How does the touring Vienna Boys Choir stay relevant after 525 years? Pop songs, diversity, a girls choir and more

The Vienna Boys Choir, returning to Hong Kong as part of a world tour to mark its 525th anniversary, began as a dedicated group at the Imperial Chapel in Vienna

The choir has been through many changes since then, diversifying its recruitment, adding contemporary songs to its repertoire and founding a Vienna Girls Choir

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The Vienna Boys Choir, returning to Hong Kong as part of a world tour to mark its 525th anniversary, has been through many changes since its early days. Photo: courtesy of the Vienna Boys Choir

Published: 11:40am, 16 Oct 2023

After a four-year hiatus, the Vienna Boys Choir is returning to Hong Kong as part of a world tour to mark its 525th anniversary.

The past looms large for the evergreen Austrian choir, which consists of some 100 choristers aged 10 to 14. Its roots go back to 1498 and a decree of the Holy Roman Empire under Frederick III.

It has a history of working with composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Schubert and Anton Bruckner, and in 2017 it was added to the list of Unesco Intangible Cultural Heritage because of the importance of its “education and choral tradition”.

The Vienna Boys Choir sees this year’s anniversary as a challenge, president Erich Arthold tells the Post as he discusses how the private, non-profit organisation plans to remain relevant.

Erich Arthold is the president of the Vienna Boys Choir. Photo: courtesy of the Vienna Boys Choir

The choir is divided into four touring choirs, named after famous Austrian composers – Bruckner, Joseph Haydn, Mozart and Schubert – and they perform in around 300 concerts every year.