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Harry Christophers (born 26 December 1953, Goudhurst, Kent) is an English conductor. He attended the King's School, Canterbury and was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Allan Wicks and played clarinet in the school orchestra alongside Andrew Marriner. He became an Academical Clerk at Magdalen College, Oxford, studying classics for two years before embarking on a musical career. He has cited as his childhood musical influences the Rolling Stones, Brahms, Mahler, Stravinsky and Jethro Tull.

Christophers spent six years as a lay vicar at Westminster Abbey and then time as a member of the Clerks of Oxenford and three years in the BBC Singers. He founded the vocal ensemble The Sixteen during this time in 1979. He has directed The Sixteen and its orchestra throughout Europe, America and the Far East, gaining a distinguished reputation for his work in Renaissance, Baroque and twentieth century music. With The Sixteen he has conducted recordings for CORO, The Sixteen's own label and other labels including Hyperion Records, UCJ and Virgin Classics. Several recordings have received honours such as a Grand Prix du Disque and a Midem award for Handel's Messiah, numerous Schallplattenkritik, the Gramophone Award for Early Music and the Classical Brit Award 2005 for the disc Renaissance. The Sixteen's 2009 recording of Handel's Coronation Anthems earned a Classic FM Gramophone Award in the Baroque Vocal category as well as Artist of the Year honors for Harry Christophers and The Sixteen. The recording also earned Christophers a Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance.

In 2000, Christophers began the "Choral Pilgrimage", a national tour of English cathedrals from York to Canterbury in music from the pre-Reformation era as The Sixteen’s contribution to the millennium celebrations. The success of the first Choral Pilgrimage led to subsequent annual ones devised around particular themes. As part of The Sixteen's thirtieth anniversary in 2009, the ninth Choral Pilgrimage was dedicated to the anniversaries of Henry Purcell, James MacMillan and George Frideric Handel.. The 2011 Choral Pilgrimage focused on the music of Tomás Luis de Victoria. In 2012 the Pilgrimage entitled "The Earth Resounds" explores the amazing sacred music which emanated from Flanders in the 15th and 16th centuries by composers Josquin, Brumel and Lassus.

In September 2008, Christophers was named the Artistic Director of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, beginning in the 2009-2010 season, for an initial contract of three seasons. In September 2011, his contract with the Handel and Haydn Society was extended another four seasons, through the 2015-2016 season.

Increasingly busy in opera, Harry Christophers has conducted numerous productions for Lisbon Opera and English National Opera as well as conducting the UK premiere of Messager’s opera Fortunio for Grange Park Opera. He is a regular conductor at Buxton Opera where he initiated a very successful cycle of Handel’s operas and oratorios including Semele, Samson and Saul.

Harry Christophers is an Honorary Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, as well as the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and has been awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Leicester.

An avid supporter of Arsenal Football Club, when his busy schedule of concerts allows, Harry can be found at the Emirates Stadium cheering on the Gunners!

References

1. Aled Jones (2008-09-28). "The Choir: Interview with Harry Christophers". BBC Radio 3. Retrieved 2008-10-03.
2. Alfred Hickling (9 November 2001). "Sweet sixteen". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
3. Tom Service (21 October 2002). "The Sixteen/Christophers (Southwark Cathedral, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
4. Erica Jeal (11 April 2007). "The Sixteen/Christophers (Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
5. Tim Ashley (19 March 2009). "The Sixteen/Christophers (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
6. George Hall (16 April 2009). "The Sixteen/Christophers (Old Royal Naval College Chapel, London)". The Guardian. Retrieved 2009-09-20.
7. Geoff Edgers (2008-09-26). "New leader at Handel and Haydn". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
8. "Artistic Director Harry Christophers to lead Society through 2015 Bicentennial Celebrations" (Press release). Handel and Haydn Society. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-16.
9. Jeremy Eichler (2011-09-20). "H&H adds four years to contract with Christophers". Boston Globe. Retrieved 2011-10-16.

External links

• Harry Christophers at IMDb
• Christophers Interview with Paris Konstantinidis, earlymusicguide.com (July 19, 2007)
• The Sixteen website
• Deutsches Kammerphilharmonie website
• "Royal Welsh College Celebrates Graduation and Honours New Fellows", Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, July 2009

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• 1953 births
• Living people
• Choral conductors
• English conductors (music)
• People from Goudhurst
• People educated at The King's School, Canterbury
• British performers of early music
• Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford