The history of the Vienna Boys’ Choir dates back to 1498, when Emperor Maximilian I instructed that such a choir be established. However, its history may be even older – documents from as much as two hundred years earlier are currently being studied. The choir enjoyed an exclusive audience at the time: the royal court. They also performed at masses, concerts and official receptions.

The choir has worked with some renowned musicians over the centuries, including Heinrich Isaac, Franz Biber, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Antonio Salieri and Anton Bruckner.

Composers Jacobus Gallus and Franz Schubert were themselves members of the choir, which was often joined in guest performances by brothers Joseph and Michael Haydn. Moreover, Hans Richter, Felix Mottl and Clemens Krauss all conducted the choir.

The choir gives around three hundred concerts a year to a total audience of almost half a million people.

The choir is also an educational institution, attracting pupils from a very young age – kindergarten and up. Around 250 boys and girls study at the school, with the most talented boys being selected for the choir starting from the age of 10. Discussions are also underway to found a Vienna Girls’ Choir. The choir and school operate in an exclusive district of central Vienna, where a concert hall is currently being constructed especially for them.

The artistic director of the choir is Gerald Wirth.

Internationally renowned Estonian soprano Annely Peebo lives and works in Vienna. She has given performances in many of the world’s foremost opera houses and concert halls and has taken part in a number of projects in her home country.

The concert will feature an international programme, culminating in the work of one of the world’s most popular composers, Strauss.

Tickets from Ticketpro and Piletilevi around Estonia. The number of seats is limited.