ENSEMBLES 2013

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 the Jeunesse. 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, 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.
NEUE WIENER STIMMEN also presented their skills and their infectious enthusiasm abroad in a joint concert with the Pressburg Singers in Bratislava in 2011. Further highlights were a concert in the Mozart Hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus and the musical arrangement of the opening ceremony of the Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival 2011 at St. Stephen's Cathedral before an audience of more than 1,000 youths from all continents of the world.
Special highlights were the “Hollywood in Vienna” concerts with the RSO Wien and Natalia Ushakova under the baton of David Newman in the Great Hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus in October 2012. These film music concerts, which in 2012 also included the performances of Grammy award winners Al Jarreau and Lalo Schifrin, were recorded by ORF television and radio and broadcasted 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 Missa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez and a selection of international Christmas songs.
In May 2013, the choir performed a very successful tour comprised of six concerts in Switzerland, Slovakia and Austria together with the Swiss Youth Symphony Orchestra. 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 perform at the Wiener Konzerthaus and at the MuTh (the concert hall of the Vienna Boys' Choir), as well as in numerous other concerts in Austria.
The team of NEUE WIENER STIMMEN consists of Jürgen Partaj, Christoph Wigelbeyer, Johannes Hiemetsberger, 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”, the Vienna municipal administrations MA 13 and MA 17, wienXtra, the Wiener Jugendzentren and “Hunger auf Kunst und Kultur”.

www.neuewienerstimmen.at

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. As a singer he is member of the company of music. Starting September 2013, he will be artistic director of the choir Neue Wiener Stimmen.

Music Program