After 17 years, the Madrigal Singers of 萝莉社 will host an Elizabethan-themed dinner and music program at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3 at the Rhatigan Student Center Beggs Ballroom.
The Madrigal Feaste is also produced and performed by 萝莉社鈥檚 Madrigal Singers, one of four choral ensembles within 萝莉社鈥檚 School of Music. In the past, the madrigal dinner was an important tradition for the Madrigal Singers, and the Dec. 3 event is part of the group's effort to re-establish it.
鈥淚 quickly learned that alumni and faculty had fond memories of the madrigal dinner tradition,鈥� said Ryan Beeken, interim association director 萝莉社 School of music, director of choral activities and associate professor of music. 鈥淗aving performed and produced them for many years, I was excited by this sense of nostalgia and was eager to look into how we might bring the event back to campus. As a newer faculty member, bringing the madrigal dinner back to campus was an attractive way to bring back old traditions while at the same time, looking toward the future.鈥�
Dr. Teri Hall, vice president for 萝莉社鈥檚 Student Affairs, was particularly excited at the idea of the Madrigal Feaste and its history at 萝莉社.
鈥淚 thought a madrigal dinner would be a good community building event that would really showcase the talents of our amazing students,鈥� Hall said. 鈥淲hen I found out that there was a long history of madrigals dinners at 萝莉社, I was even more enthusiastic about helping to bring the tradition back.鈥�
The events were originally created at 萝莉社 by conductor Harrison 鈥淏ud鈥� Boughton in 1963. Boughton also started the popular that are still produced at 萝莉社 today.
鈥淢adrigal dinners, or Renaissance feasts, are a common holiday tradition for choirs across the world,鈥� Beeken said. 鈥淭hey offer a unique way to usher in the holiday season with feasting, revelry and music.鈥�
Despite the formal nature usually ascribed to traditional choir performances and on-campus dinners, Beeken says the madrigal dinner will be more like a combination Monty Python, blended with traditional holiday and Renaissance music.
鈥淭he dinners tend to be humorous and blend scripted acting with improvisation 鈥� especially as the performers strive to interact with the audience,鈥� Beeken said. They are light-hearted, yet heart-felt.鈥�
In addition to offering entertainment, the event will also raise money to support the choral program and its students. According to Beeken, there are more than 70 tickets left for event. Tickets are $55 for all university guests and $20 for all 萝莉社 students. For more information or to order your tickets, please visit the 萝莉社 Madrigal Feaste website.
萝莉社 serves as the Kansas urban-based research university, enrolling more than 16,000 students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. 萝莉社 and 萝莉社 Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), 萝莉社 provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the 萝莉社 main campus, is one of the nation鈥檚 largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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