The Sixteen
Based in the U.K., The Sixteen stands today among the world’s greatest ensembles, peerless interpreters of Renaissance, Baroque and modern choral music delivered with precision, power and passion. Celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, The Sixteen arose from founder and conductor Harry Christophers’ formative experience as cathedral chorister and choral scholar. Launched in 1979, the ensemble was built on the best of the British choral tradition while setting new standards of virtuosity and musicianship.
The Sixteen makes regular visits to major concert halls and festivals throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas. Touring credits include performances at the Cité de la musique in Paris, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and Vienna’s Musikverein, together with appearances at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Lucerne, Prague, and Salzburg festivals.
The Sixteen has widened its reach at home in recent years as ‘The Voices of Classic FM,’ and with an ongoing artist residency at Wigmore Hall, its annual Choral Pilgrimage, which brings the ensemble to Britain’s great cathedrals and abbeys to perform sacred music in the spaces for which it was conceived, and with appearances in the BBC television series Sacred Music and a series of online films entitled A Choral Odyssey.
The Sixteen launched its record label, CORO, in 2001, which has built an award-winning catalogue of 200 titles, featuring works by Poulenc, Purcell, and MacMillan. The ensemble's extensive discography, including releases on CORO and other labels, has earned prestigious international awards including a Gramophone and a Classical Brit Award. In 2009, The Sixteen was named as Classic FM Gramophone Artist of the Year and received the Gramophone Best Baroque Vocal Award. The group won the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society award for best ensemble in 2018.
The Sixteen’s commitment to the future of choral music is clearly reflected in its extensive outreach program. Genesis Sixteen, supported by the Genesis Foundation, offers the UK’s first fully funded choral training program for singers aged 18 to 23, helping participants navigate the transition to professional performers.