A Potpourri of Updates and a Great Video

Hello everyone! I’m sorry that it has been such a long time since my last post. We in the Mads have been very busy with a number of events and of course, school work. Last time I wrote, we were getting ready for Madrigal Fest in Winchester on March 19th. In addition to having a fantastic performance that night, we got to hear two professional classical groups and  two high school groups, all performing top-notch songs. A week later on March 25th, a number of us journeyed a short distance to the St. Lawrence Church in Chestnut Hill where we took part in their Feast of the Annunciation Service, singing Bogoroditse Djevo by Arvo Part, the Kyrie from Victoria’s Requiem and O Magnum Mysterium, also by Victoria. Although a lengthy service, we were all happy to be a part of such a unique tradition. Thanks to Fr. Bradford and Prof. Connolly for having us at St. Lawrence’s. On March 29th, we once again welcomed Scott Metcalfe of the Blue Heron Renaissance Choir to a rehearsal. This time, he helped us turn Lasciatemi Morire into a madrigal full of emotion, heartbreak and Italian passion, and helped us become one of the swans in Il Bianco e Docle Cigno. On April 2nd, we, along with a number of other BC a cappella groups performed in McGuinn Hall for the annual AIDS Awareness Concert. Lastly, on Friday the 8th, we had a small yet very enjoyable ice cream social with Scott and one of the members of Blue Heron, Paul Guttry. Also in attendance at the ice cream social was Scott’s feisty and energetic young daughter, Anna. It was great to be able to interact socially with them and find out more about their pasts and their experiences in Blue Heron.

Coming up in a few weeks on April 28th is our annual performance at ArtsFest, here at BC. This is a great opportunity for everyone in the BC community and in surrounding areas to come check out and enjoy the arts that are going on here. Lastly, May 6th at St. Mary’s Chapel will be our spring concert. St. Mary’s Chapel is a beautiful space, both aesthetically and acoustically, and we are always very privileged to be able to sing there. We hope to see you there! (For more information, visit our Events page).

Lastly, I could not possible post this entry without attaching the following video. Although it has nothing to do with us, it does involve choral music. Composer and conductor Eric Whitacre is quite literally becoming more popular by the minute. His contemporary works are sung on a regular basis by high school, state, and professional choirs nationally and internationally. Several months ago, he put out a call to singers across the globe to post videos of themselves singing his beautiful composition Sleep. 2052 videos of people singing on their voice parts were submitted and were smushed together into a “virtual choir”. The product (below) is absolutely amazing…