Genesis Sixteen singers celebrate graduation with Oxford residency and first professional performance with The Sixteen
Monday, 9 July 2012
The first group of young singers to make up Genesis Sixteen mark the culmination of their year-long training with a residency in Oxford’s Magdalen College from 29 July to 4 August, followed by their first professional concert with The Sixteen in Handel’s Messiah at the Barbican on 16 December.
Genesis Sixteen is the UK’s first fully-funded training programme for young singers. Launched in 2011, it is a partnership between the Genesis Foundation, a UK charity that supports young artistic talent, and the internationally-acclaimed ensemble The Sixteen. Genesis Sixteen provides vocal training for 18 to 23 year olds specific to future professional work in consorts and choirs. The aim is to nurture the next generation of talented young voices and bridge the gap from student to professional practitioner.
Over the past year, Genesis Sixteen’s 22 singers have taken part in intensive weekend and week-long courses around the UK led by artists from The Sixteen including Founder and Conductor Harry Christophers and Associate Conductor Eamonn Dougan. The Oxford residency marks the culmination of their training, but the group will reform in December to perform with The Sixteen.
Genesis Sixteen member Nancy Cole says:
“I think I speak for all of Genesis Sixteen when I say how exhilarating it has been. We have been advised and trained by the country’s top musicians and given a wonderful insight into how we may become part of this profession ourselves. The best finale we could hope for comes in December when we perform alongside The Sixteen in Handel’s celebrated Messiah, a piece that sums up our excitement and fortune much better than any words could.”
Over 220 applicants were auditioned in London, Manchester, Cardiff and Glasgow to find the next group of Genesis Sixteen singers, who begin in August 2012.
John Studzinski, Founder and Chairman of the Genesis Foundation, says:
“Routes into the world of professional choral singing are limited in the UK, and with Genesis Sixteen we want to provide an opportunity for promising young singers to experience what it’s really like to work in a leading ensemble like The Sixteen. I’m always impressed by the incredibly high standard of the Genesis Sixteen’s performances and I have no doubt that the course’s first graduates have bright futures ahead of them.”
Harry Christophers, Founder and Conductor of The Sixteen, says:
“The inaugural Genesis Sixteen has surpassed all our expectations. We auditioned hundreds of applicants and chose 22 who we felt had something special in terms of musicianship and character. I have come away from each session with these talented students feeling uplifted and conscious of just what is possible. Our aim is to identify and nurture the next generation of ensemble singers and I can safely say that what we have achieved is going to be so beneficial to the future of choral music in this country. My heartfelt thanks go to John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation; their inspired vision has made this whole scheme possible and I can’t wait to see just what is possible with Genesis Sixteen 2012-2013.”