The Upper School Madrigals are expanding their horizons this year. The singing group hopes to perform at more school events as well as at outside venues, furthering their involvement in the community.
The Madrigals were invited to perform at the Veteran’s Day Parade in New York City Monday, November 11. The girls sang patriotic songs such as “America the Beautiful,” “Grand Ole Flag,” “The National Anthem”, “My Country tis of Thee,” and “God Bless America” while riding on the Veteran’s Advantage float.
Their next performance will be at the Junior League of Greenwich’s Enchanted Forest November 24, where they will be singing Christmas-themed music.
The Madrigals will also carol at Convent of the Sacred Heart’s Christmas fundraiser, “Come Home for Christmas,” December 6.
Further, plans are underway for a CD which will include the best of their repertoire from this year and years prior.
“We want to record a CD of music we are working on this year as well as maybe some favorites. Most likely the CD will be sold in fundraisers,” Miss Annette Etheridge, Middle and Upper School Music Director said. “My hopes are for the Madrigals to continue to grow as musicians and be recognized as a beautifully polished chorus.”
The Madrigals are made up of more than 40 Upper School singers under the direction of Miss Etheridge. They perform at school events including liturgies and concerts, and are an integral part of the music program at Convent of the Sacred Heart. This year, the Madrigals have already sung at the Mother-Daughter Liturgy and are planning for school concerts in December and April.
The Madrigals perform songs ranging from classical to liturgical to contemporary. Last year, the Madrigals performed a spectrum of music from the Hallelujah Chorus from the Messiah by Handel to the Glee version of the Queen hit song “Somebody to Love.” They successfully performed last year on the Today Show where they sang the Hallelujah Chorus and the traditional Christmas carol, “Carol of the Bells.” They also traveled to England where they had the opportunity to perform at Woldingham and Beechwood schools, which are both part of the Sacred Heart network.
“We’re excited to be doing new things and branching out more into the community and showing off our talents,” Madrigals member and senior Nicolette Brusco said.
-Mo Narasimhan, Staff Writer