Closing concert: Heavenly Harmony
Sunday 30 March, 19:00
(Doors open at 18:15)
Oslo Cathedral
Adult: 580 NOK
Senior/student: 480 NOK
Child: 100 NOK
Duration: 1 hour and 20 minutes + intermission
Closing concert:
Heavenly Harmony
The Sixteen
Harry Christophers, conductor
Heavenly harmony with world-leading choir
The world-known English vocal ensemble The Sixteen under the direction of Harry Christophers will close this year’s festival with a beautiful a cappella concert in Oslo Cathedral. Under the heading ‘Heavenly Harmony’, The Sixteen brings the audience on a musical journey from the Middle Ages to today, with vocal music by Hildegard von Bingen, John Taverner, Giovanni Palestrina, James MacMillan, and the 90-year-old Arvo Pärt. Palestrina’s 500th anniversary will be celebrated in large parts of the world in 2025, and at the concert, The Sixteen will perform excerpts from his amazing motet cycle Canticum Canticorum from 1584, which is based on texts from ‘Song of Songs’ in the Old Testament. The cycle is Palestrina’s largest collection of sacred motets and shows his extraordinary abilities as a composer. Arvo Pärt and James MacMillan have to be two of the most central church music composers currently living. Pärt has largely shaped his own distinctive expression, and has inspired several young composers with his tonal language. At the concert, The Sixteen will perform some of Pärt’s and MacMillan’s most central choral works.
Experience one of England’s leading vocal ensembles at this year’s closing concert.
The Sixteen was founded in 1979 by conductor Harry Christophers. The vocal ensemble has made a name for itself worldwide for its warm sound, rhythmic precision, and impeccable intonation combined with great courage and a unique intensity. Their repertoire spans five centuries, from the Renaissance and Baroque eras to modern choral music. Over the course of nearly 45 years, the ensemble has had a significant impact on the performance of choral works and has attracted a large new audience, among other things as ‘The Voices of classic FM’ and through BBC’s documentary series Sacred Music. In later years, The Sixteen has performed several premieres, among them James MacMillan’s Stabat mater, as well as his Fifth symphony – Le gran Inconnu, both works commissioned of Harry Christophers and The Sixteen by Genesis Foundation. The ensemble is also working on an ambitious series of Handel oratorios, a debut tour to China, and a specially commissioned series of programs presented by sir Simon Russell Beale under the heading A Choral Odyssey.
Harry Christophers is a sought-after conductor and the founder of The Sixteen. He has made a name for himself for his work with Renaissance, Baroque, and Contemporary music, and is behind several award-winning recordings. Christophers was the artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society from 2008 to 2022, and is now Conductor Laureate. He has been a guest conductor for, among others, London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Deutsches Kammerphilharmonie. Christophers’ extensive commitment to opera includes productions for the English National Opera and Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (Lisbon), as well as working with the Granada, Buxton, and Grange festivals. He has received several accolades for his work, among them Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2012.
Photo: The Sixteen: Johnny Millar, Harry Christophers: Johnny Millar