ENSEMBLES 2014

Neue Wiener Stimmen
Vienna’s youth choir - an initiative of Jeunesse Austria

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 the 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, Armenia, Slovenia, Germany, Lithuania, Ecuador, Slovakia, the Netherlands, Hungary, 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 Caritas Austria numerous concerts and musical gatherings were held in homes for refugees and senior citizens.

Abroad the NEUE WIENER STIMMEN presented their skills and their infectious enthusiasm in a joint concert with the Pressburg Singers in Bratislava. Further highlights of the short history of the 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, Natalia Ushakova and Ildikó Raimondi 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. 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 became artistic director and took over the rehearsals of the NEUE WIENER STIMMEN. Together they not only performed at the Vienna Konzerthaus and at the MuTh (the concert hall of the Vienna Boys' Choir), but also in numerous concert locations throughout Austria. Special highlights included a masterclass with the American ensemble ‘Chanticleer’ as well as the participation of the choir in a production of the “Schauspielhaus Wien”. In 2014 the choir has been invited once more to musically host the opening ceremony of the ‘Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival’ and was part of the Opening Ceremony of Life Ball 2014.

For the 2014/2015 season concerts addressing the subjects “Liebe” (Love) and “Africa” are already confirmed.

The team of the 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 Austria, is supported by the Federal Chancellery of Austria (BKA) and cooperates with institutions such as the “Musisches Zentrum Wien”, wienXtra, the Wiener Jugendzentren and “Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur”.

www.neuewienerstimmen.at

www.facebook.com/NeueWienerStimmen

www.youtube.com/user/NeueWienerStimmen

Christoph Wigelbeyer

Conductor

Christoph Wigelbeyer was born in Wels, Austria. He studied Music Education at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna (focus piano, voice and choral conducting) and Voice under KS Hilde Rössel-Majdan. He was member of several choirs and ensembles such as the Wiener Kammerchor and the Wiener Singverein. From 2006 to 2008 he was part of the a-cappella-group Mainstreet.

Christoph Wigelbeyer is working as a music teacher at the BG&BRG Wien3/HIB and as choir-conductor with a special focus on youth-choir (HIB-VOICES Wien, pro.vocant) and choral vocal training. At the Institute for music pedagogy (University of music and performing arts) he is part of the mentoring-program for prospective music-teachers. As a singer he is member of the “company of music”. Since September 2013, Christoph Wigelbeyer is artistic director of the choir Neue Wiener Stimmen.

Additional Concerts Program