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Many esteemed classical music institutions have made it to 100 years—even 200 years. But those are paltry numbers compared to the Vienna Boys’ Choir, which celebrated its 525th anniversary in 2023. That’s right—this ensemble of youthful choristers, clad in their signature blue-and-white sailor suits, has been around since the end of the Middle Ages.

With five centuries of history, there are plenty of performances worth listening to—many now available on Carnegie Hall+. Whether you’re a longtime fan of the choir’s beloved Christmas concerts or have yet to hear its one-of-a-kind sound, here’s a look at what makes this extraordinary ensemble truly special.

An Aristocratic History

One of the most recognized vocal ensembles worldwide, the Boys’ Choir was founded in 1498 as a fixture of Vienna’s imperial court. Named the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle, the group often performed for royalty and dignitaries, also appearing at church services, private concerts, and state occasions.

The rigorously trained young boys honed their specialty in sacred music during the choir’s first couple centuries. Over time, they crossed paths with renowned musicians and composers like Mozart and Salieri. In the 1800s, a young Schubert spent a few years as a choirboy, and Bruckner played with the group in his role as organist at the Court Chapel.

Available for streaming on Carnegie Hall+, the Vienna Boys’ Choir’s 525th anniversary program traces this arc from the Renaissance to the Romantic with music by Josquin, Mozart, and Bruckner. During the performance, the group is joined by the four other choirs also housed on the Vienna Boys’ Choir campus: the Vienna Girls’ Choir, Chorus Primus, Chorus Juventus, and Chorus Viennensis.

Opening and closing the program is Senfl’s “Das Geläut Zu Speyer,” a lively depiction of Sunday bell-ringing in the Rhineland town of Speyer. The layers of overlapping voices—which include onomatopoeic phrases to represent the bell sounds—combine for a very satisfying effect.

Later, two boy soloists move to the front of the stage for Mervyn Warren’s stirring arrangement of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” with English text by Henry van Dyke Jr. The soulful introduction for solo voice and piano eventually segues into a jazzy, up-tempo beat, complete with hand claps from the rest of the choir.

Moving Towards Modernity

After the Habsburg monarchy collapsed at the end of World War I, the Boys’ Choir dissolved for a few years before being reestablished in 1924 as a private institution. Now called the Wiener Sängerknaben—and in dire financial straits—the ensemble began pursuing opportunities outside the court as a way to make money.

Early success quickly led to European tours and then world tours, resulting in the ensemble’s first visit to the US in the 1930s. Later that same decade, the choir graced the Carnegie Hall stage in 1937(opens in a new tab), performing works from the 16th through the 20th centuries.

The demands of touring have since necessitated that the Boys’ Choir be divided into four separate ensembles that present a combined 300 concerts each year around the world. But the choristers also spend plenty of time at home in Austria, supporting other esteemed classical institutions like the Vienna Philharmonic.

Two of those notable occasions occurred in the 1970s, when conductor Leonard Bernstein undertook his cycle of Gustav Mahler symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic. In this recording of Mahler’s Third Symphony, the Boys’ Choir appears alongside the Vienna State Opera Chorus and mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig.

Perched high above the orchestra in the organ loft, the Boys’ Choir patiently wait for their entrance in the fifth movement, where they begin by joyfully imitating the ringing of bells (“bimm, bamm”).

A few years later, the choir joined the sprawling cast of singers assembled for Mahler’s Eighth Symphony, a production so expansive that the stage of Vienna’s Konzerthaus had to be enlarged to hold them all. Here, the choir plays a role throughout much of the 80-minute symphony, which is divided into two parts.

Towards the end of part one—which uses the text from the Latin hymn “Veni Creator Spiritus”—the Boys’ Choir leads the joyful “Gloria sit Patri Domino” (“Glory be to God the Father”). And during part two, which narrates the final scene of Goethe’s Faust, the boys portray a happy company of younger angels who bear Faust’s soul heavenwards.

An Expansive Repertoire

As touring introduced the Boys’ Choir to the world, so too did it help expand their repertoire. Folk songs, carols, and even pop music arrangements have gradually joined the choir’s traditional fare.

The group’s most recent appearance at Carnegie Hall in 2024(opens in a new tab) juxtaposed works by Mozart and Purcell with French folk songs, Christmas tunes, and even Benny Andersson’s “Thank You for the Music” and “Mamma Mia”—pop hits made famous by ABBA.

Speaking of pop icons, the choir appears alongside some of pop music’s biggest names in Silent Night: A Song for the World, a short film that commemorates the song’s bicentennial. Sections featuring the Boys’ Choir are interspersed with performances by Josh Groban, Kelly Clarkson, and more.

Staples of the Holiday Season

It’s not just “Silent Night” either. Traditional holiday music has become a hallmark of the group’s programming. In 2021, the Boys’ Choir joined the Vienna Symphony for its annual Christmas concert at St. Stephen’s Cathedral—the most important religious building in the city—for a program that included everything from J. S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio to beloved carols like “Adeste Fideles” (“O Come, All Ye Faithful”).

The next year, the ensemble once again joined the Vienna Symphony for a festive concert of selections from Handel’s Samson and Berlioz’s L’Enfance du Christ (The Childhood of Christ), among others.

Cornerstones of Viennese Culture

Today, members of the Boys’ Choir continue to embrace their role as Vienna’s cultural ambassadors, performing on tour, in film, and on television. UNESCO recognized the group as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Austria in 2017.

Despite all the centuries of change, the ensemble adheres to tradition, maintaining stringent training policies and a competitive entrance exam. All the boys—whether they come from Vienna or as far away as Japan—live at a boarding school, where they receive both traditional schooling and intensive music education.

And, every week, you can find the Boys’ Choir singing Sunday mass at the Hofburg Chapel, as has been the tradition since the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I. During the service, the choir is heard but not seen—but after mass has concluded, the boys appear in front of the altar to perform a few selections for the public. Their presence extends far beyond Vienna, delighting audiences worldwide on tour, and each year they bring their choral tradition to New York City for their annual Carnegie Hall appearance.