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CNN Saturday Morning News

Two Ohio Boys Invited to Join Prestigious Vienna Boys Choir

Aired December 29, 2001 - 10:26   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
It's an honor that only one other American singer has received, a spot in the Vienna Boys Choir. Now, two Ohio boys have been invited to join the 503-year-old choir. Reporter Joe Mazan with affiliate WXIX has the story from Westchester.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yankee Stadium was opened in 1923.

JOE MAZAN, WXIX CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In baseball, the New York Yankees with names like Ruth and DiMaggio is a historic franchise. In music, the Vienna Boys Choir with names like Mozart and Schubert equally has a remarkable past. And that past will become part of these two boy's future.

DONALD SMITH, FUTURE VIENNA BOYS CHOIR MEMBER: I want to bounce off the walls because this so exciting. It's just a great opportunity.

MAZAN: Meet 13-year old Donald Smith.

SMITH: We didn't even know this was going happen.

MAZAN: And 11-year-old Ryan Slone.

RYAN SLONE, FUTURE VIENNA BOYS CHOIR MEMBER: Just fun going over there, to be invited.

MAZAN: The two Cincinnati boy choir members will be leaving next week for Austria to join the Vienna boys Choir.

SMITH: At first, we thought, one day I will be able to go there to see the place and probably sing a song with them or two. But I didn't think I'd have to sing with them or two for a year-and-a-half.

MAZAN (on-camera): To give you an idea of how great an honor this is, since it was founded more than 500 years ago, only one other boy from the United States has joined the choir.

(voice-over): To get a break like this, you need talent, but you also need a Godfather to open up a door.

RANDALL WOLFE, CINCINNATI BOY CHOIR DIRECTOR: I couldn't be more proud of these two young men. MAZAN: It's not Marlon Brando, but Cincinnati Boy Choir director; Randall Wolfe helped Donald and Ryan get into the group because he's friends with the choir's director.

WOLFE: He's hoping to establish relationships with other choirs on other continents where there will be boys sent to Vienna, possibly here in Cincinnati, that we may have a Vienna choirboy come here at one point.

MAZAN: Mozart and Schubert have made their mark in music. Now, Smith and Slone hope to make theirs.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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