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The Vienna Boys' Choir

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Vocalists

The Resume

    (1498- )
    Born in Vienna, Austria
    Also known as Wiener Sangerknaben (VEE-ner SANG-her kin-NAH-bin)
    Soprano and alto choir, between the ages of 10 and 14
    Sang the theme for the Rankin-Bass special ‘The Little Drummer Boy’
    CDs include ‘Wiener Sangerknaben Goes Pop’ and ‘I Am from Austria’

Why they might be annoying:

    They were not founded under their official name until four years after the fall of the Austrian Empire.
    Thanks to a split with the State Opera – and establishment of a rival choir – they lost their non-profit status in the 21st century.
    The first pictures of their ‘updated’ outfits (2004) drew comparisons to Star Trek and the Beatles.
    Almost all of their releases are Christmas-tinged.
    They were featured on a 2013 episode of… Amazing Race (where the racers had to take part in a choral).

Why they might not be annoying:

    The four subgroups of touring choirs are named for Austrian composers associated with their history — and whose works they continue to perform.
    While most members are from the homeland, they do not discriminate on account of home nation.
    Their blue and white sailor suits are an outgrowth of the military cadet uniform in which their predecessors carried daggers.
    When Walt Disney filmed Almost Angels in 1961 in the Palais Augarten, he persuaded the government to permit the choir to wear the national emblem on their uniform. The tradition stuck.
    Fans of Falco might have heard a reference to them on the B-side of Vienna Calling.
    Without fail, they continue the centuries-old tradition of singing a solemn mass in the Hofburg chapel of Vienna.
    They opened a confidential hotline in the wake of sexual abuse allegations dating back to the late 1960s.

Credit: Cool It All Right?


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    For 2024, as of last weekly ranking, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2023, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 32 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 168 Votes: 54.17% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 5 Votes: 80.0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 12 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 16 Votes: 81.25% Annoying