Vienna Boys Choir in Fairfax Dec. 13 and in Manassas Dec. 15

The joy and spirit of Christmas comes alive when the angelic voices of these delightful Austrian lads rise together in song.

The Vienna Boys Choir is bringing its heartwarming “Christmas in Vienna” concert with traditional Christmas carols, Gregorian chant, songs from around the world and popular holiday favorites to Fairfax on Friday evening and to Manassas on Sunday afternoon.

The Vienna Boys Choir will perform at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts in Fairfax on Friday, Dec. 13, 2013 at 8 p.m.

A pre-performance discussion, free to ticketholders, will be held 45 minutes prior to the performance on the Center’s Grand Tier III and is sponsored by the Friends of the Center for the Arts.

The ensemble also presents “Christmas in Vienna” at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013 at 4 p.m., as a part of the 2013-2014 Hylton Presents season, which is sponsored by Novant Health.

A pre-performance discussion, free to ticketholders, will be held 45 minutes prior to the performance in the Hylton Center’s Buchanan Partners Art Gallery.

Under Choirmaster Manolo Cagnin, the Vienna Boys Choir will perform such works as Carl Orff’s “O Fortuna/Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi” from “Carmina Burana,” Tomás Luis de Victoria’s “Ave Maria,” Johann Strauss Jr.’s “The Blue Danube” waltz and “Tritsch Tratsch” polka, Michael Praetorius’ “Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming” and a collection of more contemporary holiday songs including “Jingle Bells,” “Feliz Navidad” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

“Their tone is pristine, their dynamics perfectly rendered, but, of course, it is their youth and pure soprano voices that make them unique,” raves the Charleston Post and Courier about this revered choir that was founded more than half a millennium ago, when Emperor Maximilian I moved his court to Vienna in 1498 and requested that six singing boys were among his court musicians.

Throughout the centuries, the Vienna Boys Choir has collaborated with some of the world’s greatest composers, including Mozart, Biber and Bruckner.

Franz Schubert himself was even a chorister in the ensemble when he was a boy.

The choir performed exclusively for imperial court and at mass, private concerts, functions and other state occasions until the fall of the Habsburg Empire.

The Vienna Boys Choir was established as a private institution in 1921, and in order to pay for the boys’ upkeep, the choir began performing for audiences outside the chapel, and within a few years, quickly became an international phenomenon.

The choir has released numerous albums – including two Grammy Award-winning records – featuring sacred music; traditional Viennese operettas, waltzes and polkas; Christmas carols; folk music; and pop music.

Today, the Vienna Boys Choir is made up of 100 boys - ages 10 and 14 - who are divided into four touring choirs. The touring choirs perform almost 300 concerts for nearly half a million people around the globe each season.

TICKETS FOR GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY’S CENTER FOR THE ARTS:
Tickets for VIENNA BOYS CHOIR’S “CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA” are $50, $42 and $25. Family Friendly: performance suitable for families with young children. Youth Discount: tickets are half price for youth through grade 12. Visit the box office (open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.) or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit cfa.gmu.edu. The Center for the Arts complex is located on George Mason University’s Fairfax Campus at the intersection of Braddock Road and Route 123. Paid parking is located in the Mason Pond Parking Deck adjacent the Concert Hall and FREE parking is located in university Lot K. For more information, please visit cfa.gmu.edu. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/gmucfa and follow us on Twitter at @GMU_CFA.

TICKETS FOR THE HYLTON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER:
Tickets for VIENNA BOYS CHOIR’S “CHRISTMAS IN VIENNA” are $50, $42 and $34. Family Friendly: performance suitable for families with young children. Youth Discount: tickets are half price for youth through grade 12. Visit the box office (open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.) or charge by phone at 888-945-2468 or visit HyltonCenter.org. The Hylton Performing Arts Center is located on George Mason University’s Prince William Campus at 10960 George Mason Circle, Manassas, Va., 20110. Free parking is available in the lot next to the Hylton Center. For more information, please visit HyltonCenter.org. Like us on Facebook at Facebook.com/HyltonCenter and follow us on Twitter at @Hylton_PAC.