Globetrotting concert spotlights repertoire from Ragazzi’s upcoming tour to Italy and Austria

Ragazzi Boys Chorus will take audiences on a globetrotting adventure with its spring concert To Italia – and Beyond! Featuring singers from Ragazzi’s Young Men’s Ensemble, Concert Group, Choral Scholars, and Avanti ensembles, this afternoon of glorious song features repertoire from Ragazzi’s upcoming international performance tour. This summer, Ragazzi will travel to Italy and Austria for a highly anticipated tour that includes collaboration with the acclaimed Vienna Boys Chorus, in addition to concerts and masterclasses in Venice, Padua, Lake Como, Salzburg, and Vienna. Led by Artistic and Executive Director Kent Jue, To Italia – and Beyond! will perform at 4pm PST Sunday, June 5, 2022 at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo. For tickets ($20-$40) and more information the public may visit Ragazzi.org or call (650) 362-4425.

To Italia – and Beyond! will begin with songs performed by Avanti, including Judith Herrington’s celebratory Awake, My Soul, and Sing, Christi Jones’ artful arrangement of the traditional spiritual Poor Wayfaring Stranger, and Rollo Dilworth’s gospel-inspired One Mile.  Concert Group (CG) will perform Camille Saint-Saëns’s stunning Ave Maria and Alessandro Grandi’s rich, resonant Hodie, nobis de caelo, edited by Tortolano. CG will join with Choral Scholars (CS) to sing Richard Ewer’s exquisite Beati Omnes, Paul John Rudoi’s rhythmic piece with Sanskrit text Gamaya, Pepper Choplin’s magnificent a cappella You Will Reap What You Sow, and J. David Moore’s soulful a cappella arrangement of the traditional Appalachian song Will the Circle Be Unbroken.

During this performance, Young Men’s Ensemble (YME) will perform Franz Biebl’s breathtaking Ave Maria; Tomas Luis De Victoria’s flowing a cappella motet Verbum Caro arranged by Jeb Mueller; Ludwig van Beethoven’s picturesque Wir Haben Ihn Gesehen from “Christ on the Mount of Olives,” arranged by Alexa Doebele; Robert Schumann’s sprightly Die Minnesänger from “Sechs Lieder Für Vierstimmigen Männerchor,” edited by Matthew D. Oltman; and Romanian-Hungarian composer György Orbán’s dramatic Daemon Irrepit Callidus. CG will join YME to sing Kevin Memley’s resplendent Ave Maria and Carly Simon’s vibrant hit Let the River Run, arranged by Craig Hella Johnson. The concert will close with all four ensembles joining together to perform Leon Dubinsky’s We Rise Again. Originally written about a 1980s economic crisis in Nova Scotia, this anthem of hope and resilience remains relevant in times of uncertainty.