Music:
The "Friends� Choir" and the Rock Band

On March the 21st 1999, date of the inauguration of the movement "The Friends", the �Friends� Choir� made its official d�but in the musical world of Rome. It is composed of 20 singers, both mentally disabled and not.

The choir is accompanied by a keyboard player, a disabled percussionist and a conductor. It has been decided to use the tradition of the Gospel singers or more specifically the Spirituals because of their strong religious and social content and because they are suited to the requirements of the group.
Certain passages had been chosen, translated into Italian (in some cases only the music is used and a new text has been written) and the singers have already begun to study their parts.

Some of the singers have shown their capacity as soloists, others have become choristers or sing the second voice. In any case the singers skills have been used to suit the various pieces chosen.
The success of the first concerts have increased the enthusiasm and have transformed the group into a real singing school in order to give a professional touch to each single voice.

New singing talents and instrumentalists have been taken on for this purpose.
From the moment of its foundation until today, the �Friends� Choir� have performed in public on various occasions. One memorable time was at the �World Youth Day� in Rome in the Church of San Bartolomeo all�Isola when they played to an audience of thousands of young people from every part of the world on the occasion of a presentation by the Community of Sant� Egidio.