>> palombella: circa a meta. >> rose: halfway. very terrifying beast because if you are not able to handle it, it goes away. it runs away. >> stoch: this not safari. this is more dangerous. >> catarci: you have to handle the choir. we were compared to a ferrari, but you have to drive ferrari to do dressage like, you know, like the horses. just little bend, little, you know, very light dressage. dressage, not vroom! ♪ ♪ >> rose: at rehearsal and in concert, palombella conducts the choir like a manic traffic cop. the maestro was born on christmas day, but, with his choir, he's not always in a holiday mood. >> palombella: blah, blah, blah. >> rose: for the boys in the choir, commands from the maestro can be jolting. and when he's not happy, lorenzo? >> malizia ( translated ): eh, eh, he has moments of... >> malizia ( translated ): he has some explosions of anger, but then he calms down because then we sing the piece properly. >> rose: 13-year-old lorenzo malizia is one of the boys, all sopranos, who are able to produce the high notes

♪ >> rose: at rehean concert, palombella conducts th.choir, he's not always in a holiday mood. >> palombella: blah, blah, blahe cbe jting. and when he's not happy, lorenzo? >> malizia ( translated ): eh, eh, he has moments of... >> malizia ( translated ): he has some explosions of anger, but th >> rose: 13-year-old lorenzo malizia is one of the boys, all produce the high notes that give the choir its celestial sound. just listen to how the boys warm up. ♪ ♪ the "white voices" for the purity of their sound. >> choir: ♪ ave maria. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ italian boys their age, theyeir walls. and then, there are reminders of why the boys are extraordinary. so, whenat do pplu tell them? >> catapano ( translated ): they ask us, "how is the pope? is he fun? does he always crack jokes?" we say, "yes, yes, it's true." yearsca if i re singing in front of the pope. >> catapano ( translated ): i am little anxious, but then i t understand anything about music. so, i continue to sing. aoss ros for the choir are heth fanut toe who has the right timbre. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> palombella: blah, blah, blah.>lorenzo? >> malizia ( translated ): eh, eh, he has moments of... >> malizia ( translated ): he has some explosions of anger, but then he calms down because then we sing the piece properly. >> rose: 13-year-old lorenzo malizia is one of the boys, all sopranos, who are able to produce the high notes that give the choir its celestial sound. just listen to how the boys warm up. ( singing in high voices ) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the vatican refers to them as the "white voices" for the purity of their sound. >> choir: ♪ ave maria. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> rose: at home, like many italian boys their age, they have ordinary pictures on their walls. and then, there are reminders of why the boys are extraordinary. so, when people ask you about the pope, what do you tell them? >> catapano ( translated ): they ask us, "how is the pope? is he fun? does he always crack jokes?" we say, "yes, yes, it's true." so, he's fun. >> rose: 13-year-old riccardo