The Tölzer Knabenchor (Tölz Boys' Choir) is a German boys' choir named after the Upper Bavarian city of Bad Tölz and since 1971 based in Munich. The choir is ranked among the most versatile and sought-after boys' choirs in the world. History Tölzer Knabenchor was founded in 1956 by the then 19-year-old grammar school graduate Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden in Bad Tölz. Already in the same year, it was invited to give radio concerts. In 1957 the first concert tour to South Tyrol and Trento followed, in 1960 a trip to Luxembourg, France, England and Belgium. Since 1963 Carl Orff was a regular guest and conductor. He recorded his Schulwerk with the choir. From the 1960s on, the choir and its members participated in opera performances. In 1964, for example, soloists from the choir participated for the first time in a performance of Mozart's Magic Flute. Since 1971, the choir has rehearsed in the state capital of Munich. In 1973, Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden and his choir received the German Record Prize for their performance of Johann Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio. In 1984 and 1986, trips to Chicago, China and Japan followed. Since then, the choir has become known worldwide. In Japan, the choir boys are called Angels from Bavaria and are the subject of manga, among other books. The choir has since made concert tours all over the world, including Japan, the People's Republic of China, Israel, Poland and the USA. It has sung at numerous festivals, including Bayreuth Festival, Berlin Festival, Bregenz Festival, Handel Festival Halle (Saale), Heinrich Schütz Festival Kassel, Ludwigsburg Castle Festival, Munich Opera Festival, Salzburg Festival, Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Schwetzingen Festival, Vienna Festival. Eminent artists such as Carl Orff, August Everding, Hans Werner Henze, Leonard Bernstein, Gustav Leonhardt, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, and Claudio Abbado count among the choir's supporters. The choir sang at the opening ceremony of the 1972 Summer Olympics in the Olympic Stadium in Munich, directed by Carl Orff, during the traditional Salute of Youth, performed by 3,500 Munich schoolchildren, which made an enormous impression throughout the world. The choir also participated in the official opening ceremony for the 2006 World Cup in Germany on June 9, 2006 at the Allianz Arena in Munich, directed by Christian Stückl. It also sang on the tarmac at Munich Airport for the farewell of Pope Benedict XVI from his visit to Germany in September 2006, who was delighted to thank all