PRIMO CONCERTO DELL’ANNO
a cura del GREENSLEEVES GOSPEL CHOIR – Direttore Fausto Caravati

The Christmas events promoted by the Municipality of Varenna continue.

On January 2, 2025
First concert of the year
with the return of the GREENSLEEVES GOSPEL CHOIR
directed by FAUSTO CARAVATI

They will offer intense emotions with the engaging rhythms of famous gospel and spiritual music!

At the Church of San Giorgio
At 9:00 PM
Free admission

Fausto Caravati
Born in Varese in 1971, Fausto Caravati is one of the most important figures in the Italian and international pop choral movement. He is a choir director, arranger, and cultural promoter who has dedicated his career to the diffusion of pop, gospel, and jazz choral music. He studied pop choral conducting with renowned teachers and groups, including Matthias Becker, Kirby Shaw, Fred Sjöberg, Jens Johansen, the King’s Singers, and the Swingle Singers.

Fausto is the founder and director of successful ensembles such as the Greensleeves Gospel Choir, active since 1992 with over 1,000 concerts in Italy and abroad, the female ensemble Le Pop Up (formed in 2015 and internationally recognized), the children’s choir Blooming Kids, and more recently, the Vocal Experience, an innovative pop choir project for young people aged 18-30.

He is the artistic director of Solevoci, the organizing body of major events like the Varese Gospel Festival and the Solevoci Festival, Italy’s first international festival dedicated to a cappella music. Fausto has collaborated with world-famous artists, directing the Solevoci Gospel Choir in Andrea Bocelli’s “The Journey” tour in 2021, alongside Tori Kelly and the 40 Fingers Guitar Quartet.

He is also co-founder of dovesicanta.it, a portal and community for a cappella gospel, pop, and jazz choral singing. Thanks to his expertise and artistic vision, he is regularly invited to be part of international competition juries and to hold courses and masterclasses at prestigious universities and institutions. His educational work also includes school projects across Italy.

Fausto is known for his innovation and energy in promoting pop choral singing, contributing to the artistic growth of young talents and spreading a contemporary choral repertoire, making him a key figure in modern choral music.

GREENSLEEVES GOSPEL CHOIR
Founded in 1992 by Fausto Caravati to bring together young people who wanted to express themselves through the warm sounds of gospel music, the Greensleeves Gospel Choir (GGC) has performed in nearly 1,000 concerts in churches, theaters, and squares in Italy and abroad, as well as on major musical stages both in Italy and internationally.

In December 1998, it performed for the first time in Italy the Gospel Mass by Robert Ray. In December 2002, celebrating its tenth anniversary, it performed the Christmas concert Christmas is Coming, accompanied by the New Garden Pop Orchestra. In September 1997, the choir released its first album, The Gospel Train, followed by Everybody Let’s Praise The Lord in 1999. In 2001, the first compilation of Italian gospel was released, which included a track from GGC.

In December 2007, the choir presented the album Live at Varese Gospel Festival in celebration of its 15th anniversary. The choir’s latest album, A Gospel Heart, was recorded in Varese in November 2015.

On October 31, 2019, the choir was invited by the Don Gnocchi Foundation to perform for Pope Francis at the Vatican in Aula Paolo IV, singing before nearly 6,000 pilgrims.

In May 2021, some of the choir’s singers were selected to join the 18 best gospel voices in Italy for a performance with Andrea Bocelli during The Journey tour, which included performances at symbolic locations along the Via Francigena. At the stunning ruins of the Abbey of San Galgano, Fausto Caravati conducted the “Solevoci Gospel Choir” in a moving performance of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, alongside Andrea Bocelli, Tori Kelly, and the 40 Fingers Guitar Quartet. The choir also accompanied Tori Kelly in two of her biggest hits: Never Alone and Soul’s Anthem, the latter performed entirely a cappella.

The choir’s repertoire spans a variety of gospel styles, from traditional hymns to contemporary pieces, and their energetic and uplifting performances are well-loved by audiences.

Program

• Carol of the Bells
• Worthy is the Lamb
• White Winter Hymnal
• Holy Night Medley
• The Night That Christ Was Born
• Dolce Sentire
• Carol Medley 2023
• Psalm 34
• Jesus, Oh, What a Wonderful Child
• Medley of Change
• Total Praise
• Lift Him Up
• I Feel Your Spirit
• Christmas Joy
• Oh, Happy Day

The Greensleeves Gospel Choir continues to be a significant cultural force, maintaining its reputation for delivering high-energy performances with powerful vocal harmonies and an unforgettable gospel experience.

L’Amministrazione Comunale di Varenna

ringrazia la Parrocchia

per la gentile e preziosa collaborazione

ed augura a tutti

serene festività.