For some of Prairie Ridge’s most dedicated singers, Christmas began in the middle of July – rehearsing traditional carols and festive music – in preparation for the Madrigal Dinners, which occurred at the beginning of December. Not only did the singers devote countless hours to these performances, but the actors, Chanteurs d’Arete, court singers, and the recorder and brass ensembles also worked hard to contribute to the magical, musical atmosphere.
The students involved and the audience who came to participate in the revelry got to enjoy the long-lasting traditions surrounding the Dinners, such as drinking wassail, eating without utensils, and yelling “huzzah” whenever something exciting happened. Senior brass player David Effinger mentioned that he “enjoyed yelling louder than the court singers and playing louder than the recorders,” which the brass players have always done over the years.
Since the Dinners took place in the Renaissance era, the actors and musicians developed characters and wore beautiful costumes that conformed to the time period. “We had a fun time adding some of our own songs to the mix, even though they may have sounded a bit out of place,” said David. Well, almost everyone was able to conform to the era.
The recorder ensemble also had fun throughout the weekend, mouthing the words to the songs and watching the people in the tech booth mimic the acting. Jen Peterson, a senior recorderist remarked that “the most memorable part was having to play ‘Pavane’ over and over again. It was the only song we had memorized and we played it as people were walking in, when we made our entrance, a couple of times during the dinner, and as people were leaving. By the end of the show I was ready to never hear that song again.”
Freshman Brianna Berillo commented that her favorite part was “interacting with people in the audience. It’s so exciting to be someone completely different!” She was part of the freshmen Court Singers, the musical group that gets to serve the food to the guests. It is a great opportunity for them to be involved and to learn from the older, experienced students.
One of these veterans was senior Margaret Schlofner, a 4-year performer in the Madrigal Dinners. She reflected that “being in madrigals has been my favorite experience and memory of high school, since it has taught me so much about music and about myself.” These Madrigal Dinner performances truly are a special, memorable Christmas tradition, and fortunately, this year all of the seats were sold out so many got to enjoy the decorations, costumes, food, and beautiful music.
Megan Effinger, a sophomore and one of the Chanteurs d’Arete singers, summed up the weekend excellently when she emphasized her favorite aspect of the Madrigal Dinners, which was “singing my heart out while listening to others do the same. All of the people involved have so much passion for what they do and it is really special to see us all get together in this season and create music with the ones we love.”
