A group of children from Shanxi give their first performance at the 8th World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna, Austria. [Photo/sxrb.com]

A group of children from Shanxi formed a choir and performed for the first time at the 8th World Peace Choral Festival which came to a close on Aug 4 in Vienna, Austria.

Early in 2015, when Vienna Boys Choir came to China for a performance, the teachers of a local children’s choir went to watch the group perform at a local theater and met the choir’s art director, Professor Gerald Wilter.

Since the meeting, teachers from the Shanxi choir have been to watch every single performance of Vienna Boys Choir and received an invitation from Professor Wilter to the 8th World Peace Choral Festival in Vienna.

This is the first time children from Shanxi have performed at such a prestigious event. During the five-day stay in Austria, the Shanxi choir performed traditional Shanxi folk songs at various concerts.

"I never expected my child to sing in Vienna, city of music; it's so exciting. This is the dream of almost all who like music," said a parent who accompanied his child to sing in Vienna.

Around 30 professional choirs from Austria, China, Germany, the United States, Spain, Belgium and Romania took part in this year's festival.