Vienna Girls Choir and Vienna Boys Choir to Receive the European Cultural Award 2024

The Vienna Boys Choir and the Vienna Girls Choir have jointly been awarded the 2024 European Cultural Award – for their artistic merits as well as their social commitment. The Award will be presented at a Gala to be held on 7 June 2024 at the Grande-Duchesse Joséphine-Charlotte Concert Hall, hosted by the Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, who will be performing under the baton of Alondra de la Parra.

“We are honoured and delighted: It is a reward for our continuous efforts to develop and advance the two choirs, their repertoire, the training of boy choristers and girl choristers”, says Erich Arthold, president of the Vienna Boys Choir organisation. The choirs’ education and training, listed as cultural heritage by UNESCO, is open to every child, regardless of their origin, gender, nationality, or religion.

Klemens Hallmann, entrepreneur and investor, father of two daughters, has been supporting the Vienna Girls Choir for a while. In cooperation with Austrian designer Eva Poleschinski, Hallmann funded the design and manufacture of the girls’ new concert outfits. “It is important to create equal opportunities particularly for girls and young women, to enable them to realise their full potential in all aspects of life.”

As a longterm partner and presenter of the European Cultural Forum, Hallmann stresses the importance of culture, “In these challenging times, art and culture play an absolutely essential role as a bridge between people and nations. Music, theatre, art – they inspire, give you pause to think, they help understand others who may have different views. The European Cultural Awards can support the different cultural endeavours on our continent; they can help young talents, and further a peaceful exchange between countries and cultures.”

The European Cultural Awards are among the most important prizes in Europe. In recent years, Diana Damrau, Sol Gabetta, Jonas Kaufmann, Nigel Kennedy, Camilla Nylund, Bryn Terfel were among the recipients.

Gala tickets have already gone on sale: https://www.philharmonie.lu/de/programm/european-culture-award-gala/5225/