Biography

The Sixteen

After twenty-nine years of world-wide performance and recording, The Sixteen is recognised as one of the world’s greatest ensembles.  Comprising both choir and period instrument orchestra, The Sixteen's total commitment to the music it performs is its greatest distinction.  Its special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of twentieth century music is drawn from the passions of conductor and founder, Harry Christophers. 

At home in the UK, The Sixteen are "The Voices of Classic FM" as well as Associate Artists of Southbank Centre, London.  The group promotes an annual series in the Queen Elizabeth Hall and in Oxford as well as The Choral Pilgrimage, a tour of our finest cathedrals bringing music back to the buildings for which it was written. 

The Sixteen tours throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the Americas and has given regular performances at major concert halls and festivals worldwide, including the Barbican Centre - London, Bridgewater Hall - Manchester, Concertgebouw - Amsterdam, Sydney Opera House, Tokyo Opera City and Vienna Musikverein and also at the BBC Proms, the festivals of Granada, Lucerne, Istanbul, Prague and Salzburg.  The vigour and passion of its performance win new fans wherever it performs.

In addition, The Sixteen’s period orchestra has taken part in highly acclaimed 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 Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse in Patria at Lisbon Opera House and The Coronation of Poppea at English National Opera.  Over one hundred recordings reflect The Sixteen’s quality in a range of work spanning the music of five hundred years, winning many awards including Grand Prix du Disque, numerous Schallplattenkritik, the coveted Gramophone Award for Early Music, the prestigious Classical Brit Award in 2005 for Renaissance and most recently being nominated for a Grammy Award and two Classical Brits for IKON.  These latter two discs were recorded as part of the group's contract with Universal Classics and Jazz.

Over the last six years, The Sixteen has been building its own record label, CORO, which now boasts nearly sixty releases.  Recent recordings include Brahms’s German Requiem, Elin Manahan Thomas's live recording of Handel Italian Cantatas and Music from the Sistine Chapel. New recordings due for release in 2008 include Treasures of Tudor England to accompany the Choral Pilgrimage, Fauré’s Requiem with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields and Handel’s Messiah.

Bringing together live concerts and recording plans has allowed The Sixteen to develop a glittering catalogue of releases, containing music from the Renaissance and Baroque through to great works of our time.

For more information on The Sixteen, Harry Christophers and CORO, please visit www.thesixteen.com