MadGroup goes mad for MadBall

Our 2021/2022 term was a year of firsts for the group – from our ‘Où est les poulets?’ social (participation not advised for more gullible members) to our Madrigal Group Ball! It was truly an evening of celebration… what better way to celebrate our 75th anniversary than eating, singing and dancing with Madlads past and present? To capture the true essence of the night, let me guide you through a timeline of events.

7/8pm

• 

• 

• 

• 

As people arrived at Hotel du Vin, ready and raring to go for a night of laughter and well-loved tradition we were met by the gorgeous table decorations arranged so beautifully by our Vice President, Anna Lyons, and Tour Manager, Rebekah Loughran. We greeted friends old and new, brought together by our collective love for this group.

9pm

Food demolished, wine drunk… let the ceilidh commence. Must be about time for a mid-ceilidh photoshoot! All pictures taken by the wonderful Elena Sanborn.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

10/11pm

If there’s one thing we can do alongside singing a madrigal, it’s ceilidh-ing. Who would’ve thought? After an hour of non-stop dancing the Dashing White Sergeant, Gay Gordons, and Strip the Willow (and of course more!), we finished the evening true MadGroup fashion – with two mass renditions of Loch Lomond and Fair Phyllis.

• 

• 

If I had to pick a standout moment from the whole evening, it would need to be singing Loch Lomond together. The group of people coming together in that one moment was so special – although the majority of us had never been in the choir at the same time, we were all united by MadGroup’s strong sense of tradition and, ultimately, family.

---

Emily Kemp is a second year soprano known for her tear-jerking solos -- and où est les poulets performances. She is MadGroup's Vice President for the 2022-23 term.