CORO at Midem

Just back from Midem in Cannes, the recording business' annual gathering. It's a chance to meet most of our international distributors face-to-face and to brief them on CORO's release plans for 2011. We were delighted that Harry Christophers was able to join us for a drinks reception to mark CORO's 10th birthday and to launch our new recording of music by Victoria which is released at the start of February.

The BPI Classical and Jazz stand is a friendly collection of rival labels! As you can see from the photo, CORO was in distinguished company.

Here's a list of our most popular releases from our new website shop.

The year ahead in pictures

.......courtesy of Gramophone.

A hit from 1568.....

A good piece by Ivan Hewett in the Telegraph on Spem in Alium: 'Take a look at Classic FM’s Hall of Fame, and there among the poll of listeners’ favourite classical pieces you’ll find a surprise. Coming in at number 89, just ahead of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker and only just behind Albinoni’s Adagio, is Thomas Tallis’s sacred vocal work Spem in Alium Nunquam Habui – “I have no other hope (than God)”.Why should an immensely complex piece in a dead language have struck such a chord? Part of the reason is the current vogue for spiritual music, which has sent CDs of chants by Spanish monks and The Priests soaring up the album charts. But there is something extraordinary about this particular piece. It’s like an ocean of sound, where individual voices are glimpsed for a few seconds before they vanish back into the mass.' Read the full article here.

Our version is available on CORO - checkout our new online shop here.

Genesis Sixteen

Do you have a passion for choral singing? Are you aged 18 to 23? Would you like to make a career in ensemble singing?The Sixteen is seeking between 22 and 26 young singers aged from 18 to 23 to take part in an exciting new project called Genesis Sixteen.

Genesis Sixteen is The Sixteen’s new training programme which aims to nurture the next generation of talented young voices and specifically to bridge the gap from student to professional practitioner.

This is the UK’s first fully-funded choral programme for young singers and the idea is to identify and nurture students with exceptional musical ability and the potential to become professional ensemble singers, an area in which The Sixteen is internationally renowned. Routes into the world of professional choral singing are reducing in the UK, not least because Oxford and Cambridge choral scholarships are only available to those who obtain the very highest examination grades, and music conservatoires still tend to tailor their training towards solo careers.

During the course of a year, a series of intensive weekend and week-long courses for singers will be led by key artists from The Sixteen, including founder and conductor Harry Christophers. A unique partnership between The Sixteen and the Genesis Foundation means that the participants will receive a bursary for UK travel, accommodation and board costs while participating on the scheme’s four courses, around the UK.

"our priority is to identify the next generation of ensemble choral singers and to give them the opportunity to train at the highest level. We are delighted that the generosity of the Genesis Foundation has made this possible."

Harry Christophers

See full details on the Genesis Sixteen pages on our website.