The 39th annual Sycamore High School Madrigals Dinners will be held Dec. 8 and 9 at St. Mary’s Memorial Hall in Sycamore.

Madrigal singing, brought to England from Italy in the 16th century, was at first an informal type of private entertainment at the castle and country homes of the landed gentry. Frequently, the lords and ladies performed the music themselves as they sat as dinner in the Great Hall. Naturally, during the 12 days of the Christmas season, there was much entertaining and singing of Madrigals.

The SHS Madrigal Troupe will reenact this royal Renaissance banquet as it transforms the church meeting hall into an English castle, complete with a royal court, troubadours, jester, beggars, jugglers, pages and instrumentalists.