The Moorestown High School Madrigals held their holiday concert on Dec. 16.
“Typically, we do an exclusive holiday dinner for families and alumni, but this year we’re opening it up to the whole community,” said choral director Caela Johnson.
The interactive show included a photo booth, caroling, cookies, hot chocolate, crafts and a sing-along. Student conductors Audrey Barr and Teddy Simek taught audience members how to conduct the Madrigals.
“They show everyone the pattern and how to make them sing faster and louder, and then they ask the audience if somebody wants to come up and conduct the Madrigals,” Johnson explained. “It’s really cool. A lot of the students remember doing that. My Madrigals remember raising their hand to do that, so it’s like a full-circle (moment) that they get to be a part of …
“A thing that made them want to be where they are today.”
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Madrigals’ 10-day performance tour next spring, which will include stops in Austria’s Salzburg and Vienna and Prague in the Czech Republic. Johnson explained how the group’s repertoire highlights the composers of each city.
“They’re going to be learning about the composers; the music that was written specifically in those cities,” Johnson noted. “(They’re) going to be going to museums and learning about the history of each place and then performing in each city.”
For the past two years, the Madrigals have been studying German composer and pianist Johannes Brahms, one of Johnson’s favorites. Many of his works have become staples of the modern concert repertoire, according to the website for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.
“I think I’m most excited to sing in a place where his music was composed and make the connection from the classroom to the literal historic sites,” Johnson enthused.
This year’s Madrigals include Maddie Clark, Barr, Annie Callahan, Estella Mueller, Lauren Schaffer, Katie Mark, Jeanine Mashauri, Mina Moriuchi, Avanni Dalal, Abby Reyes, Elizabeth Bello, Lucy Cardillo, Olivia Barnes, Alexis Jacob, Kai Vajapey, Jucas Oeltjen, Ben Jakominich, Matt Stewart, Tyler Mark, Ivan Denissov, Max Savidge, Jack Mattiacci, Jackson Drakowsky and Simek.
“For the first time,” Johnson said of the holiday concert, “we’re bringing this event to our community, rather than just our families and our alumni.”
For more on the Madrigals, visit the group’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
