Josef Bogensberger, long-time President of Pueri Cantores Austriae and Vice President of the FIPC, passed away on March 21, 2025 at the age of 83.
With great care, skill, knowledge and passion – starting with the re-founding of the Salzburg Cathedral Boys’ Choir in 1974 – he built up the young choirs of Salzburg Cathedral Music and led them to wonderful heights.
Josef Bogensberger was inspired by the idea of introducing children and young people to the beauty of church music in all its stylistic facets as an important component and formative level of the liturgy. He always kept the focus not on him, but on the children and young people making music.
Pueri Cantores Austriae were very close to him, he worked passionately as their president from 1988 to 2008 and organized the FIPC congress in Salzburg in 1996; in a message read out, Jean Henric, president of the FIPC, paid tribute to his work as vice-president of the FIPC and bridge-builder to the choirs of the former Eastern Bloc, which he brought to Austria and to congresses of the Pueri Cantores Austriae. Josef Bogensberger’s successor in the Austrian association, Josef M. Doeller, thanked him for many years of good cooperation and his fruitful work as President of the Pueri Cantores.
The memorial service on Saturday, April 5 in Salzburg Cathedral was celebrated by numerous outstanding singers from his and his successor’s, Gerrit Stadlbauer‘s, choirs with songs from his pen and from the repertoire he cultivated: a wonderful celebration of voices in memory of our much-loved “Sepp”.
Josef M. Doeller
President of Pueri Cantores Austriae
If you would like to leave some words with him or his family, you can write into the digital condolence book.
