by Mike Lesko
Editor
Bedford -- It was a journey of a lifetime for the 17-member Bedford High School Madrigal Singers.
On a trip to New York City from April 24-27, students rode on a riverboat cruise on the Hudson River that took them around the Statue of Liberty. They saw Times Square, Rockefeller Center, Lincoln Center, Central Park and Chinatown.
They watched a Broadway Show -- "Phantom of the Opera."
And they finished in first place in the "chamber choir" category in an international singing competition.
"I was hoping we'd finish that well," Director Gary Kaplan said. "I knew we sounded good, but I didn't get to hear most of the other groups, so it was a pleasant surprise.
"But I wasn't shocked," he said. "These are the best Madrigal Singers I've ever had."
Kaplan has led high school Madrigal singing groups for 12 years, the last six at Bedford High School.
Kaplan said the group paid for the entire trip by raising money through fundraisers. The members sold cookies and muffins after school for 120 school days and sold ads for the group's concert program.
The Madrigals performed April 25 at the famed Riverside Church in Manhattan. The awards ceremony was conducted there the following evening.
Kaplan said the Bedford singers competed against a half dozen other high school groups. There were about 800 students from the U.S. and Canada in the entire competition, which included vocal and instrumental groups. Bedford was the only one from Ohio.
"The best part of our trip was at the awards ceremony when the name, 'Bedford Madrigal Singers' was called to receive the 'gold' award," said senior Donald Glenn, president of the group. "We came for the gold and we got it."
Each group was required to perform three songs. Bedford sang:
* "Fa Ena Canzona," an Italian Madrigal tune that means "Sing me one song."
* "Fire, Fire My Heart," an English Madrigal song.
* "The Battle of Jericho," an African-American spiritual.
"The competition was put on by Heritage Festivals, a prestigious company," Kaplan said. "There was a panel of three judges. They are typically music professors from different universities. They critiqued us, then did a vocal clinic and made suggestions to my students on how they could do things differently. It was positive criticism.
"It was a great experience for the students to hear someone other than myself making suggestions," he said.
After winning the competition, the rest of the trip was like dessert.
"I loved the riverboat cruise down the Hudson River," said senior Leslie Perkins, vice president of the group. "It was absolutely wonderful, but going around the Statue of Liberty was even better. It brought tears to my eyes. I will never forget it."
Senior Danelle Wilson said, "I really loved seeing 'Phantom of the Opera' on Broadway. It was an amazing, unforgettable experience that will stay with me forever."
Kaplan added, "We performed 'Phantom' songs in our concert last fall, so to see it performed on Broadway was quite an experience."
Kaplan said a unique situation took place after the Bedford singers ate dinner at a restaurant at Times Square.
"We were waiting for our chartered bus and the students just started singing," he said. "Big crowds started forming around us.
"A lot of times in situations like that, you see street entertainers," he said. "The people thought we were street entertainers, but we were actually the tourists."
E-mail: mlesko@recordpub.com
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