clarinet in the school orchestra alongside Andrew Marriner...
in 1979.
The group's special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th century music, is drawn from the passions of conductor and founder Harry Christophers.
At home in the United Kingdom, The Sixteen are "The Voices of Classic FM
Classic FM (UK)
Classic FM, one of the United Kingdom's three Independent National Radio stations, broadcasts classical music in a popular and accessible style.-Overview:...
", TV media partner with Sky Arts
Sky Arts
Sky Arts and Sky Arts HD is the brand name for a group of art-oriented television channels offering 18 hours a day of programmes dedicated to highbrow arts, including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music...
and associate artists of the Southbank Centre in London and Bridgewater Hall
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year....
in Manchester. The group promotes an annual series at the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
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 Sixteen featured in the BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
television series Sacred Music, presented by actor Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale
Simon Russell Beale, CBE is an English actor. He has been described by The Independent as "the greatest stage actor of his generation."-Early years:...
. A second series was broadcast on BBC Four in 2010.
The Sixteen tour throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the Americas and have given regular performances at major concert halls and festivals worldwide, including the Barbican Centre
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in London, the Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, the Concertgebouw
Concertgebouw
The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...
in Amsterdam, the Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
, 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.
In addition, The Sixteen’s period orchestra have taken part in semi-staged performances of Purcell
Purcell
Henry Purcell was an English composer.Purcell may also refer to:*Purcell, Indiana, an unincorporated community in Johnson Township, Knox County, Indiana*Purcell, Missouri, a city in Jasper County, Missouri, United States...
’s Fairy Queen in Tel Aviv and London, a fully staged production of Purcell’s King Arthur in Lisbon’s Belem Centre, followed by new productions of Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Monteverdi
Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, gambist, and singer.Monteverdi's work, often regarded as revolutionary, marked the transition from the Renaissance style of music to that of the Baroque period. He developed two individual styles of composition – the...
's Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria
Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria is an opera in a prologue and five acts , set by Claudio Monteverdi to a libretto by Giacomo Badoaro. The opera was first performed at the Teatro Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice during the 1639–1640 carnival season...
at Lisbon Opera House and The Coronation of Poppea at the English National Opera
English National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
. 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, the Gramophone Award for Early Music, 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.
Since 2001 The Sixteen have been building their own record label, CORO, which has released over 90 titles to date. Recent recordings include Handel’s oratorio, Messiah, with an all-star soloist line-up: Carolyn Sampson, Catherine Wyn-Rogers, Mark Padmore
Mark Padmore
Mark Padmore is a British tenor appearing in concerts, recitals, and opera.Born in London 8 March 1961, and raised in Canterbury, Kent in England. Padmore studied clarinet and piano prior to his gaining a choral scholarship to King's College, Cambridge...
and Christopher Purves (winner of a MIDEM
Midem
-MIDEM:Short for Marché International du Disque et de l'Edition Musicale, MIDEM is the world's largest music industry trade fair, which has been held annually at and around the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France, since 1967...
Classical Award 2009), Dixit Dominus featuring Handel
George Frideric Handel
George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer, famous for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Handel was born in 1685, in a family indifferent to music...
's eponymous early work and Steffani
Agostino Steffani
Agostino Steffani was an Italian ecclesiastic, diplomat and composer.-Biography:Steffani was born at Castelfranco Veneto. At a very early age he was admitted as a chorister at San Marco, Venice...
's Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater
Stabat Mater is a 13th-century Roman Catholic hymn to Mary. It has been variously attributed to the Franciscan Jacopone da Todi and to Innocent III...
, Ceremony and Devotion: Music for the Tudors, which accompanied the 2010 Choral Pilgrimage and Hail, Mother of the Redeemer which accompanies the 2011 Choral Pilgrimage.
The Sixteen also have an increasingly busy education programme and recent projects include a series of school matinees for hundreds of primary school children in Bury St Edmunds, Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
and Southwell under the national Sing Up
Sing Up
Sing Up is a UK Government funded national singing programme which aims to ensure that all primary school-aged children are able to access high-quality singing activities every day and that, over time, all primary schools should become 'singing schools'...
initiative. The Sixteen also have close ties with the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
and Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music
Trinity College of Music is one of the London music conservatories, based in Greenwich. It is part of Trinity Laban.The conservatoire is inheritor of elegant riverside buildings of the former Greenwich Hospital, designed in part by Sir Christopher Wren...
, offering opportunities for young people about to embark on careers as professional musicians.
Discography
Releases on the CORO label:- COR16001 - The Flowering of Genius - Guerrero, Tallis, Byrd, Victoria
- COR16002 - The Voices of Angels - Eton Choirbook Volume V
- COR16003 - Iste Confessor - Scarlatti
- COR16004 – Hodie - An English Christmas Collection.
- COR16005 - The Fairy Queen - 2 CDs - Purcell
- COR16006 - Blest Cecilia - Britten Choral Works I
- COR16007 - The Call of the Beloved - Victoria
- COR16008 - Samson - 3 CDs - Handel
- COR16009 - Te Deum - António Teixeira
- COR16010 - An Eternal Harmony - Carver, Cornysh, MacMillan
- COR16011 - Israel in Egypt - Handel
- COR16012 - The Crown of Thorns - Eton Choirbook Volume II
- COR16013 - à la Gloire de Dieu - Stravinsky, Poulenc, Tippett
- COR16014 - Allegri Miserere - Allegri, Palestrina, Lotti
- COR16015 - Ikon of Light - Tavener
- CORSACD16016 - Spem in alium - Tallis, Tomkins, Gibbons
- COR16017 - Christmas Oratorio - 2 CDs - Bach
- COR16018 - The Flower of all Virginity - Eton Choirbook Volume IV
- COR16019 - Esther - 2 CDs - Handel
- COR16020 - A Golden Age - Melgas, Rebelo
- COR16021 - The Mystery of the Cross - Victoria
- COR16022 - The Pillars of Eternity - Eton Choirbook Volume III
- COR16023 - La Jeune France -Jolivet, Messiaen, Daniel-Lesur
- COR16024 - Love’s Goddess Sure was Blind - Purcell
- COR16025 - Heroes and Heroines – Sarah Connolly - Handel
- COR16026 - The Rose and the Ostrich Feather - Eton Choirbook Volume I
- COR16027 - Christus Natus Est - An Early English Christmas
- COR16028 - Alexander’s Feast - 2 CDs - Handel
- COR16029 - Mass for Double Choir - Frank Martin
- COR16030 - Delirio Amoroso - Ann Murray - Handel
- COR16031 - Barber - Agnus Dei - An American Collection
- COR16032 - Renaissance Portugal - Cardoso, Lobo
- CORSACD16033 - Requiem 1605 - Victoria
- COR16034 - A Ceremony of Carols - Britten Choral Works II
- COR16035 - Devotion to our Lady - Victoria
- COR16036 - Musikalische Exequien - Schütz
- COR16037 - Philip & Mary - A Marriage of England & Spain
- COR16038 - Fen and Meadow - Britten Choral Works III
- COR16039 - J.S. Bach – Cantatas 34, 50 & 147 - J. S. Bach
- COR16040 - Eton Choirbook – Boxed Set - All 5 Eton Choirbooks in one set
- COR16041 - Music from the Chapel Royal - Cooke, Humfrey & Blow
- COR16042 - Vivaldi – Gloria / Bach – Magnificat - Two famous choral showpieces
- COR16043 - A Traditional Christmas Carol Collection - Favourite Christmas Carols
- COR16044 - Mass in B minor - 2 CDs - J. S. Bach
- COR16045 - Fedel e Costante – Elin Manahan Thomas - Handel Italian Cantatas
- COR16046 - Hilliard I - Pérotin and the Ars Antiqua
- COR16047 - Music from the Sistine Chapel - Allegri, Palestrina, Anerio & Marenzio
- COR16048 - Hilliard II - For Ockeghem
- COR16049 - Music from Magdalen - The Magdalen Collection
- COR16050 - Ein Deutsches Requiem - Johannes Brahms
- COR16051 - Robert Carver - Master of the Scottish Renaissance
- COR16052 - Hilliard III - Antoine Brumel
- COR16053 - Venetian Treasures - Gabrieli, Caldara, Monteverdi & Cavalli
- COR16054 - The Christmas Collection – Boxed Set - 3 of The Sixteen’s best-loved festive discs
- COR16055 - Hilliard IV - Guillaume Dufay
- COR16056 - Treasures of Tudor England - Parsons White & Tye
- COR16057 - Fauré Requiem / Mozart Vespers - The Sixteen & Academy of St Martin in the Fields
- COR16059 - Streams of Tears - Padilla
- COR16062 - Handel's Messiah - 3 CDs
- COR16066 - Handel's Coronation Anthems
- COR16067 - Guerrero & Janequin 'Missa de la batalla escoutez'
- COR16069 - Bright Orb of Harmony (2009 Choral Pilgrimage disc)
- COR16071 - Padre Pio Prayer - MacMillan, Todd and Panufnik
- COR16072 - The Bach Collection (Mass in B Minor, Christmas Oratorio and Cantatas 34, 50 & 147)
- COR16073 - Sounds Sublime - the ultimate double disc collection
- COR16076 - Handel's Dixit Dominus
- COR16077 - Ceremony & Devotion - Music for the Tudors (2010 Choral Pilgrimage disc)
- COR16078 - DVD Sacred Music with Simon Russell Beale
- COR16079 - DVD Sacred Music: An Easter Celebration
- COR16080 - A Handel Collection - 12CDs
- COR16081 - Ravish'd with Sacred Extasies
- COR16082 - Buxtehude Membra Jesu Nostri
- COR16083 - DVD A Handel Celebration
- COR16084 - Mozart Mass in C minor (Handel & Haydn Society)
- COR16085 - A Traditional Christmas Carol Collection Volume II
- COR16087 - Monteverdi Selva morale e spirituale
- COR16088 - Hail, Mother of the Redeemer (2011 Choral Pilgirmage disc)
- COR16089 - The Victoria Collection - 4CDs
- COR16090 - O Guiding Night: The Spanish Mystics
- COR16091 - Palestrina Volume 1
See also
- The ClerksThe ClerksThe Clerks are a British early music vocal ensemble. They have authored a series of recordings and concerts featuring music by Johannes Ockeghem, Josquin des Prez, Jacob Obrecht and other composers of the Franco-Flemish Renaissance...
- Hilliard EnsembleHilliard EnsembleThe Hilliard Ensemble is a British male vocal quartet originally devoted to the performance of early music. Founded in 1974, the group is named after the Elizabethan miniaturist painter Nicholas Hilliard....
- I FagioliniI FagioliniI Fagiolini is a British vocal ensemble specialising in early music and contemporary music. Founded by Robert Hollingworth at Oxford in 1986, the group won the UK Early Music Network’s Young Artists’ Competition in 1988 and a Royal Philharmonic Society Award in 2006...
- Tallis ScholarsTallis ScholarsThe Tallis Scholars are a British vocal ensemble normally consisting of two singers per part, with a core group of ten singers.Formed in 1973 by their director Peter Phillips, they specialise in performing a cappella sacred vocal music written during the Renaissance by composers from all over Europe...
- Handel and Haydn SocietyHandel and Haydn SocietyThe Handel and Haydn Society is an American chorus and period instrument orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1815, it remains one of the oldest performing arts organizations in the United States.-Early history:...