Celestial Voices: The Vienna Boys Choir sings in WeHa April 2

"Celestial voices ... beloved the world over."

The spring tour of the famed Vienna Boys Choir includes 35 concerts from Florida to Ontario, with only one stop in New England, on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, at 7:00pm, at St James’s Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, CT. Tickets are on sale now.

“We are extremely fortunate that the Vienna Boys Choir has included West Hartford in their 2019 tour,” said Vaughn Mauren, Artistic Director of Concerts at St James’s. “The Choir gives about 300 concerts per year at locations all over the world, and is in very high demand. This concert is a rare opportunity for music lovers in the Greater Hartford region to hear one of the finest boys choirs in the world.”

Known the world over for their lively singing style and beautiful tone, the Vienna Boys Choir traces its history to 1498, when the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I moved his court—and his court musicians—to Vienna. From that time until 1918, the choir sang exclusively for the imperial court, at mass, concerts, private functions, and on state occasions. After the collapse of the Habsburg Empire, when most elements of the court music program came under the management of the new Austrian government, the boys choir moved to private management and became known as the Wiener Sängerknaben (Vienna Boys Choir). In 1926, the Choir gave its first public concerts in Vienna; then, the choir has gone on more than 1000 tours in 100 different countries, giving 300 concerts and performances and singing for almost half a million people each year.

“The Vienna Boys Choir has become so popular that most of its concerts are now performed in civic auditoriums and performance centers that can accommodate very large audiences,” added Mauren. “When the boys perform at St James’s in West Hartford, they will be heard in the natural acoustic of a church sanctuary, the type of space for which much of their music was composed. This acoustic is much more suited to their pure voices than a larger venue, where amplification is often necessary.”

The April 2 program includes the famous “O Fortuna” from Orff’s Carmina Burana, Renaissance and Baroque choral classics, and selections from Broadway musicals, and ends with favorite Strauss polkas and waltzes, including “The Beautiful Blue Danube.”

The concert by the Vienna Boys Choir is the highlight of a new music series, Concerts at St James’s, recently established “for the refreshment and enrichment of the Greater Hartford community.”

“For many years, St James’s has presented, or been host to, many fine performing ensembles and solo artists,” said Mauren. “As the number of concerts we offer has increased, and as more nationally- and internationally-known musicians choose to perform at St James’s, the time seemed right to establish a formal music series.”

All series events take place in the spacious, accessible sanctuary at St James’s, where the vibrant acoustic, the Steinway A grand piano that has been called “the new best piano in town,” and the newly restored and re-voiced three-manual 1962/2018 Austin Organ make St James’s an in-demand performance space for local ensembles.

“Everyone loves performing here – singers, pianists, choral groups, chamber and orchestral ensembles,” said Mauren. “The acoustic is marvelous for both voices and instruments. The sound fills the space and creates a memorable listening experience for the audience.”

Tickets for the Vienna Boys Choir’s concert on April 2, 2019 in West Hartford are priced from $20-$65 and are on sale now at Eventbrite and at http://stjameswh.org/about/music-choir/vienna-boys-choir. Concerts by the Vienna Choir Boys generally sell out; early ticket purchase is advised.

EVENT DETAILS:

What: Concert by the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir

When: Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 7:00pm

Where: St James’s Episcopal Church, 1018 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford

Accessible: Yes

Parking: Free parking on surrounding streets and in the bank lot on Walden Street. Accessible parking in the church lot.

Admission: Tickets $20-$65, on sale now at http://bit.ly/VBCinWH-TIX

Family Friendly: Yes

More Info: http://stjameswh.org/about/music-choir/vienna-boys-choir or concerts@stjameswh.org or call 860-676-2228

The Vienna Boys Choir appears by exclusive arrangement with Opus 3 Artists. Photo credit © www.lukasbeck.com and Opus 3 Artists.