It’s a ‘Once In A Lifetime’ opportunity that will strike Mesquite for the second time in just over 20 years.

On Nov. 7 the Vienna Boys Choir will visit and perform in Mesquite at Virgin Valley High School starting at 7 p.m. Of the initial 470 tickets that were available, there are about 160 left, all within the $40 seating (students still get these tickets for $25).

The sales have primarily been flying through the Greater Mesquite Arts Foundation’s sales website, www.gmaf.tix.com. Now, they are also available at the Mesquite Community Theatre Box Office at 150 N. Yucca St. during normal business hours of 5-7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. Tickets may also be purchased by sending a self addressed stamped envelope and payment to GMAF, PO Box 3081, Mesquite, NV 89024. Tickets will be sold on a first-come first-sold basis.

The choir was first established in the 14th Century under the Holy Roman Empire, coming from different countries within the Empire to sing for the imperial court, at mass, concerts and private functions or state occasions. That was its main roll until 1918, until the breakdown of the Habsburg Empire occurred and the Austrian government took over the opera, its orchestra and adult singers. The boys’ choir, however, became a private institution and to help pay for the upkeep of the choir, they began performing outside of the court in 1926.

Mesquite had the privilege of hosting the Vienna Boys Choir in January 1994, brought in by the Mesquite Arts Council via grants from the City of Mesquite and the Nevada State Council on the Arts. At that concert, tickets were sold on a standby waiting list, only being given out a few moments before the concert. It sold out then, and it will likely sell out again.

This year’s program will be based on Jules Verne’s Around the World in 80 Days, whereas the choir will take listeners Around the World in 80 Minutes as Verne did, under the direction of choirmaster Bomi Kim. She was born in Korea and studied choral conducting in Seoul and church music in Germany before obtaining a masters degree from the Music University in Vienna.

Its repertoire covers everything from medieval to experimental music. Included in the program for Nov. 7 are popular compositions such as Ave Maria, Shenandoah and a musical medley from Walt Disney’s production of Mary Poppins. Several other potential crowd-pleasing songs are also planned, so the remaining tickets are expected to sell out soon.

Bringing such a World-Class act to Mesquite is nowhere close to cheap, and the GMAF is seeking sponsors to cover the nearly $20,000 bill for doing so. Donations straight to the GMAF are tax deductible, and every little bit helps.

There are also ad spaces available in the commemorative program that will be given to attendees on Nov. 7. For more information or to make donations, send them to the PO Box above or call Maggie Calhoun at 360-904-1090.

As an added value to those who buy space in the program (which is not tax-deductible), the Mesquite Local News will be partnering with the GMAF to thank them with a special page of all of their ads on mesquitelocalnews.com on Friday, Nov. 6. This is to help thank contributors and to promote the support that the community gives to one of the many great organizations that Mesquite has had for many years, while promoting the businesses and supporters to readers world-wide.