January 19, Saturday: Ragazzi Boys Chorus presents Singfest, a 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. event for boys 7 to 10 who love to sing. Audition opportunity, if you wish, but no stress and no experience required. To audition you must register online at www.ragazzi.org or call (650) 342-8785. The group was founded in 1987, and has become one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s great performance opportunities for boys. The chorus includes more than 160 singers from 100 schools in 26 Bay Area communities. “It has been my experience that young people respond passionately to powerful music,” notes Ragazzi Artistic Director Joyce Keil. “For boys who join Ragazzi (which means “boys” in Italian), musicianship and choral training provide life lessons in leadership, teamwork, excellence, and perseverance, and a deep appreciation of the power and beauty of music that transcends cultural differences.”
January 20, Sunday, 2 p.m.: Screening of The Wizard of Oz and sing-along at the Jewish Community Center of the East Bay, celebrating the spirit of E.Y. “Yip” Harburg, the great American lyricist who co-wrote all the songs in the film. Born to Orthodox Jewish parents who had emigrated from Russia to lower Manhattan, young Mr. Harburg, took his nickname from the colloquial pronunciation of an acronym for the Young People’s Socialist League (YPSL). He would later become a victim of the Hollywood blacklist, losing much of his career. Although he won an Oscar in 1940, for Best Music, he did not receive credit for his work on the Wizard of Oz script, which, according to his son (and biographer) Ernie Harburg was extensive. An interesting angle to think about.
January 26, at 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church of Oakland, Robert Geary’s Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir presents its winter concert with works including, among others, Meredith Monk’s Things and a commissioned piece, The Land of Dreams by Jonathan Goodwin. A note for those interested in auditioning for the East Bay Children’s choir, the date is barely a month away: February 2, between 9:15-11:30 a.m. by appointment. To be held at the Piedmont Memorial Veteran’s Building. To schedule an audition, please call (510) 547-4441 or email [email protected].