Harry Christophers

Richard Henry Tudor Christophers was born in Goudhurst, Kent.{{cite web | url=http://www.kentchamberchoir.org.uk/harry.html | title=Harry Christophers |website=Kentchamberchoir.org.uk}} He was a chorister at Canterbury Cathedral under choirmaster Allan Wicks, and later went to the King's School, Canterbury, where he played clarinet in the orchestra alongside Andrew Marriner. He has cited as his childhood musical influences the Rolling Stones, Brahms, Mahler, Stravinsky and Jethro Tull.{{cite news | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00dp1pc | title=The Choir: Interview with Harry Christophers | website=Bbc.co.uk| author=Aled Jones | date=28 September 2008 | access-date=3 October 2008}}''

Christophers became an academical clerk at Magdalen College, Oxford, studying classics for two years before beginning his musical career. He spent six years as a lay vicar at Westminster Abbey and then time as a member of the Clerkes of Oxenford and three years in the BBC Singers.

Christophers founded the vocal ensemble the Sixteen in 1979. He has directed the Sixteen and its orchestra throughout Europe, America and the Far East, becoming recognised for his work in Renaissance, Baroque and 20th-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.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2001/nov/09/artsfeatures3 | title=Sweet sixteen | newspaper=The Guardian | author=Alfred Hickling | date=9 November 2001 | access-date=20 September 2009}} 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 honours for Christophers and the Sixteen. The recording also earned Christophers a Grammy nomination for Best Choral Performance.{{cn|date=March 2021}}

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. This then led to subsequent annual pilgrimages devised around particular themes.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2002/oct/21/classicalmusicandopera.artsfeatures2 | title=The Sixteen/Christophers (Southwark Cathedral, London) | newspaper=The Guardian | author=Tom Service | author-link=Tom Service | date=21 October 2002 | access-date=20 September 2009}}{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/apr/11/classicalmusicandopera.ericajeal | title=The Sixteen/Christophers (Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh) | newspaper=The Guardian | author=Erica Jeal | date=11 April 2007 | access-date=20 September 2009}} As part of The Sixteen's thirtieth anniversary in 2009, the ninth pilgrimage was dedicated to the anniversaries of Henry Purcell, James MacMillan and George Frideric Handel.{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/mar/19/review-the-sixteen-christophers | title=The Sixteen/Christophers (Queen Elizabeth Hall, London) | work=The Guardian | author=Tim Ashley | date=19 March 2009 | access-date=20 September 2009}}{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/apr/16/sixteen-christophers-classical-review | title=The Sixteen/Christophers (Old Royal Naval College Chapel, London) | newspaper=The Guardian | author=George Hall | date=16 April 2009 | access-date=20 September 2009}} The 2011 pilgrimage focused on the music of Tomás Luis de Victoria and the 2012 pilgrimage, entitled "The Earth Resounds", explores the sacred music of Flanders in the 15th and 16th centuries by composers Josquin, Brumel and Lassus.{{cn|date=March 2021}}

In September 2008, Christophers was named the artistic director of the Handel and Haydn Society in Boston, Massachusetts, beginning in the 2009–2010 season, for an initial contract of three seasons.{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/09/26/new_leader_at_handel_and_haydn/ | title=New leader at Handel and Haydn | newspaper=Boston Globe | author=Geoff Edgers | date=26 September 2008 | access-date=11 October 2008}} In September 2011, his contract with the Handel and Haydn Society was extended another four seasons until the 2015–2016 season, in time for the organisation's bicentennial celebrations.{{cite press release | url=http://www.handelandhaydn.org/about/media/press-releases/2011-sep-20 | title=Artistic Director Harry Christophers to lead Society through 2015 Bicentennial Celebrations | publisher=Handel and Haydn Society | date=20 September 2011 | access-date=16 October 2011 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310055956/http://www.handelandhaydn.org/about/media/press-releases/2011-sep-20 | archive-date=10 March 2012}}{{cite news | url=http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2011/09/20/hh_adds_four_years_to_contract_with_christophers/ | title=H&H adds four years to contract with Christophers | newspaper=Boston Globe | author=Jeremy Eichler | date=20 September 2011 | access-date=16 October 2011}} He concluded his Handel and Haydn Society tenure as its artistic director in May 2022, and now has the title of conductor laureate with the organisation.{{cite press release | url=https://handelandhaydn.org/handel-and-haydn-society-receives-10-million-donation-to-honor-harry-christophers-hh-names-christophers-conductor-laureate/ | title=Handel and Haydn Society Receives $10 Million Donation to Honor Harry Christophers; H+H Names Christophers Conductor Laureate | publisher=Handel and Haydn Society | date=27 November 2021 | access-date=2022-11-16}}

In December 2008 BBC Four broadcast Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere, presented by Simon Russell Beale, with a performance by The Sixteen conducted by Christophers at St Luke Old Street.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00g81g7 |title=BBC Four - Sacred Music: The Story of Allegri's Miserere |website=Bbc.co.uk |date=21 December 2008 |access-date=11 June 2023}}

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 cycle of Handel's operas and oratorios including Semele, Samson and Saul.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}}

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.{{Citation needed|date=April 2012}} Christophers is also Patron of the Southwell Music Festival in Nottinghamshire.{{Cite web|url=https://www.southwellmusicfestival.com/people/harry-christophers-cbe/|title=Harry Christophers CBE {{!}} Southwell Music Festival|website=Southwellmusicfestival.com|date=6 October 2013 |access-date=2019-11-22}} He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to music.{{London Gazette|issue=60173 |supp=y|page=7|date=16 June 2012}} In 2014, he was awarded with a fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music.{{Cite web|url=https://www.markallengroup.com/|title=Home|date=24 December 2024|website=Markallengroup.com|access-date=26 December 2024}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://thesixteen.com/about-us/meet-harry-christophers/ The Sixteen page on Harry Christophers, 'Meet Harry Christophers']
• {{IMDb name|id=1849856|name=Harry Christophers}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110710163424/http://featured.earlymusicguide.com/Harry Christophers Interview with Paris Konstantinidis], earlymusicguide.com (19 July 2007)
• [http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/other/news/headlines/graduation_at_rwcmd.aspx "Royal Welsh College Celebrates Graduation and Honours New Fellows", Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, July 2009] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100819032752/http://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/other/news/headlines/graduation_at_rwcmd.aspx |date=19 August 2010 }}
• [https://handelandhaydn.org/about/leadership/harry-christophers/ Handel and Haydn Society page on Harry Christophers]

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{{succession box | title=Artistic Director, Handel and Haydn Society | before=Grant Llewellyn | years=2009–2022 | after=Jonathan Cohen}}

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Category:1953 births

Category:Living people

Category:English choral conductors

Category:British male conductors (music)

Category:British performers of early music

Category:Founders of early music ensembles

Category:Commanders of the Order of the British Empire

Category:Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford

Category:People educated at The King's School, Canterbury

Category:Musicians from Kent

Category:People from Goudhurst

Category:21st-century British conductors (music)

Category:21st-century British male musicians