Boys have been singing at the Royal Chapel in Vienna since 1296. That tradition continues as the boys, together with the Viennese State Opera and the Viennese Philharmonic, still sing mass at the Imperial Chapel. Comprised of 100 boys aged 9-14 from 30 countries, VBC is massive enough to divide into four touring choirs. The approach is unique, according to conductor Jimmy Chiang.
“Most choirs, even if they’re called boys’ choirs, will also have some adult men who sing,” he says. “We don’t do that. We are just 25 boys singing before the voices anatomically change. The tonal qualities are very pure. It’s something special.”
Long supported by the church, the choir became a private nonprofit in 1921, and has supported itself via a rigorous worldwide touring schedule.
“We go to so many places, every week we are somewhere new,” Chiang says. “It is exciting that we are meeting so many different kinds of people.”
Program-wise, the conductor likes to begin with tradition – a Gregorian chant, followed by religious songs from the Renaissance and Baroque periods, including the Viennese classics from Hadyn, Mozart and Schubert. In the second half come more modern and even folk or pop songs. The choir’s local outing will even include a performance of Lerner and Loewe’s Broadway hit “On the Street Where You Live” from My Fair Lady.
Recently in Germany, a friend of Chiang’s was sitting behind an older couple and their daughter. During the concert the family looked at each other and suddenly burst into tears, followed by hugs all around.
“When you hear these songs and the stories that go with them, you know why you are doing this,” Chiang says. “At the end, we bring the joy to the people and the music speaks.”
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