At this neighborhood concert, we will hear the performance by RAGAZZI: five wayward friends who have gone their separate ways since 2016. With their music, they search for new sounds and possibilities for the violin and cello. That research eventually resulted in energetic compositions imbued with coherence and improvisation. Each band member brings their own influences to the composition process which results in an exceptional combination of Folk, Jazz and Classical music.
We are Ragazzi, a string quintet of five young instrumentalists and composers. With roots in classical music, we have been going in a different direction since 2016. With a color-blind eye, we change the image of what should be and look for new sounds and possibilities on our instruments. We consist out of two violinists and three cellists.
Our band was formed from a decade old friendship that started at the music days Orvelte 2010. We started playing on the streets of Groningen and Amsterdam in 2016, where we developed improvisation (instant composing), performing and playing together. Since then our music has already taken us to many beautiful places. We have performed at the Cello Biennale, the Fringe Festival Edinburgh, International Theater Amsterdam, Festival Veenhuizen, Tivoli Vredenburg and Radio NPO 4, among others.
By now, all five of us are studying at various conservatories in the Netherlands (HKU Utrecht, Conservatorium van Amsterdam & Artez Zwolle), where we continue to specialize with our instruments and create new compositions. Our style is a mixture of inspirations that takes its cue from the Jazz, Folk and Classical worlds. We bring these worlds together to create our own sound. In 2022 we won second prize at the Oskar Back Young Makers Competition.