St. Florianer Sangerknaben

They are among the oldest and most traditional boys choirs in the world: the St. Florian Boys Choir. After all, their foundation dates back to the year 1071. Numerous outstanding musicians have emerged from the ranks of the choir, including the famous composer Anton Bruckner, who was buried under "his" organ in the convent cathedral. His birthday will be celebrated for the 200th time in 2024. Reason enough for the St. Florian Boys' Choir to take a close look at him and his music, including recording a new Bruckner CD entitled "Erinnerung" (Remembrance) for the anniversary year.

The convent St. Florian located in the heart of Austria (between the music metropolis’ Vienna and Salzburg) is not only one of Austria’s most magnificent baroque structures, but is also one of the most significant cultural centres.

Production of sacred music is still an important functions of the boys choir. Apart from this, they are also musical ambassadors for Austria everywhere in the world. Throughout the past decade, the choir has travelled all over the world, participating in significant musical festivals (amongst others, the Salzburg Festival, Vienna Festival, Festival d’Aix en Provence) repeatedly cooperating with the famous orchestras (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Bruckner Orchestra Linz …) and conductors. Franz Welser-Möst, director of the Cleveland Orchestra, is the honorary president of the society "Friends of the St. Florian Boys Choir".

Soloists of the St. Florian Boys Choir regularly sing the parts composed for boys (e. g. the "Three Boys" in Mozart’s "Magic flute" in great opera houses (Vienna, Salzburg, Linz, Berlin, Verona, Barcelona, Aix en Provence, amongst others) and on CD (Rene Jacobs).

With an aim towards expanding the repertoire of the Boy s’ Choir, the Men’s Choir of the St. Florian Boys Choir was founded in 1989. Its ranks are made up for the most part of former Choir Boys who have continued to receive voice training and/or become professional singers, some of whom also perform in other renowned ensembles.

The wide range of discography of the St. Florian Boys Choir does not only comprise traditional Austrian music, folk music and Christmas carols, but also recordings of early music in cooperation with renowned prestigious ensembles on historical instruments.

The artistic director of music since 1983, has been Franz Farnberger, who, after completing his studies in Vienna, conducted the Vienna Boys Choir for eight years and was also teaching at the Anton Bruckner Private University until 2017.

In September 2018 the former St. Florian choirboy Markus Stumpner, who has also coached the choirboys since 2013, became choirmaster.

Choir Master: Markus Stumpner

Born 1991 in Upper Austria, he was a member of the St. Florian Boys Choir from 2000 to 2006, where he soon became one of the leading soprano soloists. As a member of the choir he toured in numerous concerts world-wide. As a soloist, he performed, among other roles, the second child spirit in Mozart‘s Magic Flute and the leading role, Miles, in Benjamin Britten‘s The Turn of the Screw in major opera houses (including Berlin, Salzburg and Aix-en-Provence).

After graduating from the Adalbert Stifter Gymnasium (secondary school) in 2010, he studied voice (Kurt Azesberger) and Choral Conducting (Georg Leopold) at the Anton Bruckner Private University, receiving his Bachelors with honours.

Since autumn 2017 he has served as  Assistant Artistic Director to Prof. Franz Farnberger with the St. Florian Boys Choir, with whom he had worked as a vocal instructor since 2013.