Choral Group Submission Form

Founded in 1987, the organization is a regional center for music education and performance for boys and young men, ages 7-18. More than 170 singers from 86 schools in 26 Bay Area communities including San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties participate in this internationally recognized program.

Under the leadership of artistic director and co-founder, Joyce Keil, Ragazzi ("guys" in Italian and the term used in Italian opera to designate children's voices) performs a full range of traditional and contemporary works sung in their original languages for both the treble and changed voice.

Since its founding, Ragazzi has performed regularly with the San Francisco Opera, San Francisco Symphony, Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera, Lawrence Pech Dance Company, Peninsula Symphony, Masterworks Chorale and the Stanford University Symphonic Chorus among others. One of the largest boys choruses in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ragazzi provides outstanding musical training to boys who love to sing.

The chorus gives concerts throughout the Bay Area including Belmont, Berkeley, Redwood City, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Saratoga.

In 2000 Ragazzi was named on a Grammy award for its participation in Persephone, one of three Stravinsky pieces on the recording by the San Francisco Symphony honored with a Grammy for best classical album.

Ragazzi regularly tours in the United States and abroad to develop Ragazzi's reputation for performance excellence. Ragazzi has toured internationally in Canada (1990), Russia (1992), Eastern Europe (1995), Italy (1998), Japan (1999), the British Isles (2001), Spain and Portugal (2004), and Australia and New Zealand (2007). In summer 2008 Ragazzi was chosen to participate in the prestigious Kathaumixw Festival in British Columbia. They were second place finalists in two different age group categories.

Ragazzi released its first compact disc, Good News! 10 Years of Ragazzi Singing, in January of 1997. After a very successful 1998 concert tour of Italy, Ragazzi released its second CD, A Holiday Collection. Its third CD, Canciones de Alabanza, a celebration of Latin American and Spanish music, was released in December 2001. Its fourth CD, Magnificat, was recorded at Skywalker ranch and released in December of 2005. Its Fifth and most recent CD, Splendors of the Italian Baroque, was recorded live during the holidays of 2008 and released in December of 2009.