Mad for Madrigals: Renaissance-themed a cappella group gears up for winter

November 8, 2017

It has finally reached November and that means that the Holidays are right around the corner. With Thanksgiving only three weeks away and only fifty days until Christmas (who’s counting), there’s no doubt that people are excited. However, there is a select group of students that couldn’t be any more ecstatic to make their holiday debut. This year’s Madrigal group will be having their first performance on November 26th, the Sunday following Thanksgiving.

For those who don’t know what Madrigals at LFHS are, they’re a Holiday acapella group with a Renaissance theme. One of the three Student Leaders, Elizabeth Clayton, shed some light on what Madrigals is to The Forest Scout. “The Madrigals are a group of talented and dedicated music students who work nearly all first semester to be a good representation of LFHS’ music department and our high school in the community.” The group is led by Mr. Haskett, the school’s Choir Director, up until performances begin. After that, it will be a student-run group. This year’s leaders will include seniors Bradley Berklich, Chris Weigand and Elizabeth Clayton.

Now you may be asking: Do they really work all semester? The answer is simply yes. The Madrigals of LFHS held auditions in the second week of school and began practicing the following week. They rehearse two hours a week throughout September and October and have begun to add additional rehearsals–which can add up to three and half hours a week–in November. After Thanksgiving, the group has various performances. These performances can be as much as four times a week until Christmas.

If you have the opportunity to attend a Madrigals performance, you should definitely do so. The singers work extremely hard to perfect the many holiday carols in their repertoire. You can find these talented singers performing at these locations on the following dates:

Lake Forest Market Square Performance- November 26, 2017 (2:00 pm)

Knollwood Country Club – December 3, 2017 (7:00pm)

Holiday Concert and Spaghetti Dinner – December 10, 2017 (Concert – 7:00 pm)

Lake Bluff women’s Club – December 12, 2017 (1:00 pm)

Shoreacres Country Club – December 13, 2017 (6:30 pm)

Ontwentsia Country Club- December 14, 2017 (6:30 pm)

This year’s roster includes:

Grace Duggan

Lily Gould

Eilise Lynch

Trisha Bhagat

Antoinette Pompevanmeerdevoort