MULTIMEDIA: Madrigals reflect on successful fundraiser

By Chloe Sommer and Zoe Vikstrom,
Bluedevilhub.com Staff–

The Davis High Madrigals Choir hosted its annual fundraising event on Dec. 5 and 6 at the University Covenant Church.

The Madrigals practiced their songs for months before the dinner to fine tune their performance. The week leading up to the dinner was full of practice and rehearsal.

The singers’ hard work paid off; they had a full house both nights of the show. Both Davis’s mayor Dan Wolk and district Superintendent Winfred Roberson made appearances.

The building was completely decked out in festive decor, setting the tone for an evening full of holiday spirit. There were flags strung across the ceiling, several Christmas trees and candles that contributed to the light in the room.

The guests were seated at tables of seven and were served food throughout the night. The meal consisted of bread rolls, salad, vegetables, potatoes and a meat of choice.

The grand finale occurred when the Madrigals sang about figgy pudding, and four volunteers brought a fake figgy pudding out, carrying it on their shoulders.

The volunteers then served real figgy pudding to all of the guests.

At the event, all guests were welcome to bid in a silent auction before sitting down to be serenaded for the evening. The Madrigals performed as a complete choir and in smaller groups, singing holiday carols and classics.

“Friday’s performance was seamless and one of the best performances I have ever seen,” Madrigals director Karen Gardias said.

Her students agree that the first night of the fundraiser was the best of the two-night event.

“Saturday we were all really tired…like, dead tired, so it was hard to stay animated,” senior Abby Soler said.

Soler believes, however, that the performances were an improvement on past events.

“It was way better than last year,” Soler said.

Most members of the Madrigals agree that the nights ran smoothly and that the audience was able to view quality performances.

“Overall, I think definitely there were things that could have been improved inside the choir. But if I were just watching the performance, in the audience, I think it would have been a very fun performance to watch,” junior Anthony DiCarlo said.

The two-night fundraiser was successful in its goal, raising money for the choir’s upcoming trips and activities.

But the performance had meaning beyond just fundraising for some members of the choir; many of the singers in this year’s Madrigals choir are seniors graduating in 2015.

“For our seniors, this was the last Madrigal dinner we will ever perform in. I cried a lot,” Soler said.

But the night ended on a happy note. “On Friday night we went to In-N-Out after [the performance] in our costumes and we sang “Merry Christmas” which was embarrassing,” Soler said.