Chances are that if you have walked through Collis during some recent evening you might have thought that you heard the sounds of the Italian renaissance. Well, don't doubt yourself you did hear them.
This past week the Dartmouth College Chamber Singers under the direction of Charles Houmard have been diligently preparing for this year's Feast of Song, which opens tonight and runs until Sunday, January 18.
Each January the Chamber Singers deviate from their regular tradition of formal madrigal concert protocal and attire, and don the trappings of an age long gone, to celebrate the music of the Renaissance in their annual dinner- theater extravaganza, Feast of Song.
In 1981, the Chamber Singers presented their first Feast of Song under the direction of Melinda ONeal, who thought that such a musical event would stir excitement among an audience of students who might otherwise be apprehensive about attending a formal classical music concert. Since 1981 the Chamber Singers have presented Feast of Song, each year focusing on a different court and nation.
This year, Feast of Song centers around the court of Piero de Medici, in 15th century Florence, Italy. Feast of Song begins with a play about the Medici family. In it, the King, Piero de Medici (played by Sasho Emlen '00), afraid that his time might soon run out, decides that his eldest son, Lorenzo (played by Jamie McMahon '01) must marry soon.
Lorenzo, however, may not marry just anyone, he must marry a woman of a powerful family. Having decided that his son will marry Clarice, a woman allied with the pope, Piero dispatches his other son, the drunken Juliano (played by Peter Land '99) to fetch Lorenzo's bride.
Thus, the comedy begins when Juliano returns to Florence with an impostor posing as Clarice, the bride of Lorenzo. Other main characters in the play include Ashley Wendus '00 as the maid and Amy Dillon '01 as the Queen.
During the play the audience is served dinner by the other members of the Chamber Singers dressed as peasants, and in between courses various Chamber Singers sing solos and quartets.
The Early Music Ensemble, under the direction of Steven Light and accompanied by special guest Frank Wallace also take part in the musical festivities. At the conclusion of dinner the entire Chamber Singers congregate and perform music pieces by such Renaissance composers as Claudio Monteverdi and Orazio Vecchi.
Preparation for Feast of Song begins in the fall term when members of the Chamber Singers join the different committees: script, costume, publicity and set-up. Once the script committee has written the script those who wish to act in the play portion of the show audition for the drama director (Brenda Withers '00).
The script for this year's Feast of Song was written by the script committee under the chairmanship of Ashley Wendus '00. The co-chairs of Feast of Song '98 are Karen Miller '00 and Molly Heath '98.
Feast of Song begins at 6 p.m. tonight, running daily through Sunday. I highly recommend picking up a ticket at the Hop box office for one of the show times and treating yourself to an evening of delectable Italian cuisine and beautiful Italian music.
