The Sixteen, the world-renowned choir, begins its 2025 Choral Pilgrimage at Croydon Minster on March 17 with a world premiere – and Inside Croydon readers can be there with a special 30% discount on ticket prices!
Back at the Minster: The Sixteen will begin their 2025 tour in Croydon on March 17
There can have been few more appropriate times for the theme of this year’s Choral Pilgrimmage by The Sixteen: An Angel of Peace focuses on bringing peace and tranquillity to the chaos of day-to-day life.
The concert will include performances of today’s finest composers Anna Clyne, Arvo Pärt and Will Todd, in addition to the healing and wondrous music of Hildegard of Bingen and John Taverner.
The opening performance in Croydon will see the world premiere of Clyne’s Orbits for choir and solo violin.
Described as a “composer of uncommon gifts and unusual methods” by the New York Times and as “fearless” by NPR, Grammy-nominated Clyne is one of the most in-demand composers today, working with orchestras, choreographers, filmmakers, and visual artists.
Her work for The Sixteen, Orbits, is a musical setting of the poem I Live My Life in Growing Orbits by Austrian poet Rainer Maira Rilke, in translation by the American poet Robert Bly.
I live my life in growing orbits
which move out over the things of the world.
Perhaps I can never achieve the last,
but that will be my attempt.I am circling around God, around the ancient tower,
and I have been circling for a thousand years,
and I still don’t know if I am a falcon, or a storm,
or a great song.
On creating Orbits for the 2025 Choral Pilgrimage, Clyne says: “In a world that often feels fractured and tumultuous, music has the power to open spaces of deep connection and stillness.
World premiere: composer Anna Clyne’s Orbit will be performed for the first time in Croydon
“Orbits is a journey into this realm, where each note resonates with the pulse of centuries past and echoes forward, inviting listeners into a moment of peace and presence.”
The Sixteen’s concert, featuring founder and conductor Harry Christophers, is due to begin at 7.30pm on Monday, March 17, and will perform a programme that includes:
Hildegard of Bingen Ave, Generosa
Arvo Pärt Tribute to Caesar
Will Todd I shall be an angel of peace
John Taverner Gaude plurimum
Arvo Pärt Da pacem Domine
Anna Clyne Orbits – World premiere
Arvo Pärt Magnificat
John Taverner O splendor gloriae
You can get a taste of the concert performance with this track available on The Sixteen’s album, their performance of Taverner’s O splendor gloriae
Each year the choir releases an album ahead of their tour before performing it before live audiences. The album will be released this Friday, March 7.
The producers of the concert say: “In an age of resurgent conflict and frenetic demands on our attention, our 2025 Choral Pilgrimage: Angel of Peace offers a slice of tranquillity in many forms courtesy of luminous, purifying music traversing six centuries.
“The enraptured songs of medieval abbess Hildegard of Bingen and the joyous large-scale antiphons of Taverner combine with the mesmeric soundworld of Arvo Pärt, whose 90th birthday is celebrated in 2025, and the magical realm of a brand new work for choir and solo violin by composer Anna Clyne.
“These pieces of music from across the centuries speak of peace and acceptance and the ecstatic joy their reassurance can bring.”
This year’s tour takes its title from words by Cardinal Newman, set to music by Will Todd – “Let me be an angel of peace”.
Conductor Christophers says: “With Angel of Peace, we invite audiences on a journey through words and music that span centuries. From Hildegard’s visionary compositions and Taverner’s glorious Marian antiphons to Will Todd’s meditation on Cardinal Newman and Anna Clyne’s new commission Orbits, each work offers a unique path to peace.
“Arvo Pärt, marking his 90th birthday, brings us full circle with his serene clarity. These timeless voices resonate with our deepest need for stillness and in each of the remarkable venues we visit, we hope to share a moment of peace and connection through the timeless language of music.”
The Sixteen’s Choral Pilgrimage 2025 will visit 21 locations, starting with Croydon before going on to the Old Royal Naval College Chapel, Greenwich (April 9), to York Minster (July 7) and St Martin in the Fields (September 5), Wells Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey and Hereford Cathedral, and on to Truro Cathedral and Hexham Abbey before finishing at Chichester Cathedral on October 4.
Angel of Peace will be released on the CORO label this Friday, and will also be available in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos.
- But only Inside Croydon readers can get a 30% discount on their tickets for the March 17 concert at Croydon Minster – offering our music-loving loyal readers a saving of potentially £15 on a typical pair of tickets.
- The promo code is INSIDE25. Customers will be prompted to enter the promo code after they’ve gone through to checkout.
- Click here to book your tickets now
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