At age 24, after founding the Orthodox Concert Choir of Los Angeles, he directed the ensemble in the west-coast premiere performance of Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil. A subsequent recording of the work, on VOX-Turnabout records, has been the only performance of this work in the composer-sanctioned English edition in the catalogue.
Mr. Ruggieri was one of 12 choral music experts from around the world, working under the guidance of renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich and musicologist Dr. Vladimir Morosan, to compile the most important liturgical music written over the last 1,000 years. The first volume of Monuments of Russian Church Music was published by Musica Russica in 1991. He subsequently co-edited the volume on the “All Night Vigil” by Rachmaninoff, and continued to edit and perform lesser-known music from Russia and Eastern Europe.
Mr. Ruggieri’s composition, Madrigals, was awarded first prize in the South Bay Master Chorale’s National Composition Competition in 1998. In 1995, he appeared along with his ensemble, The Cambridge Singers, and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on the nationally broadcast program Music and the Spoken Word.
Alex’s other interests included classic movies, old-time radio, dance band and swing music from the early 20th century, traveling, racquetball, NPR, museums, astronomy, theater and reading biographies and histories. He loved to discuss religion, politics and music history. He shared the last eight years of his life with Jamie Martin in Pasadena, CA, hosting annual Christmas caroling parties, visiting family, and hiking around Eureka and other parts of the northern California coastline. He is sorely missed by his family and all the people he influenced and loved.
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