By Voice staff

More than 150 boys from schools in the Oakland Diocese and the San Francisco Archdiocese gathered at All Saints Church in Hayward Feb. 19 to sing, ring bells, play Orff instruments and learn how to conduct music at the Ninth Annual Boys Can Sing, Too event.

Two boys from St. John School in San Lorenzo sing out during one of the Boys Can Sing Too workshop.

They received inspiration from Richard Landry Clark, a junior at St. Mary’s High in Berkeley, who led the assembly in a festive responsorial psalm to illustrate the role of the cantor and the response of the congregation at Sunday and school Masses. All of the boys were encouraged to sing out at their school and parish liturgies.

George Husson, music director at St. Theresa Parish in Oakland, performed the “Trumpet Tune” using the en chamade trumpet stop for the assembled singers. Participants also listened to a Lenten anthem performed by an octet of boys from the Golden Gate Boys Choir.

The youthful singers and musicians attended presentations and workshops by Neil Sugay from St. Felicitas School in San Leandro, Samara Olivier from St. John School in San Lorenzo, and Timothy Silva, Alexander Bonner and Steven Meyer from All Saints School in Hayward.

The day ended with a blessing from Father Fernando Cortez, chaplain to the Golden Gate Boys Choir and Bellringers, who spoke to the boys about the ministerial role that choirs serve in the liturgy.

Schools represented at event were All Saints and St. Clement in Hayward, St. John in San Lorenzo, St. Felicitas in San Leandro, St. Edward in Newark, St. Joseph Notre Dame High in Alameda, St. Mary’s High in Berkeley, and St. James and St. Vincent de Paul schools in San Francisco.

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