MARIETTA – Dressed in their signature sailor suits and shining black shoes, 20 young boys of the Vienna Boys’ Choir lined up in the entrance of the Basilica of St. Mary of the Assumption Tuesday evening in preparation of a choir performance in front of over 650 people.

Like any young boys made to wait, they fidgeted and whispered to one another in hushed tones, perhaps tinged with a bit of nervous excitement before the two-hour performance.

But the boys of the Vienna Boys’ Choir, performing in Marietta as part of Washington State Community College’s Evergreen Arts & Humanities Series, are not like other young boys. The boys, ages 10 to 14, have toured the world as members of the famous Austrian choir; and their appearance in Marietta was a honor that concert attendees did not take for granted.

“I’m excited to see the choir. They are world famous, and we’re excited about that. It’s a big deal for the choir to be here in this little town,” said Parkersburg resident Barbara Fish.

The Vienna Boys’ Choir is not lacking in history. The modern incarnation of the choir, formed in 1926, is a descendant of the choir of the Viennese Court of the 14th century. It consists of 100 choristers from 30 countries, who are divided into four touring choirs, each named for Austrian composers.

Marietta was graced Tuesday night by the 20 young singers of Haydn Choir, led by choirmaster Jimmy Chiang through a repertoire of songs that ranged from centuries old sacred music to motion picture soundtrack tunes like “Singin’ In The Rain.”

Marietta resident Amy Bronski, 47, said she was pleased to hear the first half of the performance end with well-known Gospel tunes like “Amazing Grace” and “Oh Happy Day.”

“I think it was nice at the end when we heard some songs we know well. How can you not love it?” Bronski said of the performance.

Charlotte Hendricks, of Marietta, agreed.

“They are fantastic. Amazing voices. And what a wonderful experience to have them here in Marietta,” said Hendricks.

That honor is thanks to the Evergreen Arts & Humanities Series, whose reputation drew the attention of the New York management company booking the choir’s current North American tour.

“Actually a woman named Dorothy Shrader from Opus 3 Management in New York was routing the choir from their southern tour and was routing them north. She read about the Evergreen Series online, read several years of our history and thought we were a worthy venue,” said Tanya Wilder, chair of the Evergreen Arts and Humanities series.

The $25 event tickets, which went on sale Dec. 5 at Washington State Community College, sold out in 70 minutes, she said.

Wilder said the appearance of the world renown choir in Marietta further solidified the Evergreen Series’ reputation.

“This is a choir who plays all over the world and for us to be able to bring the choir to Marietta is a unique happening; it’s quite a feat. I’m excited for the people of Marietta. I’m excited for the Evergreen Series. It’s solidified and validated our reputation in circles that extend well beyond the Mid-Ohio Valley,” Wilder added.

The choir’s Marietta performance saved Marietta resident Melissa Parlin quite a trip.

“This is a lifelong dream for me to see this choir. I think I first heard of them when I was her age,” said Parlin, 40, referring to daughter Sophia, 7.

“I thought maybe someday I’d get to travel to Vienna to see them, but this is even better,” she said.

Sophia was also enjoying the performance.

“I like the Vienna Boys’ Choir,” she extolled during intermission.

At Sophia’s age, many of the choristers of the Vienna Boys’ Choir already had years of practice under their belts. The choir runs its own schools, which in conjuncture with city of Vienna, educate boys ages 3 to 18 in an all-around education coupled with in-depth musical instruction. At the age of 10, the most talented boys are selected for the choir.

In its history the choir has performed thousands of tours, and visited over 100 countries. The choir performs approximately 300 concerts annually, including providing the music for the Sunday Mass in Vienna’ Imperial Chapel, which they have done since 1498.

The choir was the subject and star of the 1961 film “Almost Angels” made by Walt Disney.

Three generations of Chichester women were happy to see the choir perform Tuesday.

“We’re excited for the baby to have a good time. She just loves music,” said 21-year-old Erica Chichester who attended the concert with mom Sammy Chichester, 54, and 5-month-old daughter Sophie Hackathorn, all of Marietta.

Marietta resident Don Rary, 73, was not a bit sorry he attended Tuesday’s performance.

“I’ve enjoyed every bit of it. They are just so good and so well recognized. It’s good to hear quality,” Rary said.