Vienna Boys Choir coming to Naperville's North Central

Their voices have been called angelic. They've reigned as a premier musical group for more than 500 years.

Now, the world-famous Vienna Boys Choir will appear locally during a performance at 6 p.m. Sunday, March 6, at North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville.

The two-hour concert will include classical music, popular songs and opera sung in nine languages.

“They usually finish with a waltz by Strauss,” tour manager Tania Jastrebov said. “The program will be quite varied and I think there will be something for everyone.”

The 24 boys, ages 10 through 14, are one of four touring groups of the 100-member Vienna Boys Choir, formed in 1498. Members of the choir last performed in Naperville in 1961 and 1987 at North Central College's Pfeiffer Hall.

Members of this year's group come primarily from Austria, but also include boys from Germany, Japan, China and a set of twins from Singapore, Jastrebov said.

For centuries after the choir's founding, the Austrian imperial court reserved the boys' performances for Mass, private concerts and state occasions. After the collapse of the Habsburg Empire in 1918, the choir began performing for wider audiences and traveling to other countries to sing. They are known for their white sailor shirts and blue slacks.

Jastrebov's said the group's U.S. tour began Jan. 31 and has included stops in California, Texas and Oklahoma. The boys return to Vienna on March 13.

The choir is led by Gerald Wirth, who became the artistic director in 2001. He has expanded the choir's repertoire to include world music, a cappella pop and film music.

Jastrebov said the boys will sing in several languages during the Naperville concert.

Songs range from medieval pieces to the “Prayer of Saint Francis” written by Arthur Bliss in 1972 to Michael Jackson's and Lionel Richie's “We Are the World” from 1985.

If you go

What: Vienna Boys Choir

When: 6 p.m. Sunday, March 6

Where: North Central College's Wentz Concert Hall, 171 E. Chicago Ave., Naperville

Cost: $50 and $40

Info: (630) 637-7469 or northcentralcollege.edu/showtix