Biography

Established in 1991 on the initiative of Cav. Adriana Rasi, it consists of 20 elements. The Choir is an important and representative cultural reality of our territory and is currently led by the Conductor Alessandra Paffi. They make use of the artistic collaboration of the American vocalists Joy Garrison of New York and Charlie Cannon of Halabama.

The members come from different municipalities of the Lazio Region and, in twenty-seven years of intense concert activity in Italy and abroad, have been protagonists of important solidarity campaigns in favor of peace and civil rights against all forms of racial and religious discrimination.
The group has performed for important international organizations such as: UN, FAO, UNICEF, the European Parliament, Amnesty International, Doctors Without Borders, Telethon, Caritas, Roman Curia. Maestro Stelvio Cipriani (Oscar winner of Music) composed three pieces for them: the hymn “Union Pax et Renessance”, commissioned by the government of Haiti on the occasion of the Bicentenary of Independence, “The Prayer of Peace”, a text written by the late Pope John Paul II, and Psalm 114 of the Bible “Invocation”, which was performed in the Basilica of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme in Rome in world premiere on Wednesday 8 October at h. 17.30 live on television, on the occasion of the extraordinary event “The Bible day and night” organized by Rai Vaticano.

The “St John Singers” produced five C’s.D., has been several times a live guest in television broadcasts in the three rai networks. On April 8, 2009 he was invited by the President of the Republic Giorgio Napoletano to perform the solemn Easter Mass in the splendid Pauline Chapel at the Quirinale. In addition, at the Auditoriun of Santa Cecilia, while on June 10, 2010 the vocal group sang with the Interuniversity Choir in St. Peter’s Square in the presence of the Holy Father Benedict XVI on the occasion of the celebration of the closing of the Sarcerdotal Year. The prayer vigil was the subject of RAI filming which was broadcast on Saturday 12 June. The live broadcast (world satellite viewing) was carried out by the Vatican Television Center and Vatican Radio.

The vocal group is registered in the UNAR register of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers-Department for Rights and Equal Opportunities and, because of this registration, directs its artistic-cultural activity to the fight against all forms of discrimination. Among the most significant recent appearances, the concert “Una voce per Onna” at the Audorium Renzo Piano in L’Aquila on December 27, 2014, in favor of the reconstruction of the church of the Church of Onna, the hamlet of L’Aquila most affected by the earthquake of 2009, and the concert celebrating 25 years of musical activity, on June 26, 2016 in Manziana, dedicated to denouncing the tragedy of missing children in Europe after receiving reception in migrant centres; finally, in Lampedusa on 8 April 2016 on the occasion of the event “La giornata di Lampedusa. You and us together for integration.”

The vocal group has received numerous awards, including that of the President of the Republic Carlo Azeglio Ciampi for the artistic value of the concert activity and the recent one of the President Giorgio Napoletano, who conferred the “St. John Singer Gospel Choir” its own medal of representation.