Pressetext NWS Oktober 2013 english

NEUE WIENER STIMMEN
Vienna’s youth choir—an initiative of Jeunesse Austria
@ Press photos: Moritz Wustinger
The youth choir NEUE WIENER STIMMEN was founded in October 2010 by Jürgen Partaj and
Johannes Hiemetsberger with the support of Jeunesse Austria. In weekly rehearsals the young
singers study a diverse repertoire and further enhance their voices in additional voice training. The
singers of NEUE WIENER STIMMEN are between 16 and 26 years old and have chosen Vienna to
work, to attend different schools or to study.
They and/or their families come from more or less distant countries like Afghanistan, Turkey,
Colombia, Russia, Slovenia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovakia, Hungary, Armenia, Poland, the Czech
Republic, Estonia, Italy or the United States, but also from all provinces of Austria and - of course from Vienna. And all are united by the love of music and the joy of and enthusiasm for singing.
Despite its brief existence, the choir can look back on many successful concerts. In addition to
acclaimed performances at the Wien Museum and the Semper Depot, the choir was invited to
perform as part of the “Wiener Stadtfest”, the Jeunesse-day in the MuseumsQuartier, the “Karlstag”
and the opening of the “Festival der Bezirke”.
Apart from the joy of making music together, the youngsters are also keen on sharing their music
with those that are unable to find their way to a musical venue. Through a co-operation with the
Caritas numerous concerts and musical gatherings were held in homes for refugees and senior
citizens.
www.neuewienerstimmen.at ; [email protected] ; Tel: 0676-62 849 62
Further highlights of the short but filled history of NEUE WIENER STIMMEN were a concert in the
Mozart Hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus and the musical arrangement of the opening ceremonies of
the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festivals 2011 and 2013 at St. Stephen's Cathedral
before an audience of annually more than 1,000 youths from all continents of the world.
Special highlights were the “Hollywood in Vienna” concerts with the RSO Wien under the baton of
David Newman in the Great Hall of the Vienna Konzerthaus in October 2012 and October 2013.
These film music concerts were recorded by ORF television and radio and were broadcast in many
countries.
In April 2013, the first CD of the young choir appeared in the newly founded label "Jeunesse
Records", which contains live recordings of the Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez and a selection of
international Christmas songs.
Also abroad the NEUE WIENER STIMMEN could present their skills and their infectious enthusiasm in
a joint concert with the Pressburg Singers in Bratislava. In May 2013, the choir performed a Jeunesse
concert at the Wiener Konzerthaus and disputed a tour comprised of six concerts in Switzerland,
Slovakia and Austria together with the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra including a live CD
recording. The grand finale of the tour was a concert in the Golden Hall of the Wiener Musikverein.
In the 2013/2014 season Christoph Wigelbeyer will take over the artistic direction of NEUE WIENER
STIMMEN. Together they will not only perform at the Vienna Konzerthaus and at the MuTh (the
concert hall of the Vienna Boys' Choir), but also in numerous concerts in the rest of Austria.
The team of NEUE WIENER STIMMEN consists of Christoph Wigelbeyer, Jürgen Partaj, Helmut
Simmer, Elisabeth Sturm, Nuria Vallaster and each individual voice of the choir.
The youth choir is an initiative of Jeunesse, is supported by the Federal Ministry for Education, Arts
and Culture (BMUKK) and cooperates with institutions such as the “Musisches Zentrum Wien”,
wienXtra, the Wiener Jugendzentren and “Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur”.
www.neuewienerstimmen.at ; [email protected] ; Tel: 0676-62 849 62