Thursday
09
July
  • Tours

2020 Tour of Japan Cancelled

Official Statement
Dear Fans and Friends, dear Audience,

Everywhere in the world, infection numbers are on the rise again, and we all need to be vigilant: There are still many restrictions in place, and we expect it will take quite some time before concert life will be back to normal. Therefore and together with Japan Arts, we have had to take the difficult decision to cancel our 2020 tour of Japan.

 

We had been looking forward to our return to Japan this fall, and to being On the Road Again. However, with respect to the health and safety of the children in our care, of our Japanese hosts, and of our wonderful audience, we are convinced that this is the right step. Everybody's health must come first.
 

It is true, the economic situation for the Choir remains difficult due to the Coronavirus pandemic, as we have had to cancel well over 100 concerts to date, and will have to cancel many more in the months to come. But we are looking at ways to remedy the situation; we are applying for government aid (and there are some hopeful signs here), we are seeking corporate sponsorship, and we have launched a major fundraising campaign – thankfully, many people have already participated in this.

We are also about to release a CD of new recordings made pre-Corona, called „Simply Classical“, and – since we will be unable to tour this fall, we are taking all of our fans and friends with us – on our very first Online World Tour, with a series of brand-new programmes to be streamed worldwide live from Augartenpalais this fall. We hope many of you will help make these special concerts a success. Watch this space for further news.

This choir has survived for 522 years, we will do everything in our power to ensure its survival. It will go on – with all of your help. And yes, we hope to be back on the road in 2021: the next tour of Japan is planned for the spring of 2021.

Thank you, everyone, for your continued friendship and support,
with deep appreciation,

yours,
The Vienna Boys Choir