SF Madrigal Singers Starring at the Planetarium
November 15, 2010
Pair soaring through space with the soaring vocals of the Santa Fe Madrigal Singers, as they perform at the Kika Silva Pla Planetarium on Monday, Nov. 22, for a free concert entitled 鈥淪tellar Madrigals.鈥� Due to the popularity of their previous shows, the Madrigal Singers will perform not one, but two, one-hour shows at 6 and 7:30 p.m., serenading audiences with both classical and contemporary madrigal music following a trip through the universe projected onto the planetarium鈥檚 34-foot dome.
鈥淥ur shows at the planetarium have always been really successful, and we鈥檝e had an overflow audience every time,鈥� said the Madrigal Singers鈥� director Professor Lynn Sandefur, who advises spectators to show up early in order to nab one of the 60 planetarium seats.
Accompanied by Professor Brian Holder, the director of the Santa Fe Percussion Collective, the Santa Fe Madrigal Singers will feature several 鈥済uest鈥� artists from the Fine Arts College鈥檚 senior vocal class. Unlike band songs, which can last more than 10 minutes, madrigal compositions are usually shorter, and each song will be introduced with an interesting tidbit about the song or the story it tells.
鈥淓very show I do is uplifting. I believe in both entertaining and educating,鈥� said Sandefur. 鈥淓ven the most reluctant student comes out of these concerts saying it wasn鈥檛 bad at all. They鈥檒l find out a few things they don鈥檛 know, but there鈥檚 an informality to these shows as well.鈥�
鈥淪tellar Madrigals鈥� marks the fourth time the Santa Fe Madrigal Singers have paired a night of star-gazing with their a cappella music. A small ensemble group comprised of upwards of 15 students, the Madrigal Singers perform a style of music popularized during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. Along with madrigal standards such as Thomas Morley鈥檚 鈥淪ing We and Chant It鈥� and Bach鈥檚 鈥淭occata and Fugue in D minor,鈥� audiences can expect more modern and holiday classics such as Alfred Reed鈥檚 鈥淕reensleeves.鈥�
鈥淲hen one sings madrigals, one thinks of it as intimate,鈥� said Sandefur. 鈥淎 lot of these songs cover kinds of love, like unrequited love and spurned love. This space in the Planetarium tends to be more intimate and fits that mood. It鈥檚 the intimate nature of the space plus the intimate nature of these songs that鈥檚 going to make this performance unique.鈥�
To be a Santa Fe Madrigal Singer, students need to have more than just vocal chops. The freshmen and sophomores who join the Madrigal Singers come from a variety of backgrounds, from singing with Professor Steve Bingham鈥檚 jazz band to hitting the high notes in opera performances. Also, madrigal songs often require the ability to sing in a foreign language, a skill honed in Santa Fe鈥檚 vocal studios, as well as the madrigal class taught by Sandefur.
鈥淚 feel that madrigals are the best way to teach people how to sing and where the tones go,鈥� said Sandefur. 鈥淓ven when we sing in a foreign language, we will be singing it in a way that audiences will understand what we鈥檙e singing about. Above all, our focus is on entertaining.鈥�
For more information about this concert, please contact Professor Lynn Sandefur at 352-381-3639.
This press release was written by Allison Griner, Communication Specialist, College Relations
CONTACT:
- Professor Lynn Sandefur, 352-381-3639 or lynn.sandefur@sfcollege.edu
- James Albury, coordinator, Kika Silva Pla Planetarium, 352-395-5381 or james.albury@sfcollege.edu
- Julie Garrett, media relations, for assistance facilitating your story, 352-395-5430 (office) or 352-870-2924 (cell) or julie.garrett@sfcollege.edu
