Vienna Boys Choir

Youthful voices. An ageless legacy.

The Vienna Boys Choir (“Wiener Sängerknaben”) is one of the world's most famous and celebrated choirs, a cultural institution that remarkably dates back to the Middle Ages. Over time this ensemble has evolved into a prestigious independent concert choir known for its ethereal sound and diverse repertoire, which includes everything from medieval music to contemporary pieces. Comprising boys aged between 9 and 14, the choir is admired for its unique timbre and purity of tone, due in no small part to its rigorous training and admittance requirements.

Now, and for the first time in the 525-year history of the Vienna Boys Choir, the voices of this internationally renowned ensemble have been entrusted to Vienna Symphonic Library to create a virtual instrument of pristine quality and vocal brilliance.

The idea for this Collection was born after the production of choral recordings for the Amazon Prime fantasy series “The Rings of Power”, the prequel to “Lord of the Rings”. The essential element in Bear McCreary’s score is the use of choirs, which were recorded at Synchron Stage Vienna in 2020 and 2021. This large-scale project was the Vienna team’s first collaboration with the Vienna Boys Choir. The next would be very different.

Upon commencing the first sampling session at Synchron Stage Vienna it became clear that the boys would succeed in carrying out the strenuous studio recordings with great enthusiasm and incredible professionalism. It is no exaggeration to say that the boys are in no way inferior to a professional adult choir, and in some ways even superior. As 20 of its members filled the spacious Hall A of Synchron Stage Vienna with their sublime voices, their natural sound and extremely high level of musical and technical ability revealed themselves. The exuberant joy of singing can be heard in every note of this collection, supported by the choir’s priceless body of knowledge in youth vocal training. It was particularly impressive to watch the boys’ stamina and their quick grasp of what’s important in sampling sessions that differ so significantly from their usual assignments. The resulting recordings are a joy to play with the Vienna Synchron Player and immediately reveal the magic of this special boys’ choir.

Articulations include short notes, long notes, legatos and marcatos of the vowels AA (ah) and UU (oo) as well as MM (humming), and a variety of consonants in combination with short and long vowels. Various mixer presets make it easy to place the Vienna Boys Choir in diverse environments, from close-miked to distant settings and to ambient and church reverbs.