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The St. Florianer Sängerknaben (St. Florian Boys' Choir) (= SFSK) can look back on a thousand-year-old tradition. In the olden days the Boys' Choir were responsible for providing church music at the Convent of St. Florian; today, however, they are also an internationally acclaimed concert choir sponsored by the "Society of the Friends of St. Florian Boys' Choir".
The history of the Convent of St. Florian can be traced back to the early Christian burial site of Saint Florian the Martyr (304 AD). The convent's baroque church built by Carlo Carlone and Jakob Prandtauer is one of the most beautiful examples of Austrian architecture. The institution of St. Florian Convent Boys' Choir goes back as far as 1071, at the time when monks of the Augustiner Chorherren took over the monastery.
Many musicians have come from the ranks of the SFSK, the most famous of these being the composer Anton Bruckner, whose name is inseparably connected with St. Florian. About fifty years ago the convent closed down its private school. Since then, the Boys' Choir still reside at the convent but attend public schools in St. Florian where they form special classes suited to their needs. Until only a few decades ago, the SFSK's duties consisted solely of providing church music for the convent. Under the musical direction of Professor Hans Bachl and Convent Director Josef Leitner they went on their first concert tours abroad and successfully took part in competitions.
Today the choir has many different responsibilities. Church music is still of central importance. On High Holidays the SFSK join with the Convent Choir and the Convent Orchestra under the direction of Professor Augustinus Franz Kropfreiter in singing mass. But they are also an internationally acclaimed choir, travelling all over the world as well as recording CD’s or frequently appearing on television. The boys have sung in world-famous music festivals as well as in famous opera houses. Since 1983, Professor Franz Farnberger has been the choir director. The Society of Friends of the St. Florian Boys' Choir was founded in 1996. One year later it assumed responsibility for the institution of the Boys' Choir. Large-scale rebuilding as well as modernization of the Convent's boarding school was undertaken as a result of the Society's financial support as well as generous support from the Provincial Government of Upper Austria. |
