Jamie Kim staff writer
Donned in their black gowns and suits, the Madrigals were one of five choirs chosen to perform at a festival at the University of Southern California (USC) on Saturday, Feb. 20.
The day consisted of performing in one of USC’s theaters and hearing other choirs sing. The event, which spanned from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., began with performances from other vocal groups.
“Although it wasn’t a competition, it was really great to see how amazing the other choirs were and how different they were from ours,” senior Tristan McIntyre said. “Watching all the other choirs really inspired us and hyped us up for our performance.”
Some of the other vocal groups had even performed internationally, in locations such as Vatican City, and at local festivals.
“It was amazing to see what people can do with their voices. Because I’m used to hearing our choir’s sound, it was interesting to see the lengths other people have gone to blend so many voices into one sound,” senior Brendan Yoon said. “Particularly, Fountain Valley High Choir sang beautifully and taught me a lot about a good tenor section.”
Afterward, the Madrigals took the stage and gave their own performance, in which they sang three songs from their winter concert: “Jubilate Deo,” “Road Home” and “Ain’t That Good News.”
“I felt really happy and excited as I performed at USC. I think as a group we were well prepared and ready to show how hard we had been working,” junior Eden Messick said.
Then, the USC Concert Choir capped off the festival with a performance. Additionally, choral director Stacey Kikkawa received critiques and comments, which the Madrigals will find out today, from two adjudicators.
“We definitely had an understanding of what we were singing and enjoyed our time. I personally had an awesome time performing, and many of my friends told me they feel just the same. It’s an eye-opening experience,” junior Tianai Xiong said.
This festival was also a new learning experience.
“I learned many things at the festival. While watching the other choirs I saw what things we shared in common but also how different we were. Each choir brought something different and beautiful to the festival,” Messick said. “I heard so many new songs that I had never heard before. I also learned to look at choral music in a different way and really appreciate it.”