Salzburg's choirs are booming: more singers than footballers in the country!

Salzburg's choirs are booming: more singers than footballers in the country!

There are more choirs in Salzburg than football clubs - a sign of the lively choir scene in the region. Around 7,500 singers are active in around 330 choirs, and that only within the Salzburg Choir Association drehpunktkultur.at reported. This impressive number shows how high the interest in choral singing is, which even attracts more visitors to concerts in Austria than the two federal leagues combined. Karl-Gerhard Strassl from the Austrian Choir Association emphasizes that there are an average of 1.7 choirs in each Austrian community.

A significant change is coming at the top of the Salzburg Choir Association. Wolfgang Mayer was elected as the new president after Dieter Schaffer handed over the reins after 15 years. The handover took place on October 25, 2025 in the LivingRoom event location and attracted over 150 guests, including numerous guests of honor from culture and politics, such as meinkreis.at reported. Mayer, who is a teacher of biology, physics and chemistry, wants to bring a breath of fresh air into the choir scene.

The new presidency and its challenges

With Wolfgang Mayer at the helm, a team of eight will take over the business of the regional association. In addition to Mayer, the new board also includes Helmut Zeilner, Moritz Guttmann, Andreas Gassner and the new members Evi Spineth and Christian Göhringer. These dedicated members will continue the work that Schaffer has shaped with numerous initiatives such as the “Long Night of Choirs,” the “Singing Classroom,” and the “Chor Worlds” concert series. The Salzburg Singing Week in Strobl also remains an important event that was successfully continued under Schaffer's aegis.

In order to promote young musical talent, Dieter Schaffer also opened doors when necessary by initiating performances by elementary school choirs at the Salzburg Christmas market. Despite his resignation, Schaffer remains active by taking over the vice-presidency of the Austrian Choir Association and being honored as honorary president of the Salzburg Choir Association.

The joy of singing in Salzburg

Salzburg's choral scene is synthetically linked to the entire Austrian choral culture, which is active and innovative in many ways. The umbrella organization, the Austrian Choir Association, supports the interests of around 3,900 choirs with around 115,000 singers. The diversity and inclusive approach of choral singing is loud chorverband.at the choral music shines in ever new facets. In addition, from January 1, 2024, choirs will benefit from tax advantages through the new non-profit reform law, which will help them to be even better positioned.

When it comes to the positive effects of singing in a choir, the podcast “Singen STIMMT!” informative input from various disciplines, from medicine to musicology. These initiatives and the spiritual highlight that singing represents for many people underline the central role of choirs in the social and cultural fabric of Salzburg and beyond.