Genesis Sixteen announces 16th cohort of young ensemble singers
Twenty-two singers from across the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland will join The Sixteen’s fully funded young artists’ programme this autumn.
Supported by the [Genesis Foundation](https://www.genesisfoundation.org.uk), Genesis Sixteen is a free young artists’ programme for singers aged 18–23, designed to nurture the next generation of ensemble singers. Now entering its 16th year, the programme has supported more than 300 singers and is described by The Sixteen as the UK’s first fully funded programme of its kind.
The latest cohort includes singers from across the UK, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Participants will take part in week-long and weekend courses led by figures from The Sixteen, including founder and conductor Harry Christophers and associate conductor Eamonn Dougan. The programme includes group tuition, individual mentoring, one-per-part consort training with members of The Sixteen and masterclasses with vocal specialists.
Support from the Genesis Foundation means that singers receive free tuition and a bursary to cover additional costs.
Christophers said, ‘It is brilliant to be embarking on the sixteenth year of Genesis Sixteen, and we look forward to welcoming the next cohort with open arms.
‘There’s a buzz of excitement with each new year, and we’re thankful to John Studzinski and the Genesis Foundation for their continued support as we welcome 22 brilliant young singers and a conductor into the programme. We are incredibly proud of what our young singers have achieved over the course of fifteen years, and I’m sure this next cohort will be no exception.’
Three Genesis Sixteen alumni are now full-time members of The Sixteen: alto Elisabeth Paul, from the third cohort; tenor Oscar Golden-Lee, from the seventh cohort; and alto Edward McMullan, from the first cohort.
Recent alumni have also gone on to work with major UK and international organisations.
Matthew McKinney, from the seventh cohort, recently gave the world premiere of James MacMillan’s _Angels Unawares_ at the Sistine Chapel with The Sixteen and Britten Sinfonia, and appeared in the UK premiere of _Angel’s Bone_ with English National Opera. Josh McCullough, from the twelfth cohort, has been selected as a 2026/27 National Opera Studio young artist, while Michael Ronan, from the third cohort, won first prize at the 2026 London Handel Festival International Singing Competition.
Matthew Quinn, conducting scholar from the eleventh cohort, has been selected as a Classic FM Rising Star for 2026 and continues as chorus director at English National Opera.
Christopher Churcher, a composer and organist who joins the new cohort as a bass, said, ‘For nearly two decades now, Genesis Sixteen has nurtured the artistry of so many choral singers I really look up to, so to be part of the programme and to spend time focusing on something I love so much with such rigour and detail feels like a real dream come true. I can’t wait to meet the rest of the cohort and get started!’
Eibhlín Eddy, who joins as an alto, said she was looking forward to ‘meeting and working with like-minded individuals’, while tenor Sasha Nyamakanga said he was excited to sing alongside musicians of a similar age who shared his passion for choral music.
The 2026/27 cohort comprises sopranos Joan Alabi, Joanna Barrett, Matilda Bates, Ellie Blewitt, Sophie Grace Henderson, Alice Madden and Poppy Stirland; altos Eibhlín Eddy, Francesca Lea, Katherine Mann, Lottie Moulton and Hamish Rogers; tenors Lucas Byng, Sam Gillett, Elliott Gregg, Sasha Nyamakanga and James Robson; and basses Christopher Churcher, Ed Kirker, Nicholas O’Neill, Frederick Miln and Alexander Rouault.