Monday
06
September
2021
The Choir cancels all foreign tours until 2022
In view of the exploding
corona numbers around the world and given that there are currently no Covid vaccinations available for children under the
age of 12, the Vienna Boys Choir regretfully announces that it has had to cancel all tours abroad until 2022 – including its
traditional Christmas tours to the USA and Germany, which are crucial to the Choir's economic survival.
“This put us in a rather tight spot again, in terms of finances. We hope that we will be able to at least partially offset the losses. We have arranged for a number of concerts in Austria, but we will need aid from the public sector as well. The City of Vienna has pledged its support last year, so we are cautiously optimistic. In any case, the health of the children, our employees, and our audience must come first. As long as children under the age of 12 must not be vaccinated, we cannot risk longer trips, let alone international tours. It would be irresponsible,” explains the Choir's President, Gerald Wirth.
Despite all the difficulties in the pandemic, the Choir has recorded a brand-new
album; “Together” will be released by Deutsche Grammophon in October. It features 19 songs known and loved around the
world, most of them new to the Choir's repertoire. „All of them have migrated from one culture to another, and they all express
a feeling of togetherness, perfect for a choir.“, says Wirth. “Dreaming of Home and Mother”, by American surgeon-cum-composer
John Pond Ordway found its way to Japan and to China; all three versions are on the CD, as well as the pandemic favourite,
„Wellerman“.
“This put us in a rather tight spot again, in terms of finances. We hope that we will be able to at least partially offset the losses. We have arranged for a number of concerts in Austria, but we will need aid from the public sector as well. The City of Vienna has pledged its support last year, so we are cautiously optimistic. In any case, the health of the children, our employees, and our audience must come first. As long as children under the age of 12 must not be vaccinated, we cannot risk longer trips, let alone international tours. It would be irresponsible,” explains the Choir's President, Gerald Wirth.
