My Recollections of Madrigals

You know, I got a MySpace message from one of my friends - actually, she was my friend from an earlier note, about the My58 Host Hunt ... but that's really beside the point. Anyway, she said that she was going to Mad Dinner on Friday, and asked me if I was going, too. Or, at least, I think that's where she's going. In any case ...

It really got me thinking about my time in Davis High, especially with Mads. It was a pretty good three years for me - of course, like most things in High School, it was filled with drama, stuff going down. I could probably go on about the ... should I even call them 'negative' things? I don't know. Regardless, the good times outweighed the bad ones for me. I loved it, and the whole experience.

For those of you who don't know about this aspect of my life, I joined the Davis High School Madrigal Singers in the Fall of 1999, as a sophomore. I had done choirs and singing before - it wasn't new to me. Yes, I am a singer, and a damn good one, if I may be allowed to toot my own horn (people say so all the time ... I can believe them, can't I?). With all the years I spent singing at an Alto range, I was a perfect fit to join the choir as one of the only true tenors. Don't get me wrong - as one of only seven new sophomores (I believe it was me at Tenor, Alex Lege at Bass, Pam Bertleson, Sarah Morrill and Alisha Woo at Alto, and Clarissa Lyons and Megan Soto at Soprano), I was pretty insecure about filling the position. Eventually, I got my niche down, trying to blend in with the other tenors.

And, yes, the costumes were uncomfortable. Especially the tights. Although I wore everything big, so it wasn't that bad for me.

In my sophomore year, musically, we were pretty good - we won the Prague Choral Competition in the summer of 2000. We were regarded as one of the best choirs in Davis, and were historically recognized as one of the best in the state.

When I think of Prague, there are a few things that come to mind - for me, first and foremost, it was the way I came about getting there. Again, for those who don't know, I am NOT a U.S. citizen, so it was very difficult for me to leave the country. In this case, it came down to me and my mom travelling down to Texas, crossing the border into Mexico, getting a quickie U.S. Visa, and coming back up in a matter of three days, just two weeks before we were to leave. Whole thing was about 10 grand, that's how much my parents wanted me to go - I love 'em for that.

Then, there were the little things (for those of you that went to Prague, I hope you remember them): Dobra Voda, Moda Polici, Dobri Dien, "D'oh San", the Top Hotel and the Hotel Congress, "Would you like some Bliss?", bowling on strings, everyone constantly talking into my video camera ... There were also the people I felt closer to, on the trip - Shuo, and Laura, to name a couple.

Junior year rolled around, and I had already felt like a veteran. The seniors left, the choir got smaller, and I felt like everyone got a little closer. It was a more well-oiled, well-knit choir than the year before (though, that's only my opinion). The only negative thing for me was the fact that the choir went to Italy to sing for the Pope ... without me. I realize the situation was completely out of my control - the immigration issue crept up again, and this time, it bit me in the ass - but I still regret not being able to go.

Senior year lessened the pain of not being able to go to Italy. I was the big dawg in the Tenor section - the section leader, they called me. I'm sure Jacob, Issac, Stephen and Yu can attest that I was laid back sometimes, and sometimes I ruled with an iron fist. But, at the end of the day, the section came together, and we did okay.

Looking back, I don't know ... regrets, I had a few. But, then again, too few to mention ... (shut up, I know that's from Frank Sinatra.) You know, I probably didn't even mention half of the stuff I did, or a quarter of the stuff that went on in Madrigals. The Madrigal Dinners, the Christmas Tree lightings, the choir parties, the dozens and dozens of gigs we were hired for (especially around the Christmas season, and Valentine's Day), the choral competitions. All in all, it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. Can't say it wasn't fun.

So ... will I be there on Friday? I'm sure you're all dying to know.