Vienna Boys Choir Presents Timeless Music November 14 in Ames

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The pure and astonishing sound of the Vienna Boys Choir has delighted audiences around the world for over five centuries. This famed ensemble, straight from Austria, promises a concert that will fill everyone’s soul with the “sound of music” at Stephens Auditorium on Wednesday, November 14, at 7:30 p.m.

The Vienna Boys Choir is comprised of boys between the ages of ten and fourteen. The choir is divided into four sub-groups of touring choirs, between whom the tours, Vienna appearances and recording projects are shared. Each sub-choir is named after a famous Austrian composer from the choir’s history: Bruckner, Haydn, Mozart or Schubert.

Despite their young age, these singers are commanding, mature musicians who will charm and delight anyone and everyone who loves music. As the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted, “There is no more polished ensemble of children’s voices than the Vienna Boys Choir.”

1498 is the official founding date of the Vienna Boys Choir, when Emperor Maximilian I moved his court and musicians from Innsbruck to Vienna. The choir sang exclusively for the court, at mass and on state occasions until 1918 when the Habsburg Empire collapsed. Josef Schnitt established the choir as a private institution and replaced the imperial uniform with the sailor suit, then the height of fashion.

The choir's repertoire includes everything from medieval to contemporary and experimental music. Motets and lieder for boys' choir form the core of the touring selections, as do the choir's own arrangements of waltzes and polkas by Strauss. They also perform major choral and symphonic works as well as take part in opera performances.

Pre-show Speaker in the Celebrity Café (Ground Floor, North entrance): Gene LeVasseur, Concert Choir Director for Ames Children’s Choirs
Gene LeVasseur taught vocal music in high school and middle school for a combined 24 years before becoming the Director of Music Ministry at Bethesda Lutheran Church in Ames. This preview, which is free for ticket holders, begins at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit www.center.iastate.edu or www.wienersaengerknaben.at.

Tickets:
$29 or $25 for subscribers; $33 or $29 for non-subscribers; $20 for 18 & under; $20 ISU Students
Iowa State Center Ticket Office - North entrance of Stephens Auditorium at the corner of Lincoln Way and Beach Ave., Monday - Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
All Ticketmaster Centers (convenience surcharges apply)
Charge by Phone: 1-800-745-3000
Online: www.ticketmaster.com

The Iowa State Center (managed by SMG) is a multi-building conference and performing arts complex. The Center's Stephens Auditorium, a 2,729-seat hall, hosts a dazzling array of international performances of music, theater and dance, as well as world-class orchestras, popular Broadway musicals, and explosive country and rock concerts. Fisher Theater seats 450 in an intimate setting, perfect for drama, dance and ISU theater productions. The Scheman Building, with 25 meeting rooms, two large lobbies and the 456-seat Benton Auditorium is a great meeting space for conferences, seminars and social events.

SMG is a privately held company whose majority stockholder is American Capital, Ltd. Organizationally, SMG has three operating divisions; convention centers, stadiums/arenas/theaters/others, and food and beverage, providing the same effective business principles to distinctly different business segments.

At the current time, SMG manages over 220 facilities which include: 72 arenas, 10 stadiums, 55 performing arts centers, 66 convention centers, 7 equestrian centers and 16 other recreational facilities. Overall, SMG controls more than 1.45 million seats and 12.2 million sq. ft. of exhibition space in venues privately managed by the firm. The SMG corporate headquarters are located in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania.

Contributed by: The Iowa State Center

      Print Article      Return to News