Classical music: The Graz Boychoir and Madison Youth Choirs perform a FREE joint concert of music by Handel, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Benjamin Britten and others on Tuesday night, April 7.

By Jacob Stockinger

Our friends at the Madison Youth Choirs write to tell us the following news:

The Grazer Kapellknaben (Graz Boychoir, below) of Austria will embark on its first U.S. tour this spring, and will present a FREE joint concert with the young men of Madison Youth Choirs at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 7, at Bethel Lutheran Church, 312 Wisconsin Avenue, in downtown Madison.

Free-will donations will be accepted at the door.

The Graz Boychoir, directed by Matthias Unterkofler, emphasizes the exploration of classical works and traditional folk songs, while also performing a few arrangements of contemporary music. The choir frequently performs in professional productions in their home country, appearing with the Graz Opera and in famed, historic venues including Vienna’s Konzerthaus and Musikverein.

Tentative repertoire for the concert includes works by George Frideric Handel, Felix Mendelssohn, Benjamin Britten, Franz Schubert, traditional Austrian and German melodies, and arrangements of music by Billy Joel and Toto.

The boys of Madison Youth Choirs will perform selections from their current season repertoire, including 15th century Italian piece “Ayo visto lo mappamundi,” and will join the Graz Boychoir for a combined closing piece.

ABOUT THE MADISON YOUTH CHOIRS (MYC)

Recognized as an innovator in youth choral music education, Madison Youth Choirs (MYC, below in a photo by Jon Harlow) welcomes singers of all ability levels, annually serving more than 500 young people, ages 7-18, in 11 single-gender choirs. Our singers explore the history, context and heart of the music, becoming “expert noticers,” using music as a lens to discover the world.

Through a variety of high-quality community outreach programs and performance opportunities, MYC strives to make the benefits of arts participation accessible to all. (You can hear them in a YouTube video at the bottom singing “Five Hebrew Love Songs” in a setting by Grammy Award winner Eric Whitacre.)

For further information, visit: madisonyouthchoirs.org or call (608) 238-7464

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Posted in Classical music
Tags: Arts, Austria, Baroque, Baroque music, Benjamin Britten, Billy Joel, boychoir, Choir, choral music, Classical music, Eric Whitacre, Felix Mendelssohn, Franz Schubert, George Frideric Handel, Grammy, Graz, Graz Boychoir, Hebrew, Italian music, Italy, Jacob Stockinger, Love, love songs, Madison, Madison Youth Choirs, Music, opera, Toto, United States, Vienna, vocal music, Wisconsin, YouTube