Beverly High Madrigals And Minnesingers Raffle Car Donated By SmartCenter At Farmer’s MarketBy Abbey Hood
Not dressed in their usual polished dresses, members of the Beverly High Minnesingers—the school’s elite female choral ensemble, were not at the Farmer’s Market to sing. They left that duty to the young guy with the guitar under the tent. Instead the students were laughing and smiling in the trunk of a smart fortwo car, waving hello to the groves of people walking by, asking them to take a peek inside.
The four Minnesingers at the market on Sunday were there to sell raffle tickets to give away the
Smart Car that had been donated by SmartCenter Beverly Hills of Mercedes-Benz Beverly Hills.
“In the first 15 minutes we sold three tickets,” said Suzi Finer, parent of Madrigal and 10th grader Ben Finer.
The tickets sell for $100 each. All proceeds go to benefit the Minnesingers and the high school’s
well-known and well-loved Madrigals. The Madrigal Singers started at Beverly High in 1961 under the direction of Robert Holmes. In 1975 his student, Joel Pressman, took over. There are 33 students in the program. Alumni include Mayor Barry Brucker, who gets up during the annual winter concert to sing Still Still Still with former Madrigals. This year’s concert is Dec. 17.
The youth, ranging from grades 10 through 12, have traveled from Acapulco, Mexico, to Cannes, France. Last year they won the Gold Medal at the Festival of Gold in San Francisco, singing at Davey Hall, said Pressman.
“They were the first group not from New Zealand to participate in the national choir singers in
New Zealand,” he said. The Madrigals and 38 Minnesingers perform throughout Beverly Hills at service clubs, charity dinners, recently at Tuesday’s school board installation. Over the weekend, the Madrigals performed for Cardinal Mahoney, that’s why only a few members of the Minnesingers were able to attend Sunday’s raffle sale. In the spring, Pressman said he will take the students to a music festival. The destination, although not confirmed, could be Boston, New York, Hawaii or in Northern California. Students practice four times a week in a traditional classroom, and spends an afternoon after school practicing. In the fall they attend a weekend in Idyllwild to get to know each other and practice.
“The reason we are living in Beverly Hills is so my son can be a part of the Madrigals,” said Finer. “He is getting such a good foundation, and good exposure to be professional and responsible.”
Pressman said he stresses community involvement to his students.
“I am so proud of my kids,” he said. “They are active throughout the school. I have varsity letterman, writers from Highlights, students on the robotics team.” “I am proud of the fact that
the community says what a wonderful, warm, friendly, bright group of students they are,” he
says.
Finer said Pressman is teaching her son more than just music. “He is teaching him to be independent,” she said. Finer’s son Ben, a third generation Beverly High student, started his musical career when he enrolled in A Taste of Broadway— a musical theater group started by Madrigal alumna Jenny Gordon.
Many people, like Gordon, graduated from Pressman’s choir and continued their musical career. His former students perform in Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables and other classics. Nicholas Cage performed in the Madrigals.
Cage performed in the high school’s play alongside Jon Turtletaub, who would later direct Cage in National Treasure Book of Secrets, said Pressman. They also shared the high school’s stage with Lenny Kravitz. At the time he was a Minnesinger, when the group was co-ed.
The Beverly High Madrigals and Minnesingers will be back at the Farmer’s Market to sell more
raffle tickets on Dec. 21. They have sold a total of 13 tickets their first day at the market on
Sunday, said Finer.
The Smart Car center is located at Mercedes-Benz Beverly Hills. The car, although small insize, has a high safety rating. Roughly 600 cars have been sold since they came out in the U.S. last January, said Vinnie Mandzak of Smart Center. There is a year wait list for the vehicle that gets 33 mpg in the City, 43 on the freeway. The average retail price starts at around $12,590.
Donating the car to Beverly High is one of many contributions
Mercedes-Benz Beverly Hills has made to the community. “It is part of the culture of Mercedes- Benz of Beverly Hills and SmartCenter Beverly Hills,” said Mandzak. “We get supported by the community, so we want to give back to the community.”
To test drive a car or for more
information, call 310-248-4219.
We had a fabulous turn out at Sunday, December 21st's Farmer's Market in Beverly Hills. Ticket sales were brisk (as was the weather) and the day was bright.
