Photograph by Fotostudio Semrad

The Vienna Choir Boys will be singing at Sacred Heart Church's fifth annual Ecumenical Celebration.




Vienna Choir Boys to sing at Sacred Heart Church

By Shari Kaplan

Over the past four years, Saratoga's Sacred Heart Parish has hosted one gala performance event after another for its Ecumenical Celebration Concerts: a large interfaith choir, an eclectic men's choral ensemble, a rollicking band with its own spin on Sister Act, and an inspirational singer who takes to the stage despite quadriplegia.

It's more of the same this year for the fifth annual Ecumenical Celebration Concert, which features the Vienna Choir Boys--often referred to as the Vienna Boys Choir--singing on Oct. 24 at Sacred Heart Church, 13724 Saratoga Ave. The group will sing selections from its repertoire of sacred music along with operettas, oratorios, Viennese waltzes and international folks songs.

According to parishioner and concert chairman Bruce Hodgin, the reason the Sacred Heart Men's Club--which sponsors these celebrations--is publicizing the event so early is because more than 85 percent of tickets have already been purchased by people who heard of the concert on the South Bay church circuit or by following the choir's worldwide schedule.

The Vienna Choir Boys currently consists of four separate groups of 24 members each, ranging in age from 10 to 14. At times, two of the groups may tour simultaneously, although one group always remains in Austria to sing during the weekly services at Vienna's Imperial Chapel and during performances of the Vienna State Opera.

The choir, whose 500th anniversary took place in 1998, was established in 1498 as the result of a decree by Hapsburg Emperor Maximilian I, who wanted a group to sing sacred music in the Imperial Chapel. The choir began with 12 boys, who got lodging and schooling in exchange for singing.

The boys now live in Vienna's historic Augarten Palace, built in 1692, rebuilt after World War II and renovated from 1973 to 1981. It provides classrooms, performance venues and living and recreational space for the 100 boys who live there each year.

Sacred Heart Parish's Ecumenical Celebration Concerts originally began as part of the diocese-wide Renew program, but have now become a highly anticipated yearly event. Concerts have always been open to all members of the general public. Net proceeds of the yearly concerts benefit various projects and organizations within the parish.

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The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.; doors open at 6:30 p.m. A post-concert coffee and dessert reception takes place after the show. Tickets are $20 for the concert only, with unreserved seating. Tickets range from $25 to $35 for reserved seating and admission to the reception. A limited supply of tickets remains; call 408.370.9030 for reservations.

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