Kaneland High School Madrigals to perform Wednesday
On Wednesday, June 1, the Kaneland High School Madrigals will perform a concert at 7 p.m. at the Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, 307 Cedar Ave. in St. Charles. Admission is free; but donations will be accepted to help cover the costs of their upcoming trip to Spain.
Thirty-one students will depart for Spain on Tuesday, June 7 and perform 16 different choral selections at Barcelona Cathedral in Barcelona, Tarragona Cathedral in Tarragona, Girona Cathedral in Girona, Basilica de Santa Maria in Igualada, and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Construction of Sagrada Familia began in 1882 and Antoni Gaudà became involved in 1883, taking over the project and transforming it with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. An anticipated completion date is 2026, the centenary of GaudÃ's death.
This will be the fourth time the KHS Madrigals have done an international tour. Previous tours took them to Oxford University, Cambridge University and York in 2009; England and Scotland in 2012, and Ireland in 2014.
"On this trip, the students will not only perform six concerts at historically-significant cathedrals, but they will also have an opportunity to visit historically-significant destinations," shared director Bryan Kunstman.
The Madrigals will perform a varied and challenging repertoire in a space that the music in which they are performing was written, something they would not experience in a classroom. More importantly, they will immerse themselves in other cultures as they "come away with experiences and memories that they will keep with them for the rest of their lives" Kunstman stated.
The Kaneland Madrigal Singers are under the direction of Bryan Kunstman. This elite group is composed of students who were selected from the award-winning Kaneland High School Chorus. For information, contact Kaneland High School at (630) 365-5100, or visit www.kaneland.org.