The Pastoureaux "Waterloo boys' choir"
Founded in 1974, the Pastoureaux boys’ choir is composed of more than 60 boys aged 7 to 14 years, whose voices vary soprano into alto. About 20 young adults and adult singers add to the choir for tenor and bass vocal range. Among the Pastoureaux, about 20 children take part in the Cantate Group: they are even more hard working children who develop additional skills to address more complex or special musical works.
With more than 1000 concerts given in Belgium, Europe and around the world (North and South America, Japan), the Pastoureaux boys’ choir has gained a lot of experience and an international reputation. The enthusiastic meeting with the audience is the best way for the choir’s members to train and improve their know-how.
The musical work and group solidarity are at the very heart of the Pastoureaux project. Choir members meet every week, in separate voice groups or sub-groups for two rehearsals. The complete choir, boys and adults, meet to rehearse a month.
Repertory and performances:
With orchestra
Mozart : Requiem, Coronation mass, Solemn Vespers for a Confessor, Credo-Mass…
Haydn : The Creation, Nelson mass…
Fauré : Requiem…
Haendel : extracts of the “Messiah”…
Bach : Cantata 131, 182, extracts of the “Magnificat”, St Matthew Passion (cantus firmus)…
Schubert : Mass in G Major…
Pergolèse : Stabat Mater…
Buxtehude : Cantata „Nichts soll uns scheiden“, „Das Neugeborne Kindelein“…
Anonymous : Livre Vermeil de Montserrat, Messe des Fous…
also Gershwin, Poulenc, Britten, Lloyd Webber, Mendelssohn,
da Vittoria, Purcel, Schütz…
Operas
La Bohème – Puccini
Carmen – Bizet
A Midsummer Night’s Dream – Britten
The little sweep – Britten
The magic flute – Mozart
Thyeste – van Vlijmen / H.Claus
Some notable events
Transition to the Euro in 2001 (Brussels – Europe), concerts at the Palace and for the Royal Family and other prestigious concerts at the Palais des Beaux-Arts and at the Cathedral of Brussels… Concerts with renowned soloists:
José Van Dam, Werner van Mechelen, Marie-Noëlle de Callataÿ, Janet Thompson…Creation of the « Magnificat » of Leonardo San Juan… Creation of the « Mass of Popayan » of Isabelle Rigaux, at Popayan in Colombia… Participation in productions of the Monnaie Opera House in Belgium, in the Netherlands, in New York… in the operas, in the open air at La Hulpe, Liege, Ooidonk…Creation of the « Cantates des Oiseaux » of Robert De Pauw… and numerous concert tours…
Festivals
Les Pastoureaux are regularly invited to take part in musical festivals in Belgium. They did a concert tour for the Flanders’s Festival, produced the opera “The Little Chimney Sweep” of Benjamin Britten and recorded the “Libre Vermeil de Montserrat” for the Festival of Wallonia. They also performed the Stabat Mater of Pergolesi at the Musicales de Beloeil.
Abroad, they joined several children choirs’ festivals in Poznan (Poland), Lago di Como (Italy), and World Peace Festival in Vienna (Austria) where they had the honor to share the stage of the legendary Musikverein with the Vienna Boys’Choir.
Television and movies
Since several years, the choir is regularly invited to take part in TV shows and film making. In 2009, they shot a scene with Kad Merad for the film “Protéger et Servir” and took part in a studio recording with Lara Fabian. In 2010, they sang “Oh Happy Day” with Natascha St-Pier and performed the Ave Maria (Schubert) in a RTL-TVI television show for the guest of honor, Jean-Claude Van Damme. In 2012, Les Pastoureaux shot several scenes with Robin Renucci in the telefilm “Le Silence des églises” broadcasted on France 2 and RTBF. A child of the choir even played one of the main roles. In 2013, our young soloists sang the Allegri’s Miserere in the film “La Marque des Anges” with Gerard Depardieu and Joey Starr.
Concert tours
1980 Baden Würtemberg
1982 Alsace, Bavaria, Valais
1984 France
1985 Quebec, USA
1986 Bordelais
1987 Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany
1988 Jura, Alsace, Normandie
1989 France, Germany, Switzerland
1990 France
1991 Quebec, New-Brunswick
1992 Poland, France
1993 Japan, France
1994 Quebec, Ontario
1995 Colombia, France, Germany
1996 Spain, Germany, France, Luxembourg
1997 Manitoba, France
1998 Czech Rep., France, Switzerland, Germany
1999 USA, Canada, France
2000 Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, France
2001 Portugal, Spain, France
2002 Switzerland, France, Germany
2003 Canada, France
2004 France
2005 Switzerland, France
2006 France
2007 Slovenia, Italy, France
2008 Brazil, Argentina
2009 France, Germany, Luxembourg
2010 Switzerland
2011 USA, Quebec
2012 France
2003 France
2014 Hungary, Czech Republic, Austria
2015 France
2016 France, Switzerland, Austria, Germany
Recordings
12 recordings (LP, CD) « Pastoureaux »
Participation in the CD of « Livre Vermeil de Montserrat ».
Participation in CDs of performances « l’Enfant des Etoiles… »
