Blackburn College’s Department of Music and Theatre recently hosted the 47th Annual Madrigal Dinner. The Madrigal Dinner is a Renaissance-themed feast with jesters, kings, queens, lords and ladies and performances from Blackburn’s choir and a small band. This event included a meal with the tradition of serving and presenting a boar’s head, which is a tradition from medieval England for Christmas celebrations.
This tradition was common in medieval times for the celebration of Christmas, and that was what inspired Dr. Elizabeth W. Zobel to turn this tradition into an event for the music department. The event was held in the Demuzio Campus Center and was decorated with candles, lights and Renaissance-themed theatre sets. An individual who worked behind the scenes said, “The event was well organized, and the tasks were divided evenly.”. The event started with a jester (played by Galaxie Vail) who gave a brief explanation of what the feast entailed. Soon after the king (played by Bradley Hill) and the queen (played by Stefanie Scheuermann) entered with their court of lords and ladies and performed traditional songs after they took their spot at the King’s table for the feast. The court included students Logan Elliot, Zoë Michaels, Jacob Gillis, Alia Stewart, Eli Hilyard, Noelia Martinez-Voigt, JB Warden, Raven Brooks, Emily Fleck and Jay Hund.
There were castle guards, pages (messengers) that transported messages from one person to another and tumblers that performed gymnastic stunts throughout the feast. This event raised money for the department to help with any expenses and trips that the department will need.
This event is hosted every year and is a fun way to enjoy a meal while watching the music department perform, so make sure to check it out next year!