The Vienna Boys’ Choir will be holding auditions in Korea to recruit local talents this month.
According to production agency Credia, the choir has decided to host a special round of auditions here because a number of Korean boys have expressed their hopes of joining the ensemble. Gerald Wirth, the choir’s artistic director, will be one of the judges.
Applications will be accepted before Jan. 13 via e-mail, and only boys aged nine and older are eligible.
The Vienna Boys’ Choir, founded in 1498, is the world’s best-known boys’ choir, one of three imperial Austrian musical groups along with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the Vienna State Opera. The choir is set to perform here starting Jan. 15.
In 1986, the choir accepted its first non-Austrian, and in 2010, the first Korean joined. The ensemble now has three Korean members.
In 2012, Kim Bo-mi became the first Korean and the first woman to be appointed conductor of one of the four touring choirs.
Though the boys must leave the choir when their voices change with puberty, many remain at the school to finish their education, earning a high school diploma.
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