History’s first boy band brings centuries of music to Modesto

The Vienna Boys Choir has perfected a sound that spans centuries.

The world-famous all-boys soprano and alto choir dates back more than 500 years. In fact, they could be considered history’s first boy band, with its members all between the ages of 10 and 14. That selectivity makes for a singular concert experience which, while the repertoire may change, has entertained emperors, royalty, kings and everyone alike since 1498.

The Vienna Boys Choir brings its historic sound to Gallo Center for the Arts on Nov. 25 for a “Christmas in Vienna” concert.

“It’s different from what (the audience) might expect. There’s a really special timbre (to the choir). Sometimes you wonder, how could 25 boys fill the hall?” said kapellmeister Jimmy Chiang. “For people who have not heard the boys choirs before, it’s a new and special experience.”

Chiang is one of the prestigious group’s four choirmasters. The Vienna Boys Choir is split into four touring choirs of about 25 boys each who perform across the globe. Members of the groups all live together, go to school together, tour together and sing together. They perform over 300 concerts a year.

The touring groups are named after the legendary Austrian composers who have worked with the choir over its history: Anton Bruckner, Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Franz Schubert. The groups tour in rotation. When they’re back at their home base in Vienna, the boys attend the choir’s boarding school, which includes two to three hours of singing rehearsal each day.

As part of the choir’s centuries-long tradition, the choir also sings every Sunday during the school year for Mass at Vienna’s Imperial Chapel. Members live in the 17th-century Augartenpalais, or Augarten Palace, which the Austrian government gave to the choir in 1948.

These days the choir boasts an international membership with singers from across Europe, Afghanistan, Japan and Canada.

Chiang, who joined as choirmaster in 2013, brings his Haydnchor to Modesto. The group started touring the United States in September on a six-week swing through the country to celebrate the holidays.

Their shows feature music from their touring group namesakes as well as Gregorian chants, polkas, waltzes, folk songs and even some pop songs. The choirmaster accompanies the group on piano for each concert.

“As a musician, it’s historic to be part of this and know you are part of a history that includes Schubert and Haydn. These are masters who actually related to the choir,” Chiang said. “It’s a legacy and a line of legends. And being part of it and being part of making the new generations for me is very meaningful.”

This story was originally published November 16, 2016 at 3:24 PM with the headline "History’s first boy band brings centuries of music to Modesto."