Vienna Boys' Choir

The Vienna Boys Choir is one of the most famous choirs in the world, and one of the oldest. Boys have been singing at Vienna's Imperial Chapel since at least 1296. In 1498 Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. established a Court Chapel in Vienna where he declared that there were to be boys among the singers, thus laying the foundation for the Vienna Boys Choir. Today, the former imperial ensemble is a private, non-profit organization with a primary and grammar school for 330 boys and girls between the ages of six and nineteen with a focus on choral music and singing. The Vienna Boys Choir's education, listed by UNESCO as cultural heritage, is open to all, regardless of origin, gender, nationality, or religion. The four boys' choirs perform almost 300 concerts per year, with almost half a million people attending. Since 1924, the choirs have completed more than 1000 tours in 100 different countries, clocking up a staggering 29,000 concerts.