The Sixteen's Blog

Heading off later for the 14.12 Greater Anglia Cambridge-Norwich train, to get to our Choral Pilgrimage concert in Norwich Cathedral tonight, which is sponsored by said transport company.  Greater Anglia (in its various franchise guises) has long been a supporter of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival and other arts organisations in East Anglia.  In these tough economic times it is great to be able to acknowledge such enlightened corporate support.  Full concert details are here. The concert is sold out, but it is always worth calling about possible returns.

The violins and continuo team

Emily has just sent me these photos of the rehearsal for tonight’s concert in St James’ Church in Chipping Campden, where we are performing more of Monteverdi’s Selva Morale e Spirituale in the music festival there.  Full details of the programme are here.

The concert rounds off another busy week, which included our Choral Pilgrimage visit to Greenwich, a reception to mark the support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Representative Office of the Government of Flanders in London, and the RPS Awards.

The broadcast on BBC Radio 3 of the latter – featuring Kirsty, Katy, David, Sam and Greg – was earlier this afternoon, and can be heard for the next seven days on the iPlayer. 

RPS Music Awards

To the Dorchester last night for the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Awards, where ‘We Are Shadows’ won the Learning and Participation award for Spitalfields Music.  The Sixteen took part in this community opera – with music by John Barber to a libretto by Hazel Gould – last summer, and Kirsty, Katy, David, Sam and Greg performed ‘Dawn’ last night at the ceremony, to great acclaim.  You can hear a programme from the Awards on BBC Radio 3 next Sunday afternoon.  The citation said: ‘The performance was brave and ambitious, uniting a broad spectrum of participants through work that was musically fresh and vibrant.’  The RPS Music Awards are the most prestigious classical awards in the UK, exemplified last night by the presentation of the RPS Gold Medal to Mitsuko Uchida who, as always, made a brilliant and inspiring speech!

Our next innovative project with Spitalfields Music is in June, with four performances of Samuel Becketts ‘Old Earth’. The Sixteen joins forces with Jericho House to present this significant theatrical event: the first staged presentation of a series of Samuel Beckett monologues with a new music commission by leading British composer Alec Roth.  More details nearer the time, but tickets are on sale here.

Truro Cathedral

Countertenor David Clegg: ‘I write this from the curry house in Truro following another successful concert of the Pilgrimage programme. Most of the choir are here but no sign of maestro Christophers. His aversion to curry is legendary within the group but he is really missing out in this restaurant as the food is delicious. A nice concert tonight with a lovely audience. I think it’s the first time we’ve been here since 2002 and it was a great pleasure to be back. Tomorrow on to Taunton and a first appearance there. We look forward to it. Anyone know a decent curry house there?’

So, the Choral Pilgrimage moves onwards.  Details of future concerts are here.

Heffers Sound, Cambridge

Our British Library CD was released worldwide today.  I spotted our window display in Cambridge this evening.  It’s a great compilation with tracks by The Sixteen and The Hilliard Ensemble.  If you are not near Heffers Sound, copies are available here.