Wiener Sängerknaben

The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the most famous choirs in the world, and one of its oldest: boys have been singing at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel since at least 1296. In 1498, Emperor Maximilian I. moved his court to Vienna to establish the Chapel Imperial there, and the Vienna Boys Choir. Over the centuries, the court attracted musicians from Mozart to Bruckner; Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn and Franz Schubert were all alumni of the Choir.
Today, the Vienna Boys Choir is a registered non-profit charity. The choir receives no public monies but instead relies on donations and sponsorship. It maintains a primary school, a middle school and a senior school. 300 boys and girls between the ages of six and 19 attend the Choir’s campus. All students have individual voice lessons and sing in one of the choirs. They learn to be part of an open, inclusive community, and discover that they have the power to make people happy with their music. The choir’s education is open to all, regardless of social background, nationality or religion.

The 100 boy choristers are divided into four touring choirs. Between them, they give around 300 concerts each year, attended by almost half a million spectators across the world. Since 1924, they have given more than 1,000 tours in 99 different countries, clocking up a staggering total of 29,000 concerts.

On Sundays, the Boys Choir performs with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the State Opera Chorus in Vienna’s Imperial Chapel. The Choir performs with major orchestras, conducted by the likes of Joana Mallwitz, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti and Simone Young. Highlights include its appearances at the Vienna Philharmonic’s New Year’s Concert and at the Salzburg Festival.

In 2004, the Vienna Girls Choir was founded to give girls the same musical education and the same musical experiences. The 24 girl choristers give concerts and go on tour; they occasionally perform with the Boys Choir.

The choirs often collaborate with UNICEF, ‘Licht ins Dunkel’ and ‘möwe’ child protection centres to raise funds for charitable causes. In 2009, the Choir teamed up with Caritas and the Vienna Konzerthaus to found ‘Superar’, an association providing children with access to music education, free of charge. In addition, the Choir maintains a community choir; the oldest singer is 91 years old.

The Choir’s tradition is listed by UNESCO on their world heritage list as an intangible part of Austria’s cultural heritage. Professor Gerald Wirth is its president and artistic director.