St. Francis recently held their 44th annual madrigals dinner, Panic and the Pantheon. A dinner and show which takes place following the divorce of Greek gods Zeus and Hera and their search to find a set of gods to replace them as rulers of the Pantheon.
Madrigals is an auditioned acapella choir and is an opportunity for students who love to sing, act and write. Choir director Ian Stillmunks has been working at the highschool for the past two years, with last year being his first year overseeing the Madrigals course.
“Stillmunks is awesome,” said junior Avery Lee, “it’s really fun and it’s a nice learning experience.”
The Madrigals script is completely student written. Senior Madison Bates plays Hera, the goddess of motherhood. Although Bates played the jester last year, this is her first year at the head table.
“I wanted to be really involved this year because it’s my only year in Madrigals,” Bates said, “so I wanted to make sure that I had a hand in creating the best performance we possibly could.”
Madrigal students have a chance to contribute to the making of the Madrigals script and story,
“It’s really fun and it’s a nice learning experience,” said Lee, who spent her first year at the head table. “The seniors are really nice and encouraging.”
Composed of Juniors and Seniors, students have the chance to learn and grow during this three month long experience, and create musical memories.
“It’s really fun and it’s a nice learning experience,” said Lee. “The seniors are really nice and encouraging.”
Madrigal students not only write their own scripts, they also costume themselves in the theme of their characters for the dinner performance.
“You get to not only be a part of history, but you also get to dress up and sing some great songs with your friends and have a lot of fun,” said Stillmunks.
In addition, there is a brass ensemble called The Madrigals Brass which was also student led this year by senior Nathaniel Esboldt.
Band Director David Bechard heard many rehearsals as they were preparing.
“This is sounding like the best madrigal (dinner) that we’ve had in my time here,” said Bechard.
If you missed it, or just want to enjoy it again, please check out the video posted on the St. Francis High School Choirs YouTube channel.
