My God-daughter, Ashley Rene Thaxton loves singing and has such a wonderful talent. (Ashley is in the front row 3rd girl from the left, behind the award--the beautiful young 16 year old!)
Students from Pasadena's Soto Voce choir joined sweltering Renaissance Faire crowds Saturday April 12 for a command performance fit for royalty.
The eight sophomores and juniors from the Marshall Fundamental School choir were invited to sing before the faire's queen after winning the faire's first-ever Madrigal competition.
Hundreds of student choirs across Southern California applied, but Soto Voce "had it perfect," said Colleen Russell-Elkins, who doubles as the faire's musical director and public relations director.
"The songs can be complicated because our modern ear is not used to the tonality and the harmonies," she said. "These kids blew me out of the water ... When I listened to their audition, I got chills."
That's no small compliment, coming from Russell-Elkins, who minored in Renaissance music and has studied the romantic Renaissance-era songs known as Madrigals for more than 20 years.
"It's beautiful music. It's almost addictive," she said, noting the songs were sung for fun or entertainment in the courts of wealthy families.
Soto Voce, which first formed this school year, sung an authentic Italian Madrigal called "Fa una canzona," or "Write me song," written by Orazio Vecchi during the Renaissance.
Marshall Fundamental Secondary School won the grand prize during an award ceremony for the first annual Madrigal Competition (a short love poem that is sung) during the Renaissance Pleasure Faire April 12. 2008 in Irwindale.
