Newtown High School Singers Present

A Traditional Madrigal Feast

Commencing with an opening fanfare from royal trumpeters Nick Drabik and Sean Gerety, the Newtown High School Singers, fully costumed as the royal court, provided the introduction for a traditional Madrigal Feast on Friday, January 20, at the Stony Hill Inn in Bethel.

High school choral director John Harned organized the event and hopes to continue bringing it to the town on an annual basis. Cost to attend the event was $30 with all proceeds going to benefit the NHS Choral Parents Scholarship Fund and program development.

The feast began with a welcome from royal court jesters Nicholas and Barnaby, portrayed by students Nathaniel Basch-Gould and Greg Gordon, who continued their whimsical, comedic nonsense throughout the evening with cheers and applause given by a very enthusiastic audience of parents and friends. The jesters periodically banished guests in the audience to the stockade during the evening. Superintendent of Schools Evan Pitkoff and director of music for the Newtown district, Michelle Hiscavich, spent a period of time in the stocks.

Bob Mitchell, a parent who attended the event, stated, “Nathaniel and Greg, who played the court jesters, were hysterical. They just made the night!” Mr Mitchell said the event was well attended with more than 80 people present; the students raised almost $2,000 to benefit the scholarship fund and choral programs.

The event included dinner, comic entertainment, a silent auction, and performances by the NHS Singers. The renaissance period pieces included traditional music such as “Wassail” and “Sing We and Chant It,” along with special presentations of “Since Robin Hood” and “Though Philomela Lost Her Love.” Madrigals are short songs that tell a story, similar in tone to chanted religious music from the 15th and 16th Centuries.

Reed Singers, under the direction of music teacher Michelle Tenenbaum, performed more modern songs, “Comedy Tonight” and for their second number “One Candle, One Flame,” written by Newtown resident Linda Sobo. Ms Tenenbaum said that during that song the students held little battery operated, flickering candles that they turned on and off throughout particular parts the performance, adding a humorous touch to the song.

Ms Tenenbaum said the Reed Singers is an after school, extra curricular group that is open to any fifth or sixth grader. She said, “This is a really new group that has just formed. We have only practiced together for a relatively short time. They have never performed as a group at a public performance before. They were just adorable and had so much fun. They were so respectful and did such a wonderful job that it made me particularly proud.”

The Newtown High School Singers is made up of a select group of vocal students. Members of the group who performed at the Madrigal Feast were Melanie Beck, Dan Berlingeri, Robin Collins, Annie Grills, Kayla Koschel, Allyson Makuch, Quinlan Mitchell, Samantha Mitchell, Claire Ober, Nicholas Petrovich, Stephen Petrovich, Diana Rawson, Ryan Silveria, and Stewart Tabler.