What The Sixteen does

The Sixteen is a UK-registered charity and private company limited by guarantee that operates as a world-renowned choral ensemble, founded in 1979 by Harry Christophers CBE. Its core product is a chamber choir of 16 singers performing Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary choral repertoire, frequently accompanied by a period-instrument orchestra. The ensemble is anchored by its flagship annual Choral Pilgrimage tour, which visits over 20 UK cathedrals and churches each year, and it has recently established a permanent residency at St James's Church Piccadilly in London. Supporting offerings include the annual Sounds Sublime Choral Festival, a Choral Workshops for Wellbeing programme at £48 per day, and a Learning and Participation programme engaging schools, care homes, refugees, and homeless communities. The organization also runs Genesis Sixteen, a free young-artist training programme now in its 15th year for ensemble singers aged 18-23, with an annual conducting scholarship.

The Sixteen monetizes through a diversified, multi-stream revenue model. Ticket sales for live performances range from £10 to £65 depending on venue and performance. The ensemble owns and operates its own record label, CORO Records, which distributes over 200 recording titles through physical CDs, digital downloads, and merchandise. Patron membership programmes are tiered at £100 (Tallis Circle), £500 (Purcell Circle), £1,000 (Handel Circle), and £5,000 (Sixteen Club) per year, offering priority booking, rehearsal access, exclusive events, and direct engagement with the conductor and singers. Additional income is generated through one-time donations, choral workshop fees, and grant funding from institutional supporters including Arts Council England, the Genesis Foundation, and the Garfield Weston Foundation. The Genesis Foundation partnership has produced 34 new choral commissions over 20 years, all programmed into the Choral Pilgrimage tour.

The Sixteen's audiences include classical music concertgoers, young ensemble singers in training, schools and families, adult learners, and high-net-worth patrons and donors. The organization distributes content and tickets through its own website box office, venue box offices, CORO Records' e-commerce site, BBC Radio 3 broadcasts, and BBC iPlayer streaming, with a community volunteer network in 16 UK areas supporting grassroots promotion. It operates a wholly-owned subsidiary, The Sixteen Productions Limited, which houses the CORO and CORO Connections label operations. Leadership comprises Harry Christophers CBE as Founder and Conductor, Marie-Sophie Willis as Chief Executive, Eamonn Dougan as Associate Conductor, and Carol McCormack as Director of Development, with a total headcount of 11-50.

Name

The Sixteen

Legal name

The Sixteen Limited

Website

https://thesixteen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Sixteen is a UK-registered charity operating a 16-singer choral ensemble and period-instrument orchestra founded in 1979 by Harry Christophers CBE. It serves concert audiences, young ensemble singers, and patrons through an annual UK cathedral tour, a young-artist training programme, recordings, workshops, and a tiered patron membership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Choral Music / Performing Arts

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Musical Groups and Artists (711130)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Group Music Classes & Ensembles (Band, Orchestra, Choir) (EDAMANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Music Instruction (Instrumental & Vocal) (EDAMAAAE), Music Schools & Conservatory Prep (Pre-College) (EDAMANAE), Early Childhood Music Education (Ages 0–7) (EDAMANAD)

Keywords

• Choral ensemble performances
• Live concert tours
• Choral music education
• Young artist training
• Choral recordings label

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Concert Ticket Sales: Revenue from live performances at venues across the UK and internationally, with tickets ranging from £10-£65 depending on event and venue
2. Recordings and Merchandise: Sale of CDs, downloads, and merchandise through CORO Records label and online shop
3. Patron Memberships: Annual memberships (Tallis Circle £100, Purcell Circle £500, Handel Circle £1000, Sixteen Club £5000) providing priority booking, rehearsal access, and exclusive events
4. Donations and Support: Individual donations supporting Choral Pilgrimage tours, Learning and Participation programmes, and new commissions
5. Choral Workshops: Fees for wellbeing and skill-development workshops, typically £48 per full-day workshop
6. Commissioning Partnerships: Support for new music commissions and recordings through partnerships with trusts and foundations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Sixteen is a UK-based choral ensemble that delivers live choral performances across cathedrals, churches, and concert venues nationally and internationally, accompanied by a period-instrument orchestra. The organization also operates a young-artist training programme (Genesis Sixteen), a record label (CORO Records), workshops, and a learning and participation programme, with funding from ticket sales, patron memberships, and donations.

Product overview

The Sixteen is a renowned UK-based choral ensemble offering a portfolio of products and services centered on live choral performances and music education. Core offerings include The Choral Pilgrimage (annual concert tour), Genesis Sixteen (young artists training programme), Sounds Sublime Choral Festival, and C horal Workshops for Wellbeing. The ensemble operates its own record label, CORO Records, and provides a digital Watch & Listen platform with free videos. Supporting offerings include patron membership tiers and donation programmes. The Sixteen functions as a unified performing arts organization with its primary products being live concert performances, educational programmes, and recordings rather than a technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Genesis Sixteen: Young artists training programme for talented ensemble singers aged 18-23, including annual conducting scholarship.
• Sounds Sublime Choral Festival
• CORO Records

Products and services

• The Choral Pilgrimage Flagship annual UK concert tour by The Sixteen, performing Renaissance, Baroque, and contemporary choral repertoire in cathedrals and churches for which the music was originally composed, targeting general concert audiences.
• Genesis Sixteen Free young artists training programme for talented ensemble singers aged 18-23, providing vocal training, consort coaching, and conducting mentorship with an annual conducting scholarship.
• Sounds Sublime Choral Festival Annual choral festival showcasing the diversity of the human voice, from early years workshops to youth choirs and professional-level Genesis Sixteen performances.
• Choral Workshops for Wellbeing Day-long choral workshops combining singing repertoire with sessions on vocal health, nutrition, and overall wellbeing, led by associate conductor and members of The Sixteen.
• Learning and Participation Programme Community outreach programme engaging young people, older adults in care homes, refugees, and homeless communities through workshops and singing experiences across the UK.
• CORO Records The Sixteen's own record label producing and distributing the ensemble's choral recordings, including the Choral Pilgrimage series, Handel performances, and commissioned works, sold via cororecords.com.
• Watch & Listen (Video Streaming) Free video collection featuring performances, behind-the-scenes content, educational singing tips, and 'Behind the Music' documentary episodes available on The Sixteen's website.
• Patron Membership (Tallis Circle, Purcell Circle, Handel Circle, Sixteen Club) Tiered annual patron membership programme (Tallis Circle £100, Purcell Circle £500, Handel Circle £1,000, Sixteen Club £5,000) offering priority booking, rehearsal invitations, exclusive events, and access to the choir.

Quantifiable outcome

• 34 new choral works commissioned and premiered over 20 years through Genesis Foundation partnership
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor and core.

• Genesis FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2005Long-standing partnership spanning over 20 years for commissioning new choral works. The Sixteen has premiered and largely recorded 34 new pieces through this partnership. Genesis Foundation commissions are programmed within the Choral Pilgrimage tour. The Sixteen has committed to commissioning a minimum of one new work annually.
• Streetwise OperaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in 2016 with charity helping people who have experienced homelessness move on with their lives through music.
• BBC Radio 3coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroadcast partner recording and airing Choral Evensong performances and other concerts. Genesis Sixteen Choral Evensong recorded for broadcast on Wednesday 5 August 2026.
• BBC iPlayer / The Space ArtscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCollaboration with BBC and The Space Arts to film and stream Choral Pilgrimage performances, including 2025 Angel of Peace programme available on BBC iPlayer.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Polyphony: Stephen Layton's chamber choir with similar sacred-choral repertoire focus and recording-led model — comparable scale and audience to The Sixteen.
• Collegium Vocale Gent: Philippe Herreweghe's Belgian period-instrument choir with comparable Renaissance/Baroque specialism and recording catalogue — a strong European peer in the same period-performance niche.

Direct peers

• The Tallis Scholars: Peter Phillips's UK-based vocal ensemble specialising in Renaissance polyphony, with a similarly extensive recording catalogue and international touring model — directly comparable niche and scale to The Sixteen.
• Voces8: British vocal ensemble with parallel touring, recording, and music-education programmes (including the Voces8 Foundation) — comparable in scale and in blending performance with outreach/training.
• Stile Antico: Award-winning British vocal ensemble specialising in Renaissance polyphony with a parallel international touring and recording model — competes for similar repertoire, venues, and audiences.
• Tenebrae: Nigel Short's professional British choir performing similar sacred/choral repertoire at comparable venues with a strong recording programme — a near-direct peer in repertoire and operating model.
• The Monteverdi Choir: John Eliot Gardiner's British choir performing Baroque and earlier repertoire with international touring and major-label recordings — directly comparable repertoire and prestige tier.
• I Fagiolini: UK-based vocal ensemble with strong recording and commissioning track record in early and contemporary choral music — similar operating footprint and audience niche.

Broad incumbents

• The Choir of King's College, Cambridge: Historic chapel choir with global brand recognition, BBC broadcast partnerships, and large recording catalogue — broader institutional incumbent in the same sacred-choral space.
• The Sixteen/Britten Sinfonia: Period-instrument orchestra that frequently collaborates with The Sixteen; broader performing-arts incumbent in the same Baroque/Renaissance concert ecosystem with similar venue footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheSixteen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Sixteen