Harry Christophers

Harry Christophers
Name	Harry Christophers
Caption	Harry Christophers conducting
Birth date	1953-10-08
Birth place	Gosport, Hampshire
Occupation	Conductor, choral director
Years active	1979–present

Harry Christophers is an English conductor and choral director known for founding and directing the ensemble The Sixteen. He has been influential in choral and early music performance, engaging with institutions and festivals across Europe and North America. Christophers’s career spans work with cathedral choirs, opera companies and recording labels, shaping modern approaches to Renaissance, Baroque and contemporary choral repertoire.

Early life and education

Born in Gosport, Hampshire, Christophers was a boy chorister at Canterbury Cathedral before studying at The Portsmouth Grammar School and training as a bass choral scholar at King's College, Cambridge under directors linked to Collegium Vocale Gent and The Tallis Scholars. He furthered his studies in choral conducting influenced by traditions from St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Cambridge University and pedagogues associated with Gustav Holst and Herbert Howells. Early associations included work with ensembles connected to The English Concert, Academy of Ancient Music, Royal College of Music and historic performance practitioners from Early Music circles.

Career

Christophers began his professional trajectory as a lay clerk and assistant conductor in cathedral settings tied to Canterbury Cathedral and Southwark Cathedral, later moving into freelance conducting with appearances at the Aldeburgh Festival, Edinburgh Festival, BBC Proms and collaborations with opera houses such as English National Opera and Royal Opera House. He founded The Sixteen in 1979, leading tours to venues including Wigmore Hall, Carnegie Hall, La Scala, Sydney Opera House and festivals like Glastonbury Festival and Salzburg Festival. Christophers has conducted orchestras and ensembles including The Academy of St Martin in the Fields, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and worked with soloists associated with Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, Dame Janet Baker and John Eliot Gardiner.

The Sixteen and repertoire

Under Christophers’s direction, The Sixteen specialized in Renaissance polyphony, Baroque works and sacred music by composers linked to Josquin des Prez, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Heinrich Schütz, William Byrd and Orlando di Lasso. The ensemble also championed Baroque and Classical repertoire by Johann Sebastian Bach, Georg Friedrich Händel, Antonio Vivaldi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Joseph Haydn, and explored later works by Benjamin Britten, Herbert Howells and Olivier Messiaen. Programming often integrated liturgical cycles associated with Evensong, settings from Requiem literature and commissions by contemporary composers from networks including Arvo Pärt, Eric Whitacre and Morten Lauridsen.

Recordings and awards

Christophers’s recordings with The Sixteen were released on labels such as Corinthian Records, EMI Classics, Decca Records, Sony Classical and Virgin Classics, covering major projects like complete services and Masses by figures connected to Thomas Tallis, William Byrd and Thomas Morley. The discography includes recordings that received recognition from institutions such as the Gramophone Awards, Grammy Awards, Classical BRIT Awards and critics at The Times (London), The Guardian and BBC Music Magazine. Projects under Christophers have been shortlisted and awarded for interpretations of Renaissance music, Baroque opera and choral cycles tied to anniversaries of Henry VIII-era composers and modern commemorations.

Teaching, outreach and other projects

Christophers has led workshops and masterclasses at conservatoires and universities including Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Cambridge University and international institutions in United States, Australia and across Europe. He initiated educational programmes linked to The Sixteen such as choral outreach in schools, community projects associated with BBC Proms Youth Choir initiatives and collaborations with youth choirs connected to Choir of King's College, Cambridge and cathedral music foundations. Christophers has curated festival programmes, served on juries for competitions like BBC Young Chorister of the Year and partnered with broadcasters including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM.

Personal life and honours

Christophers has been honored with awards and titles from bodies including appointments analogous to honors conferred by the Order of the British Empire and recognition from academic institutions such as honorary fellowships at conservatoires and colleges linked to Cambridge University and Oxford University. He has received civic accolades from local councils in Hampshire and cultural commendations from festival organisations like Aldeburgh Festival and Cheltenham Music Festival. Christophers maintains residences associated with British cultural centres, continues advisory roles with ensembles and remains active in performance, education and recording.

Category:1953 births Category:English conductors (music) Category:Choral conductors