Angelic voices of Vienna Boys Choir to grace S. Korea for first time in three years

천사들의 목소리 3년만에 찾아오다 빈 소년합창단 525주년 기념 내한해 It's time for our weekly ARTS AND CULTURE segment. Joining us in the studio is our culture correspondent Song Yoo-jin. Welcome, Yoo-jin. Good evening. Yoo-jin, what do you have for us this week? The weather here in South Korea has been freezing cold these past few days. So this week, I wanted to bring you something heartwarming. What caught my attention was how more and more overseas artists are touring Korea again to entertain an audience hungry for music. This comes after the easing of strict border controls and social distancing rules. We can definitely expect more to come as the indoor mask wearing rule will be lifted from next week. And I got to meet a group of talented young singers who are visiting Korea for the first time since the outbreak of COVID-19. Angelic melodies. Gifted musicians with voices of unforgettable beauty. A UNESCO World Heritage. These words aren't enough to describe the Vienna Boys Choir. They're no doubt the most famous and prestigious children's choral group in the world. And also one of the oldest existing choirs, founded by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian the First back in 1498. Based in Vienna, Austria, the group consists of a hundred boys between the ages of 10 and 14 from dozens of nations. The choir has been traveling around the world since 1924, performing to half a million people every year. They're finally back in South Korea for the first time since 2020. It's the first country in Asia the boys are touring after they hit the road again following a two-and-a-half-year pandemic hiatus. Before the pandemic, the choir had been regularly performing in Korea since 1969. "This year is especially meaningful as it marks the 525th anniversary of our choir. It's also been a while since we performed in South Korea, so we prepared a lot of Korean songs in our program. I'm not sure if I'll be good at it, but I'm planning to introduce a few songs in Korean." The boys are divided into four sub-groups when they go on tour. And there's a Korean choir singer among the 23 boys visiting this time--13-year-old Lee Yeon-woo. "I sang children's songs and learned vocal music when I was in Korea. Then, my choir teacher suggested that I apply for the Vienna Boys Choir. I sent them a video and got accepted." The boys hope their voices can offer comfort and lift up some spirits as everyone, including themselves, has been struggling with the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic. "We were so sad that we couldn't tour or perform during the pandemic. We couldn't see the bright, smiling faces of the audience. We're so grateful." "It was indeed a tough time for all of us, so we want to convey our joy and excitement to the Korean audience." The young musicians will start their tour of South Korea from Friday. They'll perform concerts at five cities before their last stop, the Seoul Arts Center, where they'll hold their New Year's concert on February 4th and 5th. Yoo-jin, I can really understand why they're being hailed as musicians with angelic voices. Just listening to their music here in the studio gives me goosebumps. But I heard other mesmerizing musicians are also visiting Korea this year. Tell us more. You're right. A lot to look forward to, especially when it comes to classical music. Vienna is known as the epicenter of classical music as it's home to numerous world-class orchestras and musicians. And some Viennese giants are heading here this year. The Vienna Symphony Orchestra will be coming back to South Korea this summer. Established in 1900, it's known as one of the finest orchestras in Europe. This year, it'll perform in Seoul, Bucheon, and Daegu from June 11th to 14th. And a Korean conductor, Chang Han-na will be leading the orchestra. That's not all. The Vienna Philharmonic, one of the world's greatest orchestras, will also perform in Korea this year. They performed at the Seoul Arts Center last November, marking 130 years of diplomatic relations between South Korea and Austria. This year, they'll be holding concerts from November 6th to 8th here in capital Seoul. So if you want to enjoy some high-quality classical music, you may want to mark these dates on your calendar. We'll certainly do. Thank you Yoo-jin. My pleasure. #Vienna_Boys_Choir #Orchestra #Arirang_News 📣 Facebook :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Twitter :   / arirangtvnews   📣 Homepage : https://v2.arirang.com/ 2023-01-27, 18:00 (KST)