Schedule

Thursday, 3 November 2022

Evening: reception in the roof atrium of St. Stephen’s to get acquainted

Friday, 4 November 2022

Morning: rehearsal no. 1
Afternoon: rehearsal no. 2
Evening: rehearsal no. 3

Saturday, 5 November 2022

Morning: dress rehearsal with the organist and soloist
Evening: festive concert at St. Stephen's Cathedral, followed by reception

Concert in St. Stephen's Cathedral

The singers continue the tradition of music in St. Stephen’s and follow in the footsteps of the most important composers, choirs and orchestras.

It was in St. Stephen's Cathedral that Joseph and his brother Michael Haydn received extensive musical training as choirboys. Joseph Haydn married here, as did Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

For Mozart, St. Stephen's Cathedral played an important role throughout his life, especially when he lived in the nearby Figaro House, but also after his death: He married Constanze Weber here, had two of his children baptized in the cathedral and a few months before his death, Mozart applied for the position of music director adjunct at St. Stephen's. Mozart's name can be found both in the record of his death and in the cathedral's Book of Death Fees. Apart from Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Franz Schubert and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are also recorded here in the Book of Death Fees.

In its history, St. Stephen’s has acquainted some of the world’s most famous musicians, like the Vienna Philharmonic, the Vienna Boys Choir, Riccardo Muti, Thomas Hampson, Kathleen Battle, Dave Brubeck, Gideon Kremer and many more. Among others the Cathedral Choirs of Salzburg, Salisbury, Mainz and Canterbury as well as the City of Birmingham Choir, The Queen's Six and the Hilliard Ensemble have sung in St. Stephen’s.

David Wordsworth

David Wordsworth studied at Leeds University, City University (London) and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. After teaching for some time, he worked for two major music publishers and established contacts with composers such as Tippett, Henze, Ligeti, Penderecki, Dutilleux, John Rutter, Bob Chilcott, Michael Berkeley, Gabriel Jackson and Cecilia McDowall.

In 1995, David Wordsworth took over as director of the Addison Singers and expanded the regular concert series in London. Under his direction, the choir has given concerts in Edinburgh, Paris, Barcelona, Krakow, Milan, and has sung in tours of Cornwall, France, Italy, and New York's Carnegie Hall.

David acted as Artistic Director of ‘Singing Shakespeare’, a major project focusing on choirs the world over singing new and existing settings of the Bard. David’s publications include articles on English, American and Polish music, just recently articles on Ralph Vaughan Williams, for ‘Choir & Organ’.

Aside from conducting most of the standard choral repertoire, Handel’s ‘Messiah’ and ‘Coronation Anthems’, the Requiems and Masses of Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, Faure, Verdi, as well as twentieth century classics by Britten, Bernstein, Vaughan Williams, Orff and many others, contemporary music is an important part of David’s programmes.

  Scores and Preparation

You can add the scores for all pieces to your registration when booking. Due to the large number of pieces you can only order the full package of scores through us. Within Europe we will be happy to send the scores to you in mid-June. If you already have the scores or prefer to order them individually, you can find all editions at Musicroom: Handel's Zadok | Elgar's Te Deum | RVW's Five Mystical Songs | Ireland's Greater Love Hath No Man | RVW'S The Old 100th | Handel's Hallelujah

Schedule

Thursday, 25 August 2022

Afternoon: rehearsal no. 1
Evening: reception in the choir hall of the Salzburg Cathedral Music

Friday, 26 August 2022

Morning: rehearsal no. 2
Afternoon: rehearsal no. 3

Saturday, 27 August 2022

Morning: dress rehearsal with the Vienna Cathedral Orchestra
Evening: grand evening concert at Salzburg Cathedral (Coronation Mass and Vesperae solennes de Confessore), followed by reception

  TO THE CONCERT  

Sunday, 28 August 2022

Morning: accompanying the Holy Mass at Salzburg Cathedral singing the Sparrow Mass

Concert in Salzburg Cathedral

  TO THE CONCERT  

You will perform not once but twice in Salzburg Cathedral at the 35^th Sing Along! Choir Festival. In the grand evening concert you will sing the Coronation Mass and parts of the Vesperae solennes de confessore, and on Sunday for High Mass you will sing the Sparrow Mass. Considering the outstanding role Salzburg Cathedral plays in music, it is exhilarating to continue this with the Sing Along! Choir Festivals.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Salzburg are closely connected, as he was born and grew up here. Even today, the baptismal font where Mozart was baptized is still in use in Salzburg Cathedral. Mozart was in the service of the Salzburg court music chapel as court concertmaster and court organist for about 10 years in total between 1769 and 1781. Many of his most important church music works were composed for Salzburg Cathedral, most of which were premiered here or are otherwise associated with Mozart's Salzburg period, including the Coronation Mass (K. 317), Credo Mass (K. 257), Missa solemnis (K. 337), Regina coeli (K. 276), Sparrow Mass (K. 220) and the Vesperae solennes de confessore (K. 339).

János Czifra

Domkapellmeister (Musical Director), Salzburg Cathedral

János Czifra was born in Budapest in 1951, where he received his basic musical education. After graduating in architecture from the Technical University of Budapest, he was admitted to the Franz Liszt Academy, where he obtained a diploma in choral conducting and music education in 1980. He then began his studies at the Mozarteum Music Academy, where he graduated in 1982 with a diploma in conducting and later also in church music. He worked as a conductor at the Szent Imre Parish Church in Budapest and at the Györ State Theater (Hungary). He was appointed head of the diocesan church music department in 1983 and cathedral conductor in 1987. From 1988 to 2004 he directed the Salzburg Liedertafel. As a conductor, he has given concerts in Europe, in America and in Japan and is also active as an adjudicator and course director. With the Salzburg Cathedral Music he participates in the Salzburg Mozart Week, the Salzburg Culture Days and numerous festivals in Germany, Hungary, Italy and Austria. The Sing Along! Concert is the last concert of János Czifra as Domkapellmeister

  Salzburg Cathedral Orchestra

The Salzburg Cathedral Music has a tradition of more than 600 years. In 1393, Archbishop Pilgrim founded the "Salzburger Cantorey" to cultivate polyphonic church music. After the construction of the present cathedral (1628), the cultivation of church music reached its first peak through the activities of the composers Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber and Georg Muffat, who died 300 years ago. Until the end of the 18th century, the most famous musician of this city, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, worked in the circle of his father Leopold. The "Salzburg" Haydn, Johann Michael, (the younger brother of the world-famous Joseph Haydn) directed the prince-archbishop's chapel house, which was built for the young singers. After secularization in 1816, the court music was disbanded. The necessity of re-establishing an institute for the cultivation of church music led to the founding of the "Dommusikverein" and "Mozarteum" by Johann Cardinal Schwarzenberg in 1841.

Salzburg Cathedral Music includes the Cathedral Choir in various groups (Great Choir, Chamber Choir, Vocal Ensemble), the youth choirs of the Cathedral Music, the soloists and the orchestra of the Cathedral Music, altogether more than 200 members. In order to fulfill the diverse tasks in the liturgy and in the concerts, a lively rehearsal activity is necessary. In addition, the five organ lofts with the instruments in the cathedral offer a unique opportunity for musical practice. The ensembles of the Cathedral Music have led concert tours to many cities in Europe and overseas, and they are always represented at numerous festivals abroad.

  Scores and Practicing

You can add the scores for the piece to your registration when booking. We will use the Carus edition at the Sing Along! Choir Festival. Within Europe we will be happy to send the scores to you in mid-March. If you already have the scores or prefer to order them yourself, you can find the edition directly at Carus: Mozart's Coronation Mass:  Carus 40.618/05; Mozart's Sparrow Mass: Carus 40.626/05
Mozart Vesperae solennes de Confessore:  Carus 40.059/05;

You will sing the following parts of the Vesperae Solennes de Confessore: Dixit, Laudate Dominum and Magnificat.

 Schedule

Thursday, 14 July 2022

Afternoon: rehearsal no. 1
Evening: reception of the Church Master of St. Stephen's Cathedral in the roof atrium of St. Stephen’s to get acquainted

Friday, 15 July 2022

Morning: rehearsal no. 2
Afternoon: rehearsal no. 3

Saturday, 16 July 2022

Morning: dress rehearsal with the Vienna Cathedral Orchestra
Evening: festive concert at St. Stephen's Cathedral, followed by reception

  TO THE CONCERT  

Concert in St. Stephen's Cathedral

  TO THE CONCERT  

The festive finale of the 34^th Sing Along! Choir Festival is the performance of Schubert's Mass in E-flat Major (D 950) in St. Stephen's Cathedral in front of a grand audience. In this way, you continue the tradition of music in the cathedral and follow in the footsteps of great composers. It was in St. Stephen's Cathedral that Joseph and his brother Michael Haydn received extensive musical training as choirboys. Joseph Haydn married here, as did Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

For Mozart, St. Stephen's Cathedral played an important role throughout his life, especially when he lived in the nearby Figaro House, but also after his death: He married Constanze Weber here, had two of his children baptized in the cathedral and a few months before his death, Mozart applied for the position of music director adjunct at St. Stephen's. Mozart's name can be found both in the record of his death and in the cathedral's Book of Death Fees.

Apart from Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Franz Schubert and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are also recorded here in the Book of Death Fees.

Gerald Wirth

Vienna Boys Choir, President and Artistic Director
Superar, Co-Founder
Wirth Music Academy, Founder and Pedagogical Director

Gerald Wirth has been artistic director of the Vienna Boys Choir since 2001 and its president since 2013. He continues the choir's long tradition, while at the same time seeking new challenges for the boys' choir as an instrument. Wirth has initiated a number of trend-setting projects in connection with children's operas, world music and film music. In 2008 Gerald Wirth co-founded the music-social project "Superar", which aims to open up quality access to music for children and young people across all social, cultural and linguistic barriers. The "Wirth Music Academy", which he co-founded, organizes training and further education; it also works together with institutions in Asia and South America.

The regular work with children and musicians all over the world (Stimmbogen Austria, El Sistema in Venezuela, Mozartchoir of India, music pedagogy training in Jordan, VBCMA Hong Kong, regular exchanges with music pedagogues in China, etc.) has an immense influence on his artistic activities; as has his collaboration with well-known artistic personalities from various genres such as Nicolaus Hanoncourt, Ricardo Muti, Pierre Boulez, Bertrand de Billy, Ravi Shankar, Zubin Metha, Peter Wolf and many others.

Gerald Wirth is not only concerned with perfecting musical performance, but much more with music as a medium that positively influences every area of the personality. Over the years he has developed his own method of elementary and general music education, with which people of all ages can learn to express themselves in music.

 Vienna Cathedral Orchestra

The Vienna Cathedral Orchestra is made up of musicians from all the major Viennese orchestras. The spectrum ranges from chamber music ensembles to the romantic symphony orchestra. At the Sunday High Masses, at many other services organized by the Cathedral Music, at special events and at the concerts of the Cathedral Music, the Cathedral Orchestra is the partner of soloists and choir.

The history of music in St. Stephen's Cathedral probably goes back as far as liturgy has been celebrated in this church, i.e. at least 870 years! The first documented mention of the organized church music is in the abbey letter of Duke Rudolf IV from the year 1365, in which in connection with the establishment of a collegiate chapter (today's cathedral chapter) also a cantor is mentioned, who was responsible for choirmaster, choristers and pupils (Stephaner Sängerknaben). Among the prominent musicians who were active at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Johann Joseph Fux, the brothers Michael and Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadé Mozart may be mentioned.

  Scores and Practicing

You can add the scores for the piece to your registration when booking. We will use the Carus edition at the Sing Along! Choir Festival. Within Europe we will be happy to send the scores to you in mid-March. If you already have the scores or prefer to order them yourself, you can find the edition directly at Carus: Schubert's Mass in E-flat Major: Carus 40.660/05

 Schedule

Thursday, 7 July 2022

Afternoon: rehearsal no. 1
Evening: reception of the Church Master of St. Stephen's Cathedral in the roof atrium of St. Stephen’s to get acquainted

Friday, 8 July 2022

Morning: rehearsal no. 2
Afternoon: rehearsal no. 3

Saturday, 9 July 2022

Morning: dress rehearsal with the Vienna Cathedral Orchestra
Evening: festive concert at St. Stephen's Cathedral, followed by reception

  TO THE CONCERT  

Concert in St. Stephen's Cathedral

  TO THE CONCERT  

The festive finale of the 33^rd Sing Along! Choir Festival is the performance of Elijah (MWV A 25) in St. Stephen's Cathedral in front of a grand audience. In this way, you continue the tradition of music in the cathedral and follow in the footsteps of great composers. It was in St. Stephen's Cathedral that Joseph and his brother Michael Haydn received extensive musical training as choirboys. Joseph Haydn married here, as did Johann Strauss and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

For Mozart, St. Stephen's Cathedral played an important role throughout his life, especially when he lived in the nearby Figaro House, but also after his death: He married Constanze Weber here, had two of his children baptized in the cathedral and a few months before his death, Mozart applied for the position of music director adjunct at St. Stephen's. Mozart's name can be found both in the record of his death and in the cathedral's Book of Death Fees.

Apart from Mozart, Antonio Vivaldi, Christoph Willibald Gluck, Antonio Salieri, Franz Schubert and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are also recorded here in the Book of Death Fees.

Gerald Wirth

Vienna Boys Choir, President and Artistic Director
Superar, Co-Founder
Wirth Music Academy, Founder and Pedagogical Director

Gerald Wirth has been artistic director of the Vienna Boys Choir since 2001 and its president since 2013. He continues the choir's long tradition, while at the same time seeking new challenges for the boys' choir as an instrument. Wirth has initiated a number of trend-setting projects in connection with children's operas, world music and film music. In 2008 Gerald Wirth co-founded the music-social project "Superar", which aims to open up quality access to music for children and young people across all social, cultural and linguistic barriers. The "Wirth Music Academy", which he co-founded, organizes training and further education; it also works together with institutions in Asia and South America.

The regular work with children and musicians all over the world (Stimmbogen Austria, El Sistema in Venezuela, Mozartchoir of India, music pedagogy training in Jordan, VBCMA Hong Kong, regular exchanges with music pedagogues in China, etc.) has an immense influence on his artistic activities; as has his collaboration with well-known artistic personalities from various genres such as Nicolaus Hanoncourt, Ricardo Muti, Pierre Boulez, Bertrand de Billy, Ravi Shankar, Zubin Metha, Peter Wolf and many others.

Gerald Wirth is not only concerned with perfecting musical performance, but much more with music as a medium that positively influences every area of the personality. Over the years he has developed his own method of elementary and general music education, with which people of all ages can learn to express themselves in music.

 Vienna Cathedral Orchestra

The Vienna Cathedral Orchestra is made up of musicians from all the major Viennese orchestras. The spectrum ranges from chamber music ensembles to the romantic symphony orchestra. At the Sunday High Masses, at many other services organized by the Cathedral Music, at special events and at the concerts of the Cathedral Music, the Cathedral Orchestra is the partner of soloists and choir.

The history of music in St. Stephen's Cathedral probably goes back as far as liturgy has been celebrated in this church, i.e. at least 870 years! The first documented mention of the organized church music is in the abbey letter of Duke Rudolf IV from the year 1365, in which in connection with the establishment of a collegiate chapter (today's cathedral chapter) also a cantor is mentioned, who was responsible for choirmaster, choristers and pupils (Stephaner Sängerknaben). Among the prominent musicians who were active at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Johann Joseph Fux, the brothers Michael and Joseph Haydn, and Wolfgang Amadé Mozart may be mentioned.

  Scores and Practicing

You can add the scores for the piece to your registration when booking. We will use the Carus edition at the Sing Along! Choir Festival. Within Europe we will be happy to send the scores to you in mid-March. If you already have the scores or prefer to order them yourself, you can find the edition directly at Carus: Mendelssohn's Elias:  Carus 40.130/05