The Vienna Boys Choir has been a favorite guest at holiday time for its traditional Christmas music. This week they return in a varied program that captures their crystal clear tones in impeccable harmonies. Conductor Manolo Cagnin is ready to tackle the selections that range from sacred and classical to folk and pop numbers. “The first part of the program opens with works by Brahms, Schubert and Tomasa da Vittoria,” he said. “You’ll hear folk songs from Austria, Italy and America, a polka, a medley from the Broadway show ‘Sister Act’ and Michael Jackson’s ‘We Are The World.’ The boys and I like every kind of music, so it’s great fun for us to sing a big variety of numbers.
“We’re like a big family. I arrange the music and before we begin a tour the boys help choose what they want to include. As we travel, they decide what to sing at each stop. We tour for ten weeks, so it’s important for them to sing the music they love with enthusiasm at all times. Music is a big joy for them. During the tour, we have days off every week and plenty of time to visit points of interest along the way. While we were in Texas, I learned some cowboy songs that we’ll add to our repertoire.”
| Onstage |
| Vienna Boys Choir |
| Where: George Mason University Center for the Arts |
| When: 4 p.m. Sunday |
| Info: $23 to $46; 888-945-2468; cfa.gmu.edu |
Many people believe there is only one Vienna Boys Choir, but there actually are four touring choirs, each with 24 choristers ranging in age from ages 10 to 14 studying on four grade levels. Each has a permanent conductor. This enables them to tour all parts of the world more often.
“At school, we begin the day at seven in the morning with two hours of rehearsal,” Cagnin said. “Then the boys go to class. There is always time for sports at the end of the day, and on the road I enjoy playing football with them. Wherever we travel, they are accompanied by professional chaperones and teachers for the four grade levels so their academic studies are not interrupted.
“This is a big tour crossing the United States. After returning to Vienna, we’ll begin planning for another big tour to Singapore in the fall. Then in the winter, we’ll go to Australia and New Zealand where it will be warm.”
Cagnin’s rich music background began at an early age with lessons in violin and viola at the conservatory in Venice. A native of Treviso, Italy, he later studied choral and orchestral music, conducting and composition in Venice and Milan followed by studies with Kurt Masur and Fabio Luisi. Since 2008, he has conducted his VBC choir and is thrilled to be able to instill a love of music in all his charges. One of the concert numbers will feature him on the violin accompanied by four of his singers.
“Toward the end of the program, the boys will have a number that allows them to move and have a lot of fun on the stage,” he said. “Something magical happens when they are performing music they love.”
