Singapore's Vienna Boys: Painfully shy, awfully talented

SINGAPORE - TWIN brothers Dennis and Nigel Howe were only 11 years old when they became the first Singaporeans to join the world-famous 100-member Vienna Boys' Choir in 2009.

They have since spent the last two years studying in the renowned choral school and touring with the choir in different parts of Asia, Europe and the United States.

Last weekend, the talented duo performed their first show on home ground at the Esplanade Concert Hall, and they were pleasantly surprised when they heard a radio announcement about their homecoming tour for the first time.

On stage, their confidence is obvious; but off-stage, the twin choristers are both soft-spoken and painfully shy. Both said they enjoy touring and seeing new places, but "not so much" when it comes to meeting new people, since they generally "do not talk to strangers".

In fact, younger twin Nigel loves his quiet moments so much that he has chosen not to stay with Dennis in the same room in their boarding school, as the more playful Dennis is "sometimes annoying", and "he disturbs me when I am reading."

Growing up in a single-parent family, the boys have recently adopted their mother Sharon Howe's last name. They have two elder sisters Winona, 16, and Natasha, 15. The boys said they would like to stay in Vienna for the long term, and both aspire to be singers in the future. Meet the twin choristers and their family and also find out if the growing boys will get to stay with the choir when their voices deepen following puberty.