Ragazzi Boys Chorus – Sunday, December 9 at 4 pm

Ragazzi Boys Chorus
For the Beauty of the Earth

Ragazzi Boys Chorus’s For the Beauty of the Earth holiday concert gazes at the earth’s beauty through the prism of music. These performances honor composers through the ages who have contemplated natural surroundings, giving thanks through music for nature’s gifts. Folliott S. Pierpoint’s hymn lyrics are the basis for two versions of For the Beauty of the Earth that Ragazzi will feature, one for full chorus by John Rutter, and the other for low voices by Paul Rudoi. Michael Praetorius’ setting of the traditional German Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming and Maria Walks Amid the Thorn by Andrew Carter treat floral imagery with seasonal reverence. A fun and syncopated Deck the Halls (in 7/8) sets the stage for Moses Hogan’s arrangement of the Spiritual Glory, Glory, Glory to the Newborn King and Wendell Whalum’s joyful West Indian De Mornin’ Come. Concerts will conclude with traditional carols – and an invitation for the audience to join the boys in song.

Founded in 1987, Ragazzi Boys Chorus provides outstanding musical education and performance opportunities for boys and young men, ages 5 to 18. Over 200 singers, in six tiered levels — from over 100 schools and over 30 coastside and valley communities — participate in this internationally recognized program. Under the leadership of artistic director and co–founder, Joyce Keil, Ragazzi Boys Chorus performs a wide range of traditional and contemporary works for both the treble and changed voice. The chorus concertizes regularly throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Ragazzi participated in the San Francisco Symphony’s recording of Stravinsky’s Perséphone, which was included in the Symphony’s GRAMMY award for best classical album. The chorus also produces its own discography. Ragazzi made its Carnegie Hall debut in 2014 and tours throughout the world to widen chorus members’ musical and cultural horizons, and deepen Ragazzi’s reputation for performance excellence.