By Renee Rohani
Business Manager
The CHS Madrigals choir proved you don’t need a time machine to travel to the 16th century and experience the culture and atmosphere of the Renaissance.
On Dec. 4 and 5, Madrigals performed its Annual Madrigal Feast, titled, “A Christmas Fruitcake and other Weighty Matters”.
The show included a short play set in Renaissance times as well as a concert immediately following where Madrigals performed a selection of music. Audience members also were provided a traditional Renaissance meal of bread rolls, stewed potatoes and large pieces of chicken, minus the utensils of course.
The play was about a King and Queen, seniors Grayson Hollis and Kelsey Preston, respectively, and their guests sharing a meal at a Christmas banquet. Some shenanigans of the plot included a “weighty” fruitcake carried in by three people, a “black sheep” of the family who was literally a black sheep, and some on-the-spot Christmas presents taken straight from audience members, including Principal Brad Hunt.
The music was selected by second-year choir director Jeffrey Schulz.
“There are some classic songs that we perform every year, like ‘Sing We Now of Christmas’, that are a traditional part of the Madrigal Feast and ones that everyone looks forward to,” captain and senior Dinah Smith said. “We start learning them pretty much at the start of summer”.
One Feast tradition Madrigals followed through with this year is the opportunity for captains and seniors Caity Randall, Chris Scoular and Smith to conduct one song for the choir.
“Conducting one of the songs just gives us a chance to be recognized as the leaders,” Smith said. “It was my favorite part of the whole show.”
Near the end of the feast, the choir performed “Silent Night” and invited alumni members of Madrigals in the audience to join them onstage.
Students in lower choirs also received a chance to take part in the feast by serving as wenches and serfs for the guests.
“[Being a server in the Feast] helps you get to know the other Madrigals members better,” freshman Michelle Pitcher said. “I really want to be in Madrigals one day because they’re such amazing performers.”
Three head servers got the opportunity to be a part of the play as minor characters in the storyline.
Many of the parents as well as CHS students in the audience were eager to get to see the performance for the last time.
“I came to see the show because I’m a senior this year and it’s my last chance to experience it,” senior Smargo Pittman said.
The choir began practicing and casting roles for the play about a month and a half before the show and went through rigorous rehearsals up to two weeks before performance. Now that the feast is over, Madrigals is focusing on its upcoming competition toward the end of February.
For graduating seniors of Madrigals, their last feast was a bittersweet experience.
“[The feast] was a real victory for us,” Smith said. “It was such a cool feeling to get to experience all of us rallying together and create an amazing end product.”
