Ragazzi Boys Chorus Awarded 2020 California Arts Council Grant

This Week the California Arts Council announced a grant award of $18,522 to Ragazzi Boys Chorus as part of its Youth Arts Action program, which supports projects for youth that occur outside of traditional school hours. Priority is given to for projects demonstrating the ability to cultivate positive social and emotional development, as well as promoting artistic expression and creativity.

With this award from the California Arts Council, Ragazzi Boys Chorus can continue to offer support to boys in need through its Financial Tuition Assistance Program. This fund allows the chorus to provide its exceptional music education program to boys who love to sing, regardless of their financial circumstances. Generous funds are allocated for all facets of the Ragazzi program: choral training, summer session (camp) and tours, and are awarded on a need basis.

Peninsula-based Ragazzi Boys Chorus is one of the San Francisco Bay Area's premiere music and performance organizations for boys. Currently, there are more than 250 singers from over 100 schools in 30+ Bay Area communities participating in the program, making Ragazzi the largest boys chorus in the San Francisco Bay Area. The chorus is currently holding online auditions for its fall program. Held remotely, these virtual auditions provide boys aged 7 to 18 the opportunity to learn about joining Ragazzi, which offers vocal training at various levels from beginners up to its world-acclaimed Concert Group which performs with major symphony and opera companies and tours internationally. To learn more about online auditions or to schedule a virtual appointment, the public may visit https://ragazzi.org/join-us.

"We are elated to partner with the California Arts Council," says Kent Jue, Ragazzi's Executive Director and Artistic Director Designate. "The need for music in young boys' lives is even more important in these uncertain times-though currently we are apart, the power of song unites us. Thanks to this grant, we will be able to provide more young choristers with the opportunity to cultivate a deep appreciation of music and learn skills like teamwork, perseverance, and leadership."

Ragazzi Boys Chorus was featured as part of a larger announcement from the California Arts Council of more than 1,500 grants awarded to nonprofit organizations and units of government throughout the state for their work in support of the agency's mission to strengthen arts, culture, and creative expression as the tools to cultivate a better California for all. The investment of nearly $30 million marks a more than $5 million increase over the previous fiscal year, and the largest in California Arts Council history.

Organizations were awarded grants across 15 different program areas addressing access, equity, and inclusion; community vibrancy; arts learning and engagement; and directly benefiting our state's communities, with youth, veterans, returned citizens, and California's historically marginalized communities key among them. Successful projects aligned closely with the agency's vision of a California where all people flourish with universal access to and participation in the arts.

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the California Arts Council recognizes that some grantees may need to postpone, modify, or cancel their planned activities supported by CAC funds, due to state and local public health guidelines. The state arts agency is prioritizing flexibility in addressing these changes and supporting appropriate solutions for grantees.

"Creativity sits at the very heart of our identity as Californians and as a people. In this unprecedented moment, the need to understand, endure, and transcend our lived experiences through arts and culture is all the more relevant for each of us," said Nashormeh Lindo, Chair of the California Arts Council. "The California Arts Council is proud to be able to offer more support through our grant programs than ever before, at a time when our communities' need is perhaps greater than ever before. These grants will support immediate and lasting community impact by investing in arts businesses and cultural workers across the state."

San Francisco / Bay Area Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. URINETOWN (Ghostlight Theatre Ensemble)

17% of votes

2. THE DAY THE SKY TURNED ORANGE (San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company / Z Space)

9% of votes

3. SWEENEY TODD (Cabrillo Stage)

8.7% of votes

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