The Sixteen

The Sixteen
Name	The Sixteen
Origin	London, England
Genres	Early music, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Sacred choral music
Years active	1977–present
Labels	Coro, EMI, Decca, Virgin Classics
Website	www.thesixteen.com

The Sixteen

The Sixteen is a British choir and period-instrument orchestra founded in London in 1977, renowned for performances of Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical sacred choral works. The ensemble has been associated with major institutions such as Royal Albert Hall, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and festivals including BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Aix-en-Provence Festival. Its work spans studio recordings for labels like Decca Records and Virgin Classics and collaborations with conductors and soloists linked to Glyndebourne, English National Opera, and Royal Opera House.

History

Founded in 1977 by conductor and producer Harry Christophers, the choir quickly established links with Catholic Church liturgical traditions and Anglican services at venues such as St Martin-in-the-Fields and Westminster Cathedral. Early projects included performances of works by Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, William Byrd, Orlando di Lasso, and Tomás Luis de Victoria, positioning the ensemble within the revival initiated by groups like The Tallis Scholars and The King's Singers. Tours to continental Europe followed, with engagements at Schubertstraße Concerts and residencies at festivals including Aix-en-Provence Festival and York Early Music Festival. Over decades the ensemble expanded collaborations to include period-instrument groups influenced by leaders such as Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Christopher Hogwood while maintaining a choral focus.

Membership and Organization

The ensemble operates with a core of professional adult singers drawn from conservatoires including Royal College of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and Royal Academy of Music, supplemented by instrumentalists experienced in period practice from ensembles like The English Concert and Academy of Ancient Music. Artistic leadership has centered on Harry Christophers, who works alongside managers experienced with agencies such as Opus 3 Artists and institutions like BBC Radio 3 for broadcasting logistics. Administrative functions liaise with venues including Royal Festival Hall and festival directors at Aldeburgh Festival to coordinate programming, while recording projects involve producers from Decca Records and engineers associated with Abbey Road Studios.

Repertoire and Recordings

The ensemble's repertoire emphasizes sacred works by composers including Josquin des Prez, Heinrich Schütz, Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frideric Handel, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and Felix Mendelssohn. It has recorded thematic cycles such as Christmas albums, Passion settings, and complete masses, released on labels including Coro (record label), EMI Classics, and Decca Classics. Signature recordings include interpretations of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610, Bach's Mass in B minor, and Handel's Messiah, often compared in reviews with performances by ensembles like The Sixteen contemporaries Monteverdi Choir and The Sixteen-era groups such as Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford. (Note: specific ensemble name usages in criticism and comparative reviews appear across journals like Gramophone (magazine), The Guardian, and The New York Times). The discography encompasses live festival recordings from BBC Proms broadcasts and studio projects engineered for surround sound releases.

Performance Practice and Style

Drawing on historicist approaches associated with Historically Informed Performance figures such as John Eliot Gardiner and Ton Koopman, the ensemble emphasizes clarity of polyphony, attention to Latin pronunciation variants, and text-driven rhetorical delivery in works by Palestrina, Byrd, and Victoria. Instrumental accompaniment for Baroque repertoire often features period wind and string players versed in gut-string technique and Baroque bowing from groups like Fretwork and The English Concert. The choir's balanced eight- to sixteen-voice textures reflect practice observed in manuscripts preserved in libraries such as Bodleian Library and Vatican Library, and its tempi choices have been discussed alongside performances by Les Arts Florissants and Christophers' contemporaries.

Tours and Outreach

International tours have taken the ensemble to concert halls and festivals including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Konzerthaus Berlin, La Seine Musicale, Sydney Opera House, and venues across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Educational outreach programs collaborate with conservatoires like Royal Academy of Music and youth choirs connected to Cathedral of St John the Divine and St Paul's Cathedral Choir School, offering masterclasses in Renaissance polyphony, choral technique, and audition preparation. Broadcast partnerships with BBC Radio 3 and streaming projects with platforms used by institutions such as Wigmore Hall expand access to outreach recordings and live-streamed concerts.

Awards and Recognition

The ensemble's recordings and performances have received awards and nominations from institutions including the Gramophone Awards, BBC Music Magazine Awards, and recognition in polls by The Times (London). Individual projects have earned Critics' Choice mentions in The Guardian and album-of-the-year listings in Gramophone (magazine), while live appearances at events like BBC Proms have been highlighted in annual arts reviews by The Telegraph (UK). Musicians associated with the group have been appointed honors by bodies such as the Order of the British Empire for services to music.

Category:Choirs of the United Kingdom