One of the best-known boys’ choirs in the world celebrates 100 years of touring with two days of live performances in Manila, marking their third visit to the country since 2016.
Ovation Productions, in cooperation with the Cultural Center of the Philippines, brings the world-renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir to Manila for two special performances on April 26 and 27, 2026 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater. The engagement, arranged through the Austrian Embassy Manila, is a rare chance for local audiences to experience one of the world’s most celebrated choral ensembles live.
Leading the Manila performances is choirmaster Manolo Cagnin, who has directed one of the Vienna Boys’ Choir’s touring ensembles since 2008. Beyond the choir’s concert tours, Cagnin prepares music for Sunday services with the Wiener Hofmusikkapelle and for productions at Vienna’s opera houses, while also coaching the boys for collaborations with major orchestras such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Vienna Symphony, Staatskapelle Dresden, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
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Listening To History Through The Vienna Boys’ Choir
The Vienna Boys’ Choir is special for a number of reasons. Beyond the technical prowess of its boy sopranos and altos that culminate into ethereal sounds, it also happens to be one of the oldest and most respected choirs in the world, having been established in 1498 by Emperor Maximilian I.
At the time of its founding, the choir was meant to entertain the Hapsburg court, especially during special events and religious functions. Over its more than 500 years of existence, it has performed with the greatest names in classical music, including Antonio Salieri, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Anton Bruckner, Joseph Haydn, Michael Haydn, and Franz Schubert (the last three having been choir boys themselves).
They began with modest touring to Germany and Switzerland in 1926, but it has since grown into a century-long tradition of international performances. Today, the choir counts 97 active choristers divided into four touring ensembles: Brucknerchor, Haydnchor, Mozartchor, and Schubertchor (named after the famous musicians that have collaborated with them).
Collectively, the ensembles perform up to 300 concerts a year, and since 1924, they’ve completed more than 1,000 tours across 100 countries and staged around 29,000 concerts. Their upcoming Manila visit also celebrates a milestone year, as the ensemble honors exactly a century of international touring in 2026. The group first performed in the Philippines in 1967, with its most recent visit in 2016, making this the perfect opportunity to experience them live once more and connect with a tradition that traces its roots back five centuries (the best part: you don’t even have to book a flight to do it).
The Manila concerts are presented in partnership with Blast TV as the official media partner. Tickets are available via SM Tickets. For more information and updates, audiences may visit Ovation Productions’ official website and social media channels.
Photos courtesy of the Vienna Boys’ Choir
