Christophers, Harry
Christophers, Harry
Christophers, Harry, esteemed English conductor; b. Goudhurst, Kent, Dec. 26, 1953. He began his training at the Canterbury Cathedral Choir School (1963–66), where he was head chorister. Following further studies at the King’s School, Canterbury (1966–72), he completed his education at Magdalen Coll., Oxford (1973–77; B.A. in music, 1977). In 1977 he founded The Sixteen, a choral group which he molded into one of the finest of its kind. In 1986 he also founded the Orch. of the Sixteen, which he renamed the Sym. of Harmony and Invention in 1997. He made his first appearance at London’s South Bank in 1983. After making his debut at the Salzburg Festival in 1989, he conducted for the first time at the London Promenade Concerts in 1990. In 1994 he conducted Gluck’s Orfeo at the Teatro Sâo Paulo in Lisbon. He made his debut in Vienna in 1998 and in Amsterdam in 1999. In 2000 he was engaged to make his debut at the English National Opera in London. His highly successful tours with The Sixteen and the Sym. of Harmony and Invention have taken him throughout Europe, the U.S., Israel, Japan, Australia, and Brazil. In his numerous recordings, he has surveyed a vast repertoire ranging from Taverner, Byrd, Palestrina, Handel, and Bach to Stravinsky, Britten, and Messiaen.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire