Vienna Choir Boys Perform Holiday Classics and More on Dec. 14
November 21, 2006
The Vienna Choir Boys perform secular music and seasonal classics backed by 500 years of Austrian tradition in a concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, in Penn State's Eisenhower Auditorium. The two dozen lads–ages 10 to 14–are scheduled to perform Christmas songs from around the world; spiritual music from Europe by Mozart, Mendelssohn and others; spiritual music from around the globe, including works from India and Peru; and Austrian folk songs by Johann Straus Jr. and others.
Tickets for the Center for the Performing Arts presentation are $27 for an adult, $16 for a University Park student, and $18 for a person 18 and younger. For tickets and information, visit www.cpa.psu.edu or phone (814) 863-0255. Outside the local calling area, dial 1-800-ARTS-TIX. Tickets are also available at Eisenhower Auditorium and Bryce Jordan Center, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays; Penn State Tickets Downtown, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday; and HUB-Robeson Center, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays when Penn State classes are in session. All ticket locations are closed Nov. 23.
The world's most famous group of child musicians, founded in Austria by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1498, delights music lovers with purity of tone, musical depth and distinctive appeal.
"The Vienna Choir Boys rightly deserve their reputation for presenting expertly disciplined musical performances, full of variety and charm," writes a Des Moines (Iowa) Register critic. "Such musicianship and discipline from youngsters never fails to amaze. Considering that the entire program was done completely from memory and included works sung in eight languages, it shows we frequently underestimate our youth."
Only 100 boys are selected for the choir's grammar school, where they participate in a rigorous musical and academic program. The youngsters are divided into four touring choirs. The four choirs give about 300 performances a year in front of almost half a million people. Each group spends nine to eleven weeks of the school year on tour. They visit almost all of the European countries along with excursions to Asia, Australia and the Americas.
Along with members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera Chorus, the choir provides the music for Sunday masses at Vienna's Imperial Chapel. Until 1918, the choir sang only for the court, at mass, at private concerts and functions, and on state occasions.
Andy Icochea Icochea conducts the choir performing at Penn State. Several of his arrangements are on the program.
Vaughn Shirk Interior Design sponsors the concert. Lite 99 FM is the media sponsor.
Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring A. G. Roeber, Penn State professor of history and religious studies, is offered in Eisenhower Auditorium one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity. Seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
Contact: Laura Sullivan, 814-863-6379