Sunday 16 August 2009

Hows this for a uniform?


The Mozart Knabenchor has had quite a few names over the years but they are all around the name of the famous composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The choir was founded in 1956 on the date of Mozart's 200th birthday and they were called Mozart Sängerknaben. The choir was re-founded in 1995 as Amadeus Knabenchor Wien (Amadeus Boys Choir of Vienna). In 2006 on the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birthday they changed their name again and are now called the Mozart Knabenchor.




When the boys' voices finally change some of them sing in the lower parts. When the boys are wearing the Mozart styled uniform you can see the lower voices are wearing the Red Waistcoat style uniform


The choir is busy, even though the famous Vienna Boys' Choir is just down the road snapping up all the engagements. They make recordings, have appeared on TV and often go on tours. I would think the uniform is quite a selling point!




Even in stockings and a wig - you can still have fun









Tours have taken them to places like Assisi in Italy, Warsaw in Poland, Egypt and Germany. These pictures show that they don't always have their wigs on either











They also have free time and outings as part of choir life






Sunday 2 August 2009

Grazer Kapellknaben Austria


The Grazer Kapellknaben choir is a fairly recently formed boys choir in South East Austria in the Styria region (Steiermark in German). Despite being a new-ish choir they are pretty active. They enter competitions, perform loads of concerts and tour on a regular basis. They have recently been to Hungary and to the Ukraine.







They also often provide boys from the choir for opera performances and theatrical productions


These three below are appearing in a performance of the Magic Flute (there is another post on the Tolz Boys Choir with a video of the section that they are performing) Click here for a look The Graz boys are actually in costume (a bit odd for Mozart granted - and don't you just LOVE the mustaches!) whereas the Tolz Boys are just in a concert performance.



Here they are off on tour


In Greece


and the Ukraine



and one of the Host Families in the Ukraine


When they aren't busy rehearsing, giving concerts and touring they do get time off for good behaviour and have a bit of fun