Mr. Robert Davis conducts the Concert students in rehearsal for the Mad Feast. “It’s always really incredible to see the hard work pay off. It’s also exhausting on my shoulders because I have to wave my arms every day for three hours,” Davis said.

Hark! Gather ye, goodfolk, to the Madrigal Feast, a grand assembly of melody and repast for the joyous Christmas tide. Witness a performance most splendid, echoing the Renaissance, steeped in yore’s charm, free from the clash of steel, solely the sweet strains of song. ‘Tis a banquet graciously hosted by the noble King, fair Queen, and esteemed Royal Court, where thou shalt partake as a cherished townsman summoned to this gathering.

The Madrigal “Mad” Feast is a different experience from most Christmas concerts with a medieval twist. Hosted by Ayala’s choir program and headed by choir director Mr. Robert Davis, Bulldogs and family regularly come year after year because of the music, the unique experience filled with students in character, and the delicious food. The event begins on Wednesday, December 4 and continues through Saturday, December 7. 

“It’s so beautiful and unique that it’s hard not to love it. It’s also very emotional because this is sort of our halfway point of the school year,” JJ McDonald (12), member of Women’s and Jazz Choir said.

With such a magical event setting upon Ayala, many wonder how such a feat is accomplished. What do the students and teachers do to prepare for the magical nights?

“I usually try to rest my voice as much as I can. Of course, I talk and sing at rehearsals but other than that I try to yell or sing less when outside of the choir room,” Emily Lahip (12) from the Women’s and Concert Choir said.

Other routines students practice include drinking a lot of tea and cutting out any dairy or spicy food a few days before the feast starts. The singers do everything they can to make sure their voices are in the best condition to sing as the concert lasts for four hours.  On top of that, the concert choir students have to go through a checklist before rehearsals.

“Before Mad Feast we have to get all of our songs checked by Mr. Davis, or we cannot sing them at Mad Feast. It gets chaotic and stressful but at the end of the day he wants us to succeed and it helps us get all of our music checked off,” McDonald said.

Every choir class has a role in the production. The concert choir serves as performing acts, acting as a royal court with a King, Queen, Lady, Lord, and other characters. The mixed choir students have a different role; they’re the very first group to sing for the audience and welcome the guests to Mad Feast. After, they’re servers, bringing out the food and drinks to the guests.

“It’s fun to serve the audience and interact with them. Although there can be some mishaps, I really enjoy bonding with everyone and making new friends while waiting for the next opportunity to go and serve,” Lahip said.

This year, the Mad Feast is celebrating their 25th Anniversary, which promises the audience a special surprise in honor of the momentous occasion.

“We’re trying to incorporate a little bit more inclusion with the other visual performing art classes. One of the biggest things that I wanted to do is fine-tune our execution and make things just one notch better as far as how specific we are with details,” Davis said.

The Mad Feast being one of the largest events Ayala hosts requires joint effort from students and teachers alike. Everyone involved with the event contributes through preparing the music, food, and other aspects necessary to run the show as if it were a professional performance. In preparation, the team builds a large castle inside the multipurpose room where choir students dress up in costumes. The feast provides the audience with a full three-course meal on top of a well rehearsed act.

“My favorite part is watching the students enjoy their hard work. Especially during our final performance, just to see them look around at the space and look around at each other and appreciate seeing everything that they do come to fruition,” Davis said.