On Nov. 8, 2026, at 7 p.m., The Vienna Boys Choir will be performing at the Howard Performing Arts Center (HPAC). Recognized as the world’s premier children’s choral ensemble, the choir brings over 500 years worth of history in performing diverse repertoire ranging from medieval music, motets, and lieder to masterworks by composers such as Mozart, Bruckner, Gluck and Schubert. The choir consists of boys aged 10 to 14 from Austria and other countries worldwide. The Vienna Boys Choir has performed at the HPAC multiple times before, with their most recent performance being in February 2017.
The choir was formed in the 15th century by the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian. When his court was transferred from Innsbruck to Vienna, he requested 12 boy singers to join his court of musicians. This marked the official founding of the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle and the Vienna Boys Choir (Wiener Sängerknaben). After the dissolution of the Hapsburg Empire in 1918, the Austrian government took over the Court Opera but not the choirboys. Josef Schnitt, who became dean of the Imperial Chapel in 1921, established the choir as a private institution. Their former imperial uniform was replaced by the sailor suit, a staple in boys fashion at the time. To continue paying for the boys upkeep, the choir gave concerts outside of the Chapel and, in under a year, began performing in more countries worldwide. As a private, non-for-profit organization, the choir finances itself largely through concerts, recordings and royalties.
The choirboys made their first visit to the United States in the 1930s, eventually performing works from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Due to the demands of touring, the Boy’s Choir divided into four separate ensembles, which in total present 300 concerts yearly worldwide. The group’s 2024 performance at the Carnegie Hall showed an example of mixing history and modernity as they juxtaposed works by Mozart and Purcell with French folk songs, Christmas tunes, and pop hits made famous by the group ABBA.
Tickets for their upcoming performance can be purchased from the Howard Performing Arts Center website. Their performance is an opportunity to witness a part of a rich musical history and experience timeless music from the comfort of the campus.
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