The tradition of the Madrigal Dinner began in England during the 16th century. The dinners were held during the 12 days of Christmas, and lucky guests were given the opportunity to eat good food, listen to wonderful music, and be treated to a humorous play (though the humor was often crude). The tone of these dinners would often change very rapidly. One minute, guests would be listening to the most spiritual and holy music imaginable, and the next, they would be watching an incredibly vulgar and obscene play.

The tradition is still carried out in the 21st century, though it has been slightly modernized. The dinners are held at any time of year, the humor is far less vulgar, and they are far more secular. Here at Bob Jones, we hold our own Madrigal Dinner once a year.

Lael Anderson, a sophomore at Bob Jones and a member of Patriot Singers, explained, “We have a renaissance-y type play that we perform over the span of the evening while people eat. We serve food, and it’s really fun. People generally enjoy it. After the play concludes we do a selection of music that fits with the rest of the night. People who participated in solo and ensemble earlier in the year perform individual and small group performances.”

The Madrigal Dinner will be held February 27th at the Madison Church of Christ. The show being performed is called The Grave Prince. Suzie Glover, a junior at Bob Jones and the student director of the Madrigal Dinner, said, “It really is a lot of fun, we all dress up and serve dinner.” Be sure to come to Bob Jones’ Madrigal Dinner!