The children’s choir, known far beyond Austria’s borders, was founded in 1949 by the choral teacher Prof. Josef Wolfgang Ziegler (1906-2000), whose credo that every child could sing led many young talents to international fame. From 1969, his daughter Prof. Elisabeth Ziegler took over the management, always focused on professionalism and great joy in music. The young artists soon sang regularly at the Vienna State Opera and other opera houses, which earned them the nickname “Vienna Opera Children’s Choir”. International appearances included tours to Japan, China, the USA, Canada and many European countries, as well as participation in choir competitions, which were always rewarded with first prizes. Other focal points were appearances on radio and TV, as well as CD productions. The children’s choir was able to work with renowned artists such as L. Bernstein, H. Stein, Sir G. Solti, C. Abbado, U. Schirmer, G. C. Menotti and F. Cefirelli. The Christmas show “Christmas in Vienna” was an annual highlight for the “Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen”. Placido Domingo, José Carreras, Luciano Pavarotti, Diana Ross, Charles Aznavour, Michael Bolton, Udo Jürgens, Rainhard Fendrich, Patricia Kaas and the Scorpions, to name just a few, paid high praise to their little colleagues for their quality, professionalism and naturalness. In 1994, the choir and its director were awarded the “Ferdinand Grossman Prize” in recognition of their contributions to musical youth education and presented by Placido Domingo.

An essential task remains to maintain the children’s spontaneity and joy in making music during intensive artistic work. The 10 – 18 year old girls and boys come from different places to rehearse twice a week in the evenings and regularly attend vocal training. In addition to classical choral literature, the Spatzen’s large repertoire also includes folk songs and Viennese songs, as well as musicals and light music. The Gumpoldskirchner Spatzen are currently led by Katja Kalmar, whose aim is to maintain the Spatzen’s repertoire and musical traditions and to expand their horizons with innovative projects.