Walsingham Madrigals Invited to Perform at Olympics

By Amber Lester Kennedy Friday, September 16, 2011

London’s calling for the Walsingham Madrigals, who have been invited to perform at the Olympic games in the city this summer.

The Madrigals, who have already performed for the Pope and in China before the Beijing Olympics, are an elite ensemble of tenth through twelfth grade students. The group strives to master “a capella” singing under the direction of Teresa Yoder. They will perform four times in seven days during the trip.

Their invitation has inspired the school to offer a group trip for all sophomores, juniors and seniors, parents, faculty and staff. The tour will make stops in Dublin, London and the south of England. The itinerary includes a visit to Baggot Street in Dublin, the site of the first foundation of the Sisters of Mercy who founded Walsingham.

Marketing Director Robin Strup said the school also plans to incorporate studies of the region into its curriculum this year, preparing the group for their journey abroad.

Upper School Principal Katie Johnson praised the trip as a wonderful opportunity for the school, and the Madrigals. “This will be a voyage of discovery for all who undertake it: discovering and developing deep and meaningful choral expression; discovering and recovering our school’s foundation in a small group of dedicated women in 19th-century Dublin; discovering and exploring the breadth of history and culture in the cities of Dublin and London; and discovering and celebrating the future of our international community as embodied in the athletes, officials and spectators at the Summer Games in London 2012,” she said in a press release.

Read more about the Madrigals’ performance for the Pope here.

Watch the Madrigals perform at the recent 9/11 prayer service held at Walsingham here.