Lincoln-Way Madrigal Choirs Can Keep Singing At Churches

Madrigal choirs for Lincoln-Way High School District 210 will no longer be prohibited from performing at local churches. The district reversed course only a few months after instituting a ban following a complaint by a nonprofit group that argued such performances were unconstitutional.

District Supt. Scott Tingley announced the policy change during Thursday's board meeting and said the change after consulting with John Izzo, the school system's lawyer, according to the Daily Southtown. According to Tingley, area pastors also contacted the district to make a case for the madrigal choirs at the three Lincoln-Way high schools to continue performing at churches, something those groups have done for the past 30 years, the report added.

Traditionally, madrigal choral groups dress in Renaissance-era attire and perform songs from that era. The music is considered secular despite some concerts being held at churches and occurring in December around the Christmas holiday.

RELATED: Lincoln-Way Madrigal Choirs Won't Sing At Churches; Good Move By D210?

But in a letter sent to Tingley in February, the Freedom From Religion Foundation cited the separation between church and state and claimed that the district was sending "a message of approval of the church to impressionable students" by allowing the choirs to sing at these venues. The foundation's complaint stemmed from a December 2017 performance by Lincoln-Way West High School's madrigal choir at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Manhattan, and church performances in 2014 and 2015 also were mentioned.

Despite the ban being lifted, certain parameters will apply to church performances by the district's madrigal choirs. According to the Southtown, Tingley laid out Thursday the following guidelines, which were discussed with and agreed upon by himself, Izzo and the heads of the three schools' musical departments:

• Performances need to include secular and religious music.
• School officials need to be in charge of music selection "without input or suggestion from church officials."
• Performances should be held to "demonstrate vocal skills" and shouldn't be about delivering religious messages.

In learning of the district's change concerning church performances, Ryan Jayne, the staff lawyer for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, told the Southtown that it appeared that officials were addressing the concerns his group had raised.

"But there is always the danger that they appear to endorse religion, especially with its history of performing in churches," he said. "If students feel the school district is promoting a religious message, that could be problematic. The district has to make it clear they are not endorsing religion."

More via the Daily Southtown

Lincoln-Way East High School's madrigal choir performs in 2016 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Matteson. (Screen shot from video via Bill Miller | YouTube)