The Sixteen
The Sixteen has established itself as an elite ensemble in the world of choral music. Acclaimed for its interpretation of music from the Renaissance and the Baroque, the Sixteen has also ventured forward in time to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. The ensemble has reached audiences across the globe through its performances, recordings, and outreach initiatives.
The Sixteen was founded in 1977 by Harry Christophers as a nameless choir, adopting the "Sixteen" name and giving its first billed concert in 1979. The ensemble's concept from its inception was to perform the music of the English polyphony through contemporary choral music. Christophers created a period-instrument ensemble for the Sixteen as well, dubbed at different times as the Orchestra of the Sixteen and the Symphony of Harmony & Invention; the ensemble is essential to the Sixteen's performance of the oratorios, odes, and operas of composers such as Handel, Monteverdi, and Purcell. The ensemble premiered Sir Harrison Birtwistle's opera Gawain at Covent Garden in 1991, and it has toured extensively, regularly performing throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas. The ensemble has made recordings almost from the beginning of its existence, recording for Hyperion, Chandos, and Virgin Classics, among others. The Sixteen has won several awards, including the 1992 Gramophone Award for The Rose and the Ostrich Feather: Music from the Eton Choirbook, Vol. 1, as well as the Diapason d'Or and Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik.
Beginning in 2000, the Sixteen annually tours England with a concert series titled the Choral Pilgrimage. In 2001, the group established the Coro label, where it has since issued its recordings. In 2009, Classic FM named the Sixteen "Artist of the Year." Since 2010, the ensemble has worked with the Genesis Foundation in the U.K., which has fostered a youth program, Genesis Sixteen. The foundation also commissioned a new work for the Sixteen, James MacMillan's Stabat Mater, which the ensemble premiered in 2016; it has also been featured on the BBC series Sacred Music. In 2017, the group embarked on its first tour of China. In 2019, the Sixteen celebrated its 40th anniversary with 40, an album of highlights from the group's recordings. The Sixteen has continued adding to its prolific recording catalog, issuing multiple albums each year, including four in 2021 alone. In 2022, it issued An Old Belief (the same title was used for that year's Choral Pilgrimage), featuring music by Hubert Parry, Thomas Campion, and Cecilia McDowall.
© Keith Finke /TiVo
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Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II Volume II
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 30 aug. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Call of Rome
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 6 mrt. 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Spem in alium - Music for Monarchs and Magnates
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 1 jan. 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
William Byrd : Masses for 4 & 5 voices & Motets
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Warner Classics on 15 aug. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Handel Choruses
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 2 okt. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Acis and Galatea
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 1 feb. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Britten Collection
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 4 mrt. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
A Mother's Love - Music For Mary
Klassiek - Released by Decca (UMO) on 1 jan. 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
40
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 10 mei 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Monteverdi: Messa a quattro voci et salmi of 1650 Volume I
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 1 apr. 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
James MacMillan: Symphony No. 5 "Le grand Inconnu" & The Sun Danced
The Sixteen, Britten Sinfonia, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 3 apr. 2020
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Alexander's Feast
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 20 apr. 1990
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Voice of the Turtle Dove (Sheppard - Davy - Mundy)
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 3 feb. 2014
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Esther (1718 version)
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 22 okt. 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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An Enduring Voice
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 1 mrt. 2019
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Royal Welcome Songs for King Charles II
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by CORO on 27 apr. 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Barber: Agnus Dei - An American Collection
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 1 jan. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bach: Mass In B Minor
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 1 okt. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Christmas Music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Hyperion on 1 dec. 1987
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blest Cecilia: Britten Choral Works 1
The Sixteen, Harry Christophers
Klassiek - Released by Coro on 1 jan. 1992
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo