After 32 years of worldwide performance and recording, The Sixteen is recognised as one of the world’s greatest ensembles. Comprising both choir and period-instrument orchestra, The Sixteen’s total commitment to the music it performs is its greatest distinction. A special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th-century music, is drawn from the passions of conductor and founder Harry Christophers. In 2009 the group was awarded the Classic FM Gramophone “Artist of the Year” award [the only ensemble in the award’s history to ever win this category]. 

Over one hundred recordings reflect The Sixteen’s quality in a range of work spanning the music of five hundred years, winning many awards including Grand Prix du Disque, numerous Schallplattenkritik, the coveted Gramophone Award for “Early Music”, a Classical Brit Award and Classic FM Gramophone Baroque Vocal Award for their recording of Handel’s Coronation Anthems.

Since 2001 The Sixteen has been building its own record label, CORO, which now boasts over 100 titles. Recent recordings include 'The Earth Resounds' featuring music by  Josquin, Brumel and Lassus, the first volume in a new series celebrating Palestrina and the second volume in the Monteverdi Selva morale e spirituale series. Best sellers include Allegri's Miserere, Handel's Messiah and Tallis's Spem in Alium. In 2010 CORO DVD was launched to release the BBC’s groundbreaking Sacred Music programmes on DVD.

For more information on The Sixteen and to purchase CDs visit www.thesixteen.com

Archie Chen is a concert pianist, creator, and cultural leader whose music spans from the world’s great stages to the quantum unknown. Praised by the Irish Times for his “daring velocity” and “fiery temperament,” he has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Gewandhaus, and beyond — captivating audiences across Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

As Executive Director of Holy Names Music Center in Spokane, Archie brings the same artistry and vision he brings to the keyboard: bold, creative, and committed to transformation. His recordings on Sony Classical and Carnegie Artists showcase not just technical brilliance but an alchemist’s touch — turning rhythm into resonance, matter into music.

This page is where it all comes together: live takes, studio sessions, and sound experiments. A space to step inside the frequency and hear music not just as notes, but as energy in motion.

Nobody Lives Here - out now 🖤
https://ffm.bio/syml
https://laylo.com/syml

The amazing yet true history of The Beach Boys is well chronicled, and by any standard it’s one of the greatest and most musical stories ever told. From humble roots in southern California, The Beach Boys have become an enduring international sensation. Their famous harmonies and classic songs continue to travel the world bringing “Good Vibrations” everywhere.  

For more than five decades, The Beach Boys -- America’s first pop band to reach the 50-year milestone -- has recorded and performed the music that has become the world’s favorite soundtrack to summer. Founded in Hawthorne, California in 1961, The Beach Boys were originally comprised of the three teenaged Wilson brothers: Brian, Carl and Dennis, their cousin Mike Love, and school friend Al Jardine. In 1962, neighbor David Marks joined the group for their first wave of hits with Capitol Records, leaving in late 1963, and in 1965, Bruce Johnston joined the band when Brian Wilson retired from touring to focus on writing and producing for the group.  

The Beach Boys signed with Capitol Records in July 1962 and released their first album, Surfin’ Safari, that same year. The album spent 37 weeks on the Billboard chart, launching the young group known for its shimmering vocal harmonies and relaxed California style into international stardom. The Wilson/Love collaboration resulted in many huge international chart hits, and the band’s initial surf-rock focus was soon broadened to include many other themes, helping to make The Beach Boys America’s preeminent band of the 1960s. 

1966’s Pet Sounds, celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2016, is universally hailed as one of popular music’s most important recordings of all time. More than 100 domestic and international publications and journalists have lauded Pet Sounds as one of the greatest albums ever recorded, and it entered the GRAMMY® Hall of Fame in 1998. Pet Sounds tops MOJO magazine’s “Greatest Albums of All Time” at No. 1, while Rolling Stone ranked Pet Sounds at No. 2 in the magazine’s list of the “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.”

Impressively, The Beach Boys continue to hold Billboard / Nielsen SoundScan’s record as the top-selling American band for albums and singles, and they are also the American group with the most Billboard Top 40 chart hits (36). ‘Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys’ has achieved triple-Platinum sales status and ‘The SMiLE Sessions,’ released to worldwide critical acclaim in 2011, won the year’s GRAMMY® Award for Best Historical Album and was heralded as the No. 1 Reissue of the Year by Rolling Stone.

In 2012, The Beach Boys celebrated their 50th Anniversary.  Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, and David Marks reunited for The Beach Boys’ 29th studio album, That’s Why God Made The Radio, and an international 50th Anniversary Tour, continuing one of music’s greatest stories.

Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988 and recipients of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award, The Beach Boys are a beloved American institution that remains iconic around the world.


“As a content creator it can be frustrating and hard to find music that both fits your content and is free to use. I have created this site to make it as simple as possible to soundtrack your videos without any legal mumbo jumbo.” TheFatRat

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849)
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic era, widely regarded as one of the greatest masters of piano music. Born on March 1, 1810, in Żelazowa Wola, Poland, Chopin showed prodigious talent from an early age, performing in Warsaw's salons by the age of seven.

At the age of 20, Chopin left Poland, eventually settling in Paris, which became his creative home. Despite his fragile health, he became a central figure in the city's vibrant artistic circles, forming lasting relationships with luminaries like Franz Liszt, George Sand (his lover and muse), and other leading artists of the time.

Chopin's compositions are celebrated for their lyrical beauty, innovative harmonies, and technical brilliance. His works for solo piano include 21 nocturnes, 24 preludes, 27 études, 4 ballades, and 2 piano concertos, as well as numerous waltzes, polonaises, and mazurkas that reflect his deep connection to Polish folk music. His Études, in particular, revolutionized piano technique and remain a cornerstone of the instrument’s repertoire.

A deeply expressive and introspective artist, Chopin’s music bridges the gap between classical traditions and the emotive Romantic spirit. His compositions are characterized by a delicate balance of virtuosity and poetic depth, earning him the nickname "the poet of the piano."

Chopin's health deteriorated in his later years due to tuberculosis, and he passed away on October 17, 1849, at the age of 39. His legacy endures, influencing generations of composers and pianists. Today, his works remain beloved by audiences worldwide, a tribute to his unparalleled contribution to classical music.

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