Madrigal Dinner
Buy 2009 Madrigal Dinner Tickets
Each holiday season the Student Union Ballroom transforms into an ambience typical of a 17th century European Yuletide for the annual Madrigal Dinner Concert. The Madrigal Dinner-Concert combines music, costumes, merriment and cuisine to provide an evening of enjoyment for all during the season of love and goodwill.
Madrigals are songs written for small groups, in which several voice parts are skillfully combined, making each part both melodically and rhythmically interesting and independent.
Madrigal singing, brought to England from Italy in the 17th century, originally was an informal type of private entertainment at castles and country homes of the landed gentry and was especially popular during the Christmas season.
The annual Madrigal Dinner Concert at Oklahoma State University eminates from the Student Union, and from the very start, the major focus of the program has been to feature as many students as possible in every area of the production.
In 1974, Student Union staff members prepared for the first Madrigal production building sets, making props, sewing costumes and decorating, truly making a team effort to produce the show.
Over the years, the Theater and Music Departments, along with horticulture floral design students, joined Union staff members in writing, directing and decorating for the dinner-concert, bringing each participant, on and off stage, into a unified production.
The Madrigal Dinner Concert has a long history of contributions by students and staff working together to create an unusual long-term combination of academic and non-academic departments.
Two thousand and nine will serve as the 35th Annual Madrigal Dinner Concert which will take place during December 3-6.