| Metro
Praiz
Director's Corner |
Ralph Jean-Pierre, Metro Praiz Music DirectorRalph Jean-Pierre was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and, along with his parents, migrated to the United States at 3 years old. He was later blessed with a sister, who was born in the US. Since migrating to the US, Ralph has resided in various cities, including New York, Boston, Orlando, Berrien Springs, West Palm Beach, and, now, Baltimore. Ralph’s musical journey began at age 7 when he was introduced to the piano. Over the years, his interest in music and talent have evolved, affording him opportunities to sing in and direct many choirs, in addition to playing various instruments, including the trumpet, violin, and percussions. Ralph’s musical training is classical in nature; however, he has embraced a wide range of genres, particularly gospel, which he began listening to and fell in love with at age 13. In fact, as a teenager, he played for and occasionally directed his high school gospel choir at Palm Beach Bilingual Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida. After moving to Maryland, Ralph sought to expand his knowledge and horizons pertaining to gospel music and the studio recording of such. He interned under David Griffiths and gained a wealth of knowledge pertaining to the art and techniques of professional music recording. Ralph attended Columbia Union College (CUC) from 2001 to 2006. During his sophomore year, he founded the Black Student Union (BSU) Gospel Choir and served as Director until his graduation in 2006. The choir began with only a few members but grew greatly in size as the years passed and even traveled throughout various cities on the East Coast (from New York to Miami) and the Midwest (Chicago). Under his leadership, the BSU Gospel Choir also toured internationally to Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and St. Thomas. Ralph Jean-Pierre’s involvement with the BSU at CUC significantly boosted the school’s recruitment and enrollment. Furthermore, the choir provided spiritual roots for many students, who did not otherwise have a spiritual foundation. After graduating from CUC, Ralph journeyed to Japan, where he served as a student missionary for 9 months. This extraordinary experience, filled with both positive and negative elements, proved to be character-building and spiritually enriching. While in Japan, Ralph found a way to be musically involved, ministering at both a Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he founded a choir and at a Sunday-worshipping church, where he directed the gospel choir and served as the pianist. Upon returning to the United States, Ralph realized that there was something missing in his life – ministering with a gospel choir. As such, he is pleased to now serve as the Music Director of Metro Praiz and prays that this youth ministry will continue to grow and be a blessing. |