Chorus Viennensis

At the end of the 15th century, Emperor Maximilian I institutionalized choirboys for his court chapel in Vienna, following the Burgundian model. After the collapse of the Habsburg monarchy, this centuries-old tradition was carried forward with the founding of the Vienna Boys Choir in 1924—an initiative made possible by Josef Schnitt, then rector of the Vienna Court Chapel.

Three decades later, Monsignor Schnitt once again left a lasting mark on Vienna’s musical landscape by initiating the creation of two ensembles for former Vienna Boys Choir members. Since 1952, the Chorus Viennensis has provided the tenor and bass voices, complementing the soprano and alto parts of the Vienna Boys Choir. Additionally, former choirboys have been performing as the Choralschola of the Vienna Court Chapel, singing at the Sunday Mass in the Vienna Court Chapel.

In its early years, the Chorus Viennensis frequently performed sacred choral works both in Austria and abroad, often in collaboration with the Vienna Boys Choir and under the direction of renowned conductors. A defining moment of this formative period was the 1958 performance of St. Matthew Passion under Ferdinand Grossmann at the Vienna Court Chapel. The choir also gained international recognition through its participation in the Walt Disney film Almost Angels (1961/62). Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, numerous recordings and concerts featuring works by Johann Sebastian Bach, conducted by Hans Gillesberger and Nikolaus Harnoncourt, played a pivotal role in shaping the ensemble’s musical identity. Several of these recordings received prestigious international awards, including the Grand Prix du Disque.

Since 1970, the Chorus Viennensis has expanded its repertoire beyond mixed-voice collaborations with the Vienna Boys Choir to include dedicated men’s choir performances. The first major result of this development was the 1982 recording Chorus Viennensis, produced under the direction of Uwe Theimer. Since then, the ensemble has regularly performed men’s choir concerts, covering a broad range of musical styles.

In 1988, the Chorus Viennensis won both First Prize and the Schubert Interpretation Prize, awarded by the City of Vienna, at the 5th International Male Choir Competition Franz Schubert. Four years later, the Austrian Ministry of Arts honored the ensemble with the Mozart Interpretation Prize.

The unified musical training of the Vienna Boys Choir and the continuous guidance of esteemed choral educators have been key factors in the international success of the Chorus Viennensis.