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Department of Music to Present 2016 Madrigal Feaste

11/18/2016

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Participants in Madrigal Feaste are (front) Matthew Stewart of White Hall and Jasmin Selvy of Little Rock; (seated, from left) Vanessa Partida of Harrisburg, Dylan Bean of Jonesboro, Katelin Rickman of Bono, Gregory Self of Williford, Rebecca Adams of Morrilton and Anthony Finley of Mountain Home; (standing) Ashlyn Pillow of Paragould, Hal Niederbrach of Searcy, Victoria Pullman of Searcy, Nathan Liouh of Jonesboro, Crystal Kachevas of Paragould, Trent McKenzie of White Hall, Emily Newell of Marmaduke, Jon Rodgers of Dexter, Mo., Victoria Dryer of Jonesboro and Aaron Fisher of Memphis.


JONESBORO – In the style of Merrie Olde England with costumes, decorations, comedy and fanfare, Arkansas State University Choirs will present their annual Madrigal Feaste early next month.

The Concert Choir and Chamber Singers will host the evening’s entertainment.  They will serve as the court of “King Henry the Eighth of England, Jonesboro and Craighead County.” 

Guests will enjoy the wassail bowl beginning 15 minutes prior to seating, which begins with the first fanfare at 7 p.m. each evening, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 2-3.  The festivities will be in the Grand Hall of Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Dr.  Proceeds will benefit the A-State Choir’s study/performance tour to Ireland in March 2017.

Music for the feaste will include traditional carols by the servers and audience, brass fanfares and harpsichord solos, as well as madrigals and chansons by the royal court.  The entertainment will be led by Dr. Dale Miller, director of choral activities at A-State.

“The 2016 A-State Department of Music Madrigal Feaste continues an 18-year tradition of presenting music, dance and short plays representing the Renaissance era in Great Britain," Miller said.  "Studying the music and dance, costumes and dialect of the time near the reign of King Henry the Eighth is a valuable part of the choral musician’s preparation — it’s great fun for performers and audience members, and a delicious meal for our guests."

King Henry the Eighth and Queen Anne Boleynn will be played by Gregory Self of Williford and Katelin Rickman of Jonesboro. 

The lords and ladies of the Royal Court, played by the members of the Chamber Singers, are:

Victoria Pulliam of Searcy, Crystal Kachevas of Paragould and Emily Newell of Marmaduke, sopranos; Rebecca Adams of Morrillton, Victoria Dryer of Jonesboro, Vanessa Partida of Harrisburg and Ashlyn Pillow of Paragould, altos; Trent McKenzie of White Hall, Nathan Liouh of Jonesboro, and Jon Rodgers of Dexter, Mo., tenors; and Dylan Bean of Jonesboro, Hal Niederbrach of Searcy, Anthony Finley of Mountain Home and Aaron Fisher of Memphis, basses.

Matthew Stewart of White Hall will play the steward and Jazmin Selvy of Little Rock will serve as jester.  The knaves and wenches will be played by other members of the A-State Concert Choir.  Brian Henkelmann, instructor of music, will play harpsichord, and the student brass ensemble will also play.

Tickets for performances will be available through Monday, Nov. 29, at the A-State Central Box Office, by telephone at (870) 972-2781, or online at AState.edu/tickets.  Seats for the performances are reserved and are limited by space available.  Ticket prices are $40 for the general public, and $35 for A-State faculty, staff and students, senior citizens, or groups of eight or more. 

For more information about the Madrigal Feaste, one may contact Dr. Dale Miller at (870) 972-3841 or the Department of Music at (870) 972-2094.

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