SING MIT: VIENNA’S ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL CHOIR FESTIVAL
final performance. The seat of the Arch- bishop of Vienna and the mother church of the Roman Catholic Archdio- cese of Vienna, the cathedral is more than 650 years old. It played a signifi- cant role in the lives of manymusicians but most importantly for Haydn and Mozart. The composers were each mar- ried in the cathedral, and both had mu- sical influence there: Haydn sang in the choir as a young boy, and Mozart was assistant to the Kapellmeister during his stay in Vienna. Known for itsmulti- colored tile roof, St. Stephen’s is one of Vienna’s most recognizable landmarks and one of the most famous cathedrals in all of Europe. It is the heart of church music in the city, andmany famousmu- sicians have conducted there. St. Stephen’s has an old organ tradi-
Palais Augarten in Vienna, the home and rehearsal space of the Vienna Boys’ Choir I
N JULY of 2014, Vienna will play host to hundreds of international singers participating in their annual choir
festival—Sing Mit. In this three-day massed event, choirs from around the globe will have the opportunity to re- hearse with a superb conductor and perform with a professional orchestra and soloists in a world-class venue. Sing Mit participants are bound by
the love of singing sacred music in a stunning acoustic and beautiful sanctu- ary. The festival takes place in musical Vienna, July 3–5, 2014. Choirs will per- formin one of the great cathedrals of the world, Stephansdom (St. Stephen’s), in the heart of the city, under the direction of internationally renowned conductor Gerald Wirth, artistic director of the Vi- enna Boys’ Choir. The festival begins with a gathering
and reception on the rooftop of St. Stephen’s Cathedral with a 360-degree view of Vienna and culminates in the once-in-a-lifetime experience of per- forming Mozart’s “Sparrow Mass” and the Misa Criolla of Ariel Ramírez with orchestra, soloists, and massed choir under the baton of Maestro Wirth for a large and enthusiastic audience. If your choir is looking to travel in
2014, Sing Mit is the perfect opportu- nity. In addition to your participation in the festival, you will experience Vi- enna’s musically rich history, stunning
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baroque architecture, and its bustling cosmopolitan squares. You may even wish to visit the home of some of the world’s greatest musical talents includ- ing Mozart, Beethoven, and Haydn. Learn more about the festival and you, too, can be a part of this musically and spiritually enriching experience. Why Vienna? Situated on the Danube
River, Vienna is the capital and largest city in Austria. It is known as the “city of music” as some of the most influen- tialmusicians of all time have lived and worked there, includingMozart,Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, Mahler, and oth- ers. In fact, many composers still reside in Vienna—in the cemetery. Vienna is home to Europe’s second largest ceme- tery. Withmore than 2.5 million tombs, you are sure to find some of the most fa- mousmusicians buried there, including Beethoven, Brahms, Gluck, Schubert, Schoenberg, and Johann Strauss. Vi- enna’s city center has been classified as a World Heritage Site. Many famous figures, such as Sigmund Freud, Gustav Klimt, and Arthur Schnitzler, have lived there. It is home to the world- renowned Vienna Philharmonic and the Vienna State Opera, as well as other world-class musical ensembles and conservatories. In the heart of Vienna is St. Stephen’s
Cathedral, the venue for Sing Mit’s many workshops and the collaborative
tion, with the first mention of the organ dating back to 1334. This organ was re- located in 1513, and a new organ case was designed by Anton Pilgram. In 1507, Burchhard Tischlinger designed the organ above the Füchsel baldachin next to the sacristy. A ten-register choir organ was installed in 1701 by Ferdi- nand Römer, which was then followed by the 32-register organ in 1720. And because that wasn’t enough, the oldest organs were removed and replaced by a 41-register organ in 1797. In 1886, Friedrich Walcker created his famous 90-register Giant Organ for the cathe- dral, but unfortunately, itwas destroyed by a fire in 1945. Today, in Vienna’s Vo- tivkirche, you can hear anotherWalcker organ. In the mid-1900s, after the fire, Johann Michael Kauffmann created an electric organ for the cathedral, as well as another organ, made up of 10,000 pipes, for the western loft. It is one of the most noteworthy examples of ex- posed pipes in the world. Because of the Second Vatican Council’s rulings on sa- cred music, a new organ created by Vo- rarlberg organbuilder Rieger was in- stalled in 1991. The organ features 55 registers and fourmanuals. Austrian conductor Gerald Wirth is a
composer and choir director who fre- quently hosts international workshops on choral conducting and vocal perfor- mance/training. In addition to his post as artistic director of the Vienna Boys’ Choir (in which he received his first musical training as a child at the Bruck- ner Conservatory in Linz), his creden- tials include being the choir director at the Salzburg State Theater, head of the
THE AMERICAN ORGANIST
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