BONIFANTES Boys Choir – one of the first concerts
The BONIFANTES Boys Choir was founded in the year 1999 and has won a place among the cream of the choir ensembles in the Czech Republic in its short life. Talented boys from the age of 4 to 20 years of age work in seven departments of the singing school known as “BONIFANTES School of Arts” with capacity of 350 students. All the singers have solo voice training lessons and many of them play musical instruments. Almost 100 boys visit the concert department alone and the choir takes part in up to 100 concerts and performances each year.
Among the successes achieved so far are a number of concert tours (Germany, Great Britain, France, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovakia and USA) and performances in operas (e.g. Georges Bizet – Carmen, Giacomo Puccini – Tosca, Gioacchino Rossini – Il barbiere di Siviglia) and movies (Napoleon). The choir performs in harmony with many Czech orchestras on an annual basis (e.g. Jan Jirásek – Kouzlo českých Vánoc, Andrew Lloyd Webber – Requiem, Vladimír Wimmer – Apel svědomí, Luigi Cherubini – Missa solemnis, Carl Orff – Carmina Burana, Dmitrij Shostakovich – The Symphony No. 13 „Babij Jar“, Leonard Bernstein – Kaddish). Over the past years of its activity, the choir has taken part in many international competitions at which it has been awarded with dozens of gold medals, several titles of competition prize-winner, and a prizes for outstanding conducting performance for the choirmaster. Between most distinguished successes belong 1st prize “CUM LAUDE” at the European Choir Festival in Neerpelt and the title of overall winner at the Festival of Song 2004 in Olomouc ahead of another 159 competitors.
The choir is regularly welcome by prestigious international festivals, including “Smetanova Litomyšl” and „Prague Spring“. Among large range of recordings made by the choir is the world premieres with the Chamber Philharmonic Pardubice (e.g. Luigi Cherubini – Messa Solenne Breve in B-flat Major, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Missa Solemnis in C, Jan Jirásek – Kouzlo českých Vánoc). Artistic guidance is provided to the BONIFANTES Boy Choir by its founder, Mr. Jan Míšek.
In 2013 the BONIFANTES made their debut in Asia by performing Gustav Mahler‘s 8th „Symphony of a Thousand“ and a range of individual concerts.
In 2016 the BONIFANTES sung for Pope Francis and performed at two concerts with the legendary tenor maestro José Carreras.
