About Us
'We bring music of the past to life, and give a platform for the music of today' Harry Christophers
The Sixteen exists both to preserve and grow the great choral canon. New commissions are crucial for a flourishing and rich future choral heritage, and thanks largely to our long-standing partnership with the Genesis Foundation and their commissioning programme, The Sixteen has over the past 20 years premiered – and for the most part recorded – 34 new pieces, mainly all Genesis Foundation commissions. The Sixteen shares the Genesis Foundation’s desire that these new works will have a thriving future life beyond their premiere, with performances by many choirs and ensembles to a wide audience.
Alongside the Genesis Foundation commissions, and in a recently committed strand to our activity, The Sixteen pledges to commission a minimum of one new choral work each year, to be programmed within the Choral Pilgrimage tour. This will ensure that the new piece receives up to 25 performances in the year it is premiered, as well as being included in The Sixteen’s Choral Pilgrimage recording, and broadcast on BBC Radio 3.
In line with our diversity and inclusion principles, which reflect our ambition to be truly representative of all sections of society, we are committed to ensuring diversity is at the heart of the commissioning process. We will work with an advisory commission panel to help us achieve wide representation across the composers we commission.
‘Some of my most rewarding musical experiences over the years have been performing new works with The Sixteen. Our commissions tend to pay respect to the music of the past, while creating something new and exciting. James MacMillan’s Miserere (commissioned for The Sixteen by the Flanders Festival Antwerp in 2009), was and continues to be a revelation for our audiences and a perfect response to its 16th-century counterpart by Allegri. Choral music, like any art form, is a living, evolving thing, and new music shines a light on the past whilst ensuring that our music is as relevant and vibrant today as it ever was. Most of the new works premiered and championed by The Sixteen have been because of our partnership with John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation. We cannot thank them enough for all they have done and continue to do.’ Harry Christophers
Dobrinka Tabakova 'Turn our captivity, O Lord' - new commission for The Choral Pilgrimage 2023.
World premiere of Sir James MacMillan's 'Symphony No 5: Le grand Inconnu', 2019, Edinburgh International Festival
World premiere of Sir James MacMillan's 'Stabat mater', 2018, Sistine Chapel
World premiere of Cecilia McDowall's 'O Lord Make thy Servant, Elizabeth', 2022, Tower of London
Works commissioned by The Sixteen:
2025 Anna Clyne
2024 Bob Chilcott
2023 Dobrinka Tabakova – Arise Lord into Thy rest / Turn our captivity
2014 John Barber – Song of Songs (co-commission with Spitalfields Festival)
2012 Alec Roth – Old Earth (co-commission with Spitalfields Festival)
2002 Sir James MacMillan – O bone Jesu
Works commissioned by the Genesis Foundation for Harry Christophers and The Sixteen:
2022 Cecilia McDowall – O Lord Make thy Servant, Elizabeth
2021
Sir James MacMillan – Nothing in vain
Will Todd – I Shall Be An Angel of Peace
Eoghan Desmond – God has created me
Anna Semple – God has created me
Lisa Robertson – God has created me
2019
Sir James MacMillan – Symphony No. 5: Le grand Inconnu
Angus McPhee – Panem Nostrum… Ave Maria
2018
Phillip Cooke – Ave Maria, Mater Dei
Marco Galvani – Stella caeli
Sir James MacMillan – O virgo prudentissima
Joseph Phibbs – Nesciens Mater
Stephen Hough – Hallowed
2016
Sir James MacMillan – Stabat mater
Will Todd – Whisper Him My Name
2014
Alissa Firsova – Stabat mater
Tõnu Kõrvits – Stabat mater
Matthew Martin – Stabat mater
2011
Ruth Byrchmore – The Dark Night
Ruth Byrchmore – Prayer of St. Teresa of Ávila
Tarik O’Regan – fleeting, God
Tarik O’Regan – Beloved, all things ceased
Roderick Williams – O Guiding Night
Roderick Williams – Let nothing trouble you
2008
Sir James MacMillan – Padre Pio’s Prayer
Roxanna Panufnik – Stay with me
Will Todd – Stay with me, Lord
2006 Will Todd – Among Angels
Find out more about all the Genesis Foundation commissions here
Listen to our new commissions playlist here
To help us on our mission to extend and preserve the choral music canon, please support us in our endeavour by making a donation. In return, we will credit you on our donor page on the website, invite you to a live recording and send a CD of our current new work.
For information on what’s in the pipeline, contact carol@thesixteen.com
I find the commissioning of new works a most rewarding process. For me it is so much more than inviting a composer simply to write a work for The Sixteen. I have lengthy conversations about what we are seeking to achieve both in terms of a sound world and programming while always preserving the composer‘s own voice. I am constantly encouraged by how much the music of the past informs the way we approach new music today. Once a work reaches completion we liaise closely with the composer and work hard to ensure that any new commission has a life after its first performance.’ Harry Christophers
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