Ragazzi Continuo Presents "Wayfaring Stranger: Songs of Travel"

PALO ALTO, CA (10 April 2019) — This spring, Ragazzi Continuo explores the meaning of “walking a mile in someone else’s shoes” in Wayfaring Stranger: Songs of Travel. Featuring a worldly choral repertoire steeped in songs about travel, motion, and journey, the diverse concert includes traditional American music, Hungarian songs, baroque oratorio, African American spirituals, and lush works by Brahms. Ragazzi Continuo is an adult a cappella choir formed in 2010, which consists of fifteen choristers, all of whom sang in Ragazzi Boys Chorus during their formative years. Wayfaring Stranger will be performed 7:30pm, Saturday, May 11 in Redwood City; 7:30pm, Saturday, May 18 in Palo Alto; and 3:00pm, Sunday, May 19 in San Francisco (venues/addresses listed below). For tickets ($15 Seniors/Students, $20 Early Bird - Online, $25 General Admission) and information, visit www.ragazzicontinuo.org or email [email protected].

Featuring a diverse repertoire of songs from around the world, Wayfaring Stanger seeks to understand the age-old adage of being in “someone else’s shoes.” The performance will feature an assortment of songs, including Poor Wayfaring Stranger and other African American spirituals, traditional English folksong Bushes and Briars, and American classic Come Go With Me by C. E. Quick. Each song tells the story of a journey, either physical or spiritual, inviting listeners to consider where they’ve come from and where they’re going.

Poor Wayfaring Stranger is a well-known American folk and gospel song from the early 19th century that tells the story of a plaintive soul on the journey through life. At the foundation of North American music for at least two centuries, the song has been used as a spiritual sung by enslaved African Americans to express their hope of being reunited with their loved ones in heaven after their families had been broken and scattered in the slave markets.

Originally recorded by composer C. E. Quick’s American doo-wop vocal group The Del-Vikings, Come Go With Me was an instant hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and becoming the group’s highest-charting song. The classic was later covered by the Beach Boys and has been featured in several films including American Graffiti, Diner, Stand by Me, and Set it Up.

Collected from a shepherd in Essex, Bushes and Briars was the first of over 800 folk songs R. Vaughan Williams recorded and published. Exploring the troubles and uncertainties of love, the song is marked by a somber mood, with a post-Renaissance demeanor that demonstrates primness and reserve.

Ragazzi Continuo was formed in September 2010 and now consists of fifteen choristers, all of whom sang in Ragazzi Boys Chorus during their formative years. All of the members participated in their college choirs, but finding a post-college men’s chorus that allowed them to thrive musically, as they had as Ragazzi boys, proved challenging. Thus Ragazzi Continuo was born, and is currently comprised of members whose work finds them practicing law, teaching voice, working in tech, and more. Their love of music, years of training and finely-honed ensemble are evident in their stirring performances.