A grand tradition

The success of the St. Florian Boys' Choir lies in the strong foundation of its nigh 1,000-year history. Numerous superb musicians have emerged from its ranks since the founding of the choir, the most eminent one being Anton Bruckner.

New vitality

Today the St. Florian Boys' Choir is an internationally active choir with a diverse repertoire and a clear goal - to convey the joy of making music to their audience. On frequent concert tours they serve as cultural ambassadors of Europe, bringing the great legacy of Austrian music as well as a contemporary repertoire full of new ideas to all continents of the globe.

Over the past ten years, the choir has visited all corners of the world and has taken part in major music festivals (among them the Salzburg Festival, the Vienna Festival, the Festival d'Aix en Provence) and it has performed with some of the most famous orchestras (Vienna Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra,…) and conductors time and again.

Franz Welser-Möst, former General Music Director of the Vienna State Opera, is Honorary President of the association "Friends of the St. Florian Boys' Choir" ("Freunde der St. Florianer Sängerknaben").

Soloists of the St. Florian Boys' Choir sing roles composed for boys (for ex. "Three Boys" in Mozart's Magic Flute) in large opera houses (among them Vienna, Salzburg, Berlin, Verona, Barcelona, Aix en Provence, …) on a regular basis. Apart from "grand opera" performances, the boy singers have also started to specialise in rendering master works of the operatic tradition, filling all roles exclusively with boys (and piano accompaniment).

With an aim towards expanding the repertoire of the boys'choir, the Men's Choir of the St. Florian Boys' Choir was founded in 1989. Its ranks are made up for the most part of former boy singers who have continued to receive voice training and/or become professional singers, some of whom also perform in other renowned ensembles.

"Singing is our musical mother tongue. If it is promoted during childhood, it remains a valuable capital for a person's entire lifetime."

- Franz Farnberger

After completion of studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, Franz Farnberger served as the conductor of the Vienna Boys' Choir for seven years. In this function he conducted more than 800 concerts all over the globe.

Since 1983 he has been Artistic Director of the St. Florian Boys' Choir, responsible for the musical formation of the boys, rehearsal of repertoire and concert conducting in Austria and abroad. Under his direction the choir has recorded numerous CDs and made countless television appearances.

From 1984 to 1994 he was Director of the Linzer Singschule; since 1991 he has also taught at the Bruckner Conservatory and the Anton Bruckner University.

He sees his most important goal as helping children engage with music on a high level, but with priority always being placed on taking joy in singing.