Madrigal Choir 2019 Chapel Excerpts
“I’m not ashamed to own my Lord,” proclaims the opening line of a piece sung on Madrigal Choir’s recent tour. According to Madrigal director Dr. David Brown, that line from Dan Forrest’s arrangement “Not Ashamed” perfectly sums up the purpose of the trip. “The goal was not only to sing this phrase, but to attempt to live it,” Brown emphasized. “It is an extremely powerful text that challenges me every time I hear it.”
Madrigal crisscrossed a large portion of the state of Pennsylvania, performing sacred music in local churches in the evenings and presenting lighter concerts for Christian schools during the days. The school kids always loved Eric Whitacre’s musical setting of “Good Night, Moon,” the fun and bouncy “Coffee,” and the deceptively difficult “Ash Grove,” played by Madrigal’s very own “Ring of Fire Handbell Choir.”
As the 10-day tour progresses, choir members tire and the songs can tend to get old. However, several choir members testified to the uniqueness of this year’s tour in that respect. “Even though it is exhausting, the Lord gives the strength needed,” commented first-year choir member Abby Banks, “because there is joy in serving Jesus.” Sophomore Caitlyn Dillhoff echoed Banks, recalling that God gave her unexpected rest and that, though tired, she was blessed in every service the choir sang.
The powerful message of the songs performed in the evening services resonated deeply with the choir throughout the tour. When asked what made this past tour stand out from previous ones, senior Andrew Holloway stated, “I think the biggest difference about this tour was the passion about the message that we had.” Holloway said the three anthems “When He is Silent,” “You Are Always Good,” and “Not Ashamed” were the choir’s “driving motivation” throughout the tour. When the musical message has an impact on the choir members, that message will be clearly communicated to listeners. Such was the case this tour. “The choir seemed to connect so much with its audiences,” noted choir president Seth Gillespie. “Whether it was in school chapels or evening concerts, the audience seemed to be fully engaged from start to finish.”
God did an amazing work in the hearts of Madrigal members, as evidenced by the myriad of testimonies choir members gave to that effect. Senior Lauren Stoner recalled the bus ride at the end of the tour. “For nearly two hours, we sang song after song and gave testimony after testimony about how good God was throughout our tour and how He changed lives. It was so encouraging to come to the end of tour and see that God was at work in everything we did.”
Watch excerpts from Madrigal Chapel below.