The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir will present “Christmas in Vienna” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 1 in Eisenhower Auditorium on the University Park campus of Penn State. The Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State presentation will feature Austrian folk songs, classical masterpieces and holiday favorites.
The program includes Claudio Monteverdi’s “Ave Maria,” Franz Schubert’s “Serenade,” Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s “Praise the Lord” and Aria No. 20 from George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.” Holiday carols include “Joy to the World,” “Feliz Navidad,” “Jingle Bells” and “O Holy Night.”
“The Vienna Boys Choir,” wrote a Salt Lake Tribune reviewer, “is a world treasure, not just an Austrian one.” Indeed, members of the choir come from various countries in Europe plus the United States, Ireland, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea.
The choir is the modern-day version of an ensemble established by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I in 1498. He chose singers from throughout the empire to provide accompaniment for Catholic masses.
Throughout the centuries, the choir has worked with renowned composers, including Mozart, Anton Bruckner, Johann Joseph Fux, Antonio Salieri and Heinrich Isaac. Before they became celebrated composers, Schubert and Jacobus Gallus were members of the ensemble.
The organization’s 100 choristers—ranging in age from 10 to 14—are divided into four ensembles named for Austrian composers associated with the choir’s history. The Mozart choir, led by choirmaster Bomi Kim, will perform at Penn State. Kim is the first woman and the first Korean to guide one of the choirs.
Foxdale Village, a Quaker-directed continuing care retirement community, sponsors the performance. WATM-ABC 23, WWCP-FOX 8, THIS TV, Antenna TV and 3WZ 95.3 are the media sponsors.
To learn more about the presentation, and for ticketing information, visit Vienna Boys Choir or call 814-863-0255.
See and hear the choir sing “Songs for Mary.”
Artistic Viewpoints, an informal moderated discussion featuring a visiting artist or artists, takes place in Eisenhower one hour before the performance and is free for ticket holders. Artistic Viewpoints regularly fills to capacity, so seating is available on a first-arrival basis.
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