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Cathedral hosts Vienna Boys Choir

An international choir, steeped in tradition, will perform in Altoona later this month.

The Vienna Boys Choir will be in concert at 7 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 27, at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, One Cathedral Square. The concert is free, but an offering will be accepted.

First established in the 14th century, the Vienna Boys Choir is known worldwide. It originally sang for the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I when he moved his court and court musicians to Vienna, Austria. The choir sang exclusively for the imperial court until 1918.

Now it includes 100 members, broken down into four touring groups who travel all over the globe. No longer from just Vienna, the choir features boys, ages 10 to 14, representing various countries. Each group travels nine to 11 weeks of the school year.

Their program at the Cathedral is one of the stops on the “Journey Through the Americas” tour. The boys will sing sacred music as well as folk songs and selections from musicals and movies. Among their repertoire will be “Lord, Hear My Prayer,” “Christ is Born Today,” “Somewhere,” from the musical “West Side Story” and “I Wanna Be Like You,” from the movie, “The Jungle Book.”

The boys themselves have been the subject of several movies including “Silk Road,” “Bridging the Gap” and “Songs for Mary.” A fourth movie, “Good Shepherds,” is currently in production.

Leslie C. Thayer, director of music ministry and principal organist at the Cathedral, said the music will include songs from North and South America, and some selections will be sung in foreign languages. She said the Cathedral was given the opportunity to host the choir several months ago, and its appearance is made possible by foundations, benefactors, businesses and individuals in the Altoona area.

“We have received tremendous support for it,” she said.

Thayer said that the choir is stopping in Altoona after giving a concert in the Philadelphia area and heading west for other performances.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity,” she said of the upcoming concert and explained that it is part of the purpose of cathedrals worldwide to be curators of the arts.

“They welcome people of all backgrounds to experience the arts and their beauty,” Thayer said. She noted that it is often expressed in the buildings’ architecture, stained glass windows, mosaics and paintings.

“It is their sacred mission to bring people to God, and their artistic mission is to enrich their personal lives with the arts,” Thayer said.

The Vienna Boys Choir performance is one way to help fulfill that mission.

Thayer encourages people to experience their music as it is a rare opportunity to hear them in person.

“The Vienna Boys Choir has not been in Pennsylvania for a long, long, time,” she said, “and they are not expected to be here anytime in the near future.”

If you go

Who: Vienna Boys Choir

When: 7 p.m. Oct. 27

Where: Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

Admission: An offering

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