Madrigals

 

Madrigals

I loved to sing.  It was my “thing” in high school.  I looked forward to being in the elite choir, Madrigals.  You could try out at the end of your sophomore year to be part of the group in your junior year, but most people didn’t get in until their senior year.  I had tried out for all-state choir in my sophomore year and was so happy when I got in.  It gave me courage and hope to try out for Madrigals.  I auditioned in front of the teacher and the madrigal officers.  I did really well.  I knew I had done really well.

A few days later, Mrs. Schmidt called me into the Madrigal room.  She told me I was very qualified to be in the group, but that there wasn’t room for another alto in the group, so I wouldn’t be in.  I was devastated.  Right there, in front of her, I burst into tears.  I was so sad.  She felt horrible.  She said I was qualified and that she would talk to the rest of the committee and let me in.  I wasn’t trying to manipulate her.  I honestly was just sad and so cried. I was so happy.  But then, the next day she called me in again.  She handed me a tissue and said she had talked to the others and they said no.  I didn’t cry that time.  I just told her thank you for trying and left with a heavy heart. 

It was a long year to wait until I could try out again at the end of my junior year.  This time I made it.  Being in Madrigals was such a joy in my life and worth the wait.  I made many friends and really loved singing with the group.  It was during that senior year in Madrigals that I discovered that I was really a soprano.  My teacher listened to me sing.  He then gave me a soprano solo in a Carpenters song, “Crescent Noon. “The words I sang: “Green September burned to October brown.  Bare November led to December’s frozen ground. “I remember while I was singing it at rehearsal one day, he said, “Just listen to those high tones.” (It was written in a higher key in our SATB arrangement.)  I have never forgotten the joy of him saying those words.  They built my confidence so much.  Our words are powerful and can make a big difference in someone’s life. 

We performed often in Madrigals.  People would hire us to sing at their private parties, so we went in homes and halls and restaurants.  It was such a fun year.  I loved every minute of it.  It gave me a love for what I do now with the Keynotes.   Being in Madrigals was truly one of the joys of my life.

My sister, Patty, is a mover and shaker.  In 1997, she organized a Madrigal reunion.  We all gathered and practiced songs for a couple of days, directed by our directors through the years.  It was so fun to be together and to, again, join our voices in song.  It was so fun to see old friends and sing with them again.  I am so grateful for the experience of being in Caldwell High School Madrigals.

The program from the Madrigal reunion