BY DANI TIETZ
dani@mahometnews.com
They laugh alike. They talk alike. Sometimes, they even walk alike.
But it hasn’t always been this way for Nicolina Di Girolamo and Neenah Williams.
In junior high, they didn’t really like each other.
“I did not like her because we were always competing,” Nicolina said.
“I was jealous,” Neenah said. “I was like, ‘I want that.’”
The duo attributed their dislike for each other as something junior high students go through, but coming into their freshman year at Mahomet-Seymour High School, things changed a little bit.
“When we both made madrigals, that really pushed us to get close because we were spending so much time with each other,” Nicolina continued.
“Since we both were on the same level, and we were the only two freshmen in the group, we just clung to each other because we didn’t know other people.”
Through spending time together, watching each other grow, and performing together, Nicolina and Neenah grew respect for each other that has helped them develop a friendship that fosters delight and joy in the successes they experience together and individually.
“We still go up against each other for roles in musicals and all the things we do, but it’s always a constant support,” Nicolina said.
“I think we just kind of faced the fact that we would have to deal with going up against each other and instead of getting nasty about it, we just decided to support each other and be happy for their successes.”
Neenah chimed in, “Now when I see her it’s more like, ‘Yes, you sound so good.’
“You just learn to appreciate each other instead of wanting to be that person or wanting to be better or something like that. You see each other for like how amazing you are.”
For the first time in their time at Mahomet-Seymour, Neenah and Nicolina did not have to compete for the coveted role of Queen in the 2019 Madrigal performance on Dec. 14 and 15.
The king and queen roles are usually reserved for the male and female with the most seniority in the Madrigal group. Having made Madrigals as freshmen, which is very rare, both Neenah and Nicolina have the most seniority.
The idea of having two Queens, instead of a King and Queen, popped up during their freshman year.
“It was kind of a joke,” Nicolina said. “What if we got to be queens together?”
When they mentioned the idea to Madrigal Director Nicole Kuglich, she was “completely down to do it,” Nicolina recalled.
“And so here we are. I think it’s just really nice that we get to do it because we both get the senior-most role instead of her having to choose between one of us.”
A few modifications had to be made to the script for two queens, but the show’s integrity remains in place.
Going through the final performances at churches throughout Mahomet, at Village Christmas and the Madrigal dinner is tough enough.
“At the end of every performance, even my freshmen year, I always cry,” Neenah said. “You put in so much work, and seeing it all come together, it’s just a lot.”
Nicolina said that she already feels a sense of pride in what the group has accomplished over the last year of rehearsals.
Although many high school groups run on leadership from seniority, Nicolina and Neenah said that as they set out to be the “leaders” of this group, they also wanted to pass on the tradition of inclusivity to the underclassmen.
“We tried to make it feel like a family,” Neenah said. “We don’t want anyone to feel like…”
Nicolina continued Neenah’s sentence, as is often the case, “seniors get all the good stuff, all the solos; when I made it into the Madrigals group, it was the first thing that I’d done where it didn’t matter if you were a freshman or if you were a senior, everyone was kind of on the same field.
“I think we still really try to push the fact that if you’re a freshman, and you have something to say that can help the group, go for it.”
“We’re a collective unit,” Neenah said.
Noted as some of the strongest performers in Mahomet-Seymour High School, Neenah and Nicolina have witnessed the amount of effort it takes to be a Madrigal.
Shortly after the annual December Madrigal dinner, the group begins to prepare for next year’s show.
“When you perform a lot sometimes you feel like you know everything, but when I joined Madrigals I was like, ‘Oh, even if I sing well, I still have to practice these songs every day,” Neenah said.
“We don’t just learn (the songs) in the summer and then only review them when we come to rehearsals. You have to practice by yourself at home.
“I think I realized that to make things sound as good as they do, you have to put in more effort than you see.”
Whether it’s time spent practicing alone, or the countless hours that go into practicing together, Nicolina said that the most important thing that she is taking away from her time in Madrigals is friendship.
“I’m more on the introverted side,” she said.
“When I was thrown into madrigals freshman year, not knowing anyone at all, it really forced me into like reaching out and talking to people and I made some super close friends.”
“You get like a special bond with everyone,” Neenah said. “I think that’s what makes it special because you feel the emotions and it’s not just like the notes.”
Just because the girls will graduate from high school in May does not mean that the friendships they have built will also go away, although they will not be able to be on that stage with the people they love.
Above everything else, Neenah and Nicolina are looking forward to one thing over the next week:
“I’m looking forward to performing with like my best friend like one last time,” Neenah said.
