Time: 2008/10/15
Venue: Poly Theatre
Price: 180/280/380/480/680

The Vienna Boys' Choir is one of the oldest boys' choirs existing in the world. For nearly five hundred years they have been a symbol of Austria. A founding document of Maximilian I in 1498 called the first dozen boys to the imperial court as members of the newly formed court music band. Thus he showed his great interest in contemporary musical developments in Burgundy and the Netherlands. Since then the Vienna Boys' Choir has been a fixed attraction in Austrian musical life.

Known for its exceedingly high vocal standard, the choir has worked with musicians including Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Caldara, Antonio Salieri, Heinrich Isaac, Paul Hofhaimer, Heinrich Ignaz Biber, Johann Fux, Christoph Willibald Gluck, and Anton Bruckner.

Conductor Johannes Kobald

Johannes Kobald was born in Klagenfurt, Austria. His parents, classical music enthusiasts, introduced him to church music at an early age. He had his first piano lessons at the age of six, and went on to study piano, organ and jazz in Klagenfurt, as welll as church music at Vienna's University for Music.

Johannes Kobald is a musical jack-of-all-trades; he has worked as sound engineer, technician, piano teacher, arranger, conductor and choirmaster, most recently of one of Vienna's University choirs. He is also active as a composer, most notably of sacred music. His Kyrie eleison was written for the Vienna Boys Choir's 2008 US tour.

In 2007, Kobald took over as the new conductor of Brucknerchor, one of the Vienna Boys Choir's touring ensembles. He is thrilled to work with the young choristers. Kobald's declared aim is to instil a love of music in the boys. "Singing should be serious work, but it should also be fun", says Kobald. He believes that music, and singing especially, leads the performers to better understand themselves and others. "The joy the singers feel should be communicated to the audience. If we can manage that, we will have achieved much."