The Pacific Boychoir Academy, now celebrating its 25th Anniversary, announces its signature Spring Serenade concerts in the Bay Area. The program featuring Ariel Ramírez’ Misa Criolla will also include selections from Rachmaninoff’s All-Night Vigil, and a special set by PBA’s Continuum a cappella ensemble.
Misa Criolla (Creole or Folk Mass) is an epic, Spanish-language mass created in 1964 by the Argentinian composer Ariel Ramirez. Born in Santa Fé, on the Rio Paraná north of Buenos Aires, Ramírez began teaching in a rural mountain post when he was 19. Described as “the earthly song of the Andes”, each part of Misa Criolla is based on traditional Argentine folk dances and songs that combine Spanish text with indigenous instruments and rhythms. The piece is considered a “tribute to human dignity, courage and freedom” because Ramirez, after visiting post-WWII Germany, composed the oratorio to honor two sisters who risked their lives on a daily basis to smuggle food to inmates in nearby concentration camps.
“Misa Criolla is the song of the village, the smell of wood fires, cattle, and roasting coffee." says Pacific Boychoir Academy Music Director, Andrew Brown. "It is the dance and movement of the people settling into dusk, and church bells tolling from the town square." Brown adds that Misa Criolla "celebrates PBA's mission to connect young musicians with a deeply profound experience of music in its highest practice. We seek cultural depth, individual respect, and personal growth. It is our greatest value that we make our communities and world a richer place because of our existence. Our audiences are our most important partners in helping us achieve our goals.”
$30 suggested donation, $150 sponsor donation.
Performance 2: St. Mary's College Chapel is located at 1928 St. Mary's Road, Moraga, CA 94556.
ABOUT PACIFIC BOYCHOIR ACADEMY
The mission of the Pacific Boychoir Academy (PBA) is to develop curious, creative, and empathetic young men who are vital participants in a community where every young man is challenged and inspired toward academic, musical, and personal growth. Founded in 1998 in Oakland, CA, PBA is the only secular boychoir school in the Western U.S., and offers a unique and rigorous, “best-for-boys” choral music and academic programs for boys from all ethnic, economic, and geographic backgrounds.
In addition to the day school for boys in grades 3-8, PBA offers after-school choir programs for grades pre-Kindergarten through High School, including seven after-school choirs for boys. PBA has released nine independent albums, tours domestically and internationally each year, and has garnered three GRAMMY Awards with the San Francisco Symphony.