On August 12, junior and senior Madrigal members met for their annual retreat led by Mr. Brian Wand. The day started with a breakfast provided by the senior Madrigals; then all members attended Mass at St. Procopius Abbey to begin the year in prayerful song. Afterwards, the Madrigals spent time getting to know each other personally as well as musically. Even though it was only August, the group immediately began learning Christmas music. The Madrigals’ busiest season is December as they will sing carols at many different social events and will perform in the Christmas Spectacular. The Christmas festivities then culminate in the most beloved Madrigal event: the Madrigal Dinner. The Madrigal Dinner is a few hours of acting, singing, dining, and, of course, wassailing. There are many tunes which need to be learned and memorized for this dinner in just a few months, so the Christmas season began early for all Madrigals at this retreat, which allowed the singers to get a head start on all that must be mastered before December.

They ended the day singing in Mr. John Leffler’s fourth-floor classroom to honor the original Benet Academy Madrigal practice space. The Madrigals then sang at the Froshfest Mass on the the 19th of August and the Faculty Mass on the 22nd. Finally, the senior Madrigals performed a selection of last year’s Madrigal songs at the Freshman Half-Day to demonstrate the skill and talent that resides in Benet’s Fine Arts Department. The next time all junior and senior Madrigals will perform is the Fall Choir Concert on October 23 and 24 at 7:30 p.m. Be sure to join them and the Benet Academy Choir groups for plenty of beautiful music!