In 2007, when Mrs. Laura Gibson’s son joined the Madrigal Singers, she decided to fix up his neglected Renaissance costume. The next year, when there were no new costumes that fit him, she decided to make him a new one. The year after that, she made one for her daughter. 

“And then it all just started happening,” said Gibson. She has been making and mending costumes for the Madrigals ever since.

Gibson, who was a math teacher at LFHS for nearly three decades, started her sewing career early. When she was five years old, her mother taught her to sew, and also “taught me to be a perfectionist,” said Gibson. Since then, she has quilted, done needlework, and made many Halloween costumes for her children.

The Renaissance costumes come from the madrigal type of music, which was created as an acapella group in early 16th-century Italy, and traditionally sang secular music.

“I have a lot of historical books at home on costuming. I have one that goes through the centuries and through the decades,” she said, which allows her to make the costumes historically-inspired.

“These are really ornate costumes with beautiful fabrics,” said choir teacher Mr. Matthew Begale. “We don’t take the quality lightly.”

Most costumes take 20-30 hours to create, with material between $250 and $400. To buy something of this quality runs upwards of $800.

A lot of the material used to create the costumes is a lighter-weight upholstery fabric, said Gibson. “We tried to move away from the cottons so there was a little more glamor to it,” she said.

That glamor translates to a high quality look for high quality vocals.

“People don’t realize that a great set can set the mood or the tone for a performance, but the costumes can do the same thing. Our audience feels the same way,” said Begale. “It creates the whole ambiance for the audience. We’re trying to leave them inspired.”

For many, these costumes represent years of waiting. The Madrigals only accept junior and senior female voices, so the underclassmen Bel Canto singers must wait to choose a Renaissance dress.

“I think a lot of us have been dreaming since we were freshmen or even before about the dress we want in Madrigals,” said senior Janel Sharman. “They’re really that special of a part of the group.”

But Gibson’s impact on the group is not taken lightly, Beagle said. “It’s more than just costumes for fun,” he said. “It’s an investment she’s made into the program, into our students. It’s a legacy she’s gotten to set.”

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Mrs. Laura Gibson

The process of making a dress, which starts with a bodice...