Milwaukee singers bring cheer to NICU

Three-day-old Jovari Long lay swaddled in his mother's arms. His father sat on the foot of her bed, staring intently at his son.

From behind him, a blend of voices filled the room in hushed and reverent harmonies.

"It was beautiful," said Jovan Long, whose family was treated to a brief concert Sunday by the Pius XI Madrigal Ensemble in the neonatal intensive care unit at Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare-St. Joseph in Milwaukee.

"I was looking at him the whole time," he said, "but it felt like angels were singing."

The Madrigal singers made the rounds Sunday, an annual tradition that grew out of choral director Bonnie Scholz's experience with her own son's difficult birth 13 years ago.

The costumed high school ensemble has sung in the St. Joe's NICU each Christmas since, in an effort to lift the spirits of frightened and hopeful families during the holidays.

"It's a great experience for the parents, but also for the students," said pediatrician Steve Ragatz, a Pius parent who consulted on Scholz's son's case and invited her chorus to perform at St. Joe's the following Christmas. "It can be a pretty tough place to be, and every baby has a story.
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Video: Pius XI High School Madrigal Singers at St. Joseph's Convent Center in Campbellsport, WI.

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