The Virginia Belles | |
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Background information | |
Also known as | The Belles |
Origin | University of Virginia |
Genres | A Cappella |
Years active | 1977–present |
Labels | A Cappella Records |
Members | Class of 2023 Meggie Ferguson Parker Freeman Selam Herring Katherine Li Leah Thomas Class of 2024 Anna Holtschlag Mikaela Gustitus Claire Wright Class of 2025 Olivia Conniff Eugenie Davis Madigan Lounsbery Gennese Springs Class of 2026 Sanjana Jaiswal Simone Marijic Cate Mangione Yukta Ramanan Kirby Westerfield |
Website | vabelles.com |
The Virginia Belles is the University of Virginia's oldest all-female a cappella group based in Charlottesville, Virginia. [1] The group was established in 1977 by Katherine Mitchell as the female counterpart to the Virginia Gentlemen, the university's oldest a cappella group. [2] Completely student-run, the Belles continue to perform an eclectic range of vocal music from oldies and classic rock to indie and R&B. [3] They sing in and around Charlottesville, and up and down the East Coast and all across the U.S. [4] (often wearing little black dresses), and have received awards and honors from internationally acclaimed organizations such as the Contemporary A Cappella Society, Varsity Vocals, and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board. [5]
The Belles were founded in the fall of 1977 by Katherine Mitchell, a student at the University of Virginia. [1] A woman who continues to love music, Katherine noticed then that there was no outlet for female a cappella at the university. [1] The Virginia Gentlemen, the university's oldest all-male a cappella group had been established since 1953, so Katherine formed The Virginia Belles as the female counterpart to the Virginia Gentlemen. [1] Initially the Belles were a select part of the Virginia Women's Chorus. The most talented members of the Women's Chorus were asked to audition for the Belles, singing both madrigal and popular music. [2] Today, the Belles hold auditions every semester for every female student at the university to attend. [6]
The Belles today are a Contracted Independent Organization run through UVA's student council and are no longer a part of the Women's Chorus. [7] The group is entirely student-run and affiliated with the UVA McIntire Department of Music. [8] The Belles sing for almost every type of occasion, be it fundraising events on Grounds, private parties, weddings, sports events, concerts, or business meetings. The Belles are known for wearing their signature "little black dresses" to perform around the country.
The Belles are currently signed with A Cappella Records, an all-digital record label for a cappella music. Their music can be purchased on iTunes and Amazon.com. Moreover, their music is also released on Spotify and Apple Music.
The Belles tour the East Coast every year on a trip they call Fall Roll, visiting numerous other schools, colleges, and universities. [2] Past trips have included visits with the Princeton Footnotes, Vanderbilt Melodores, The Baker's Dozen of Yale University, Cornell Men of Last Call, William and Mary's The Gentlemen of the College, Virginia Tech Juxtaposition, The UNC Achordants, etc. The University of Virginia's Fall Break is always reserved for this excursion.
The Belles originally recorded and released a new CD biyearly. [6] They have released numerous CDs throughout the years, garnering praise and national acclaim from fans and the a cappella community. Their repertoire today continues to be an eclectic mix of all different genres of music. In the present day, The Virginia Belles release a new EP every fall, containing the best of their repertoire from the previous year.
Up until 2007, the group spent their recording career with accomplished sound engineers Paul Brier and Chris Doermann, formerly of Virginia Arts Recording in Charlottesville, VA. However, with the release of Taking Every Detour, the group switched the production studios of both Brier and UVA alum James Gammon with James Gammon Productions. With their album acaBELLEa, James Gammon Productions took over the entire recording, editing, production, and mastering processes. James Gammon is an alumnus of The Academical Village People, an all-male a cappella group at the University of Virginia. His clients have won many national and international a cappella awards thanks to his success in the studio.
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Totals [lower-alpha 1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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Wins | 13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Nominations | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Note
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Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2016 | Right Hook | Best Female Collegiate Album | Nominated |
Jasleen Bawa for "Team" (Right Hook) | Best Female Collegiate Soloist | Nominated | |
Brianna Meese, Michelle Gahagan for "Don't Wake Me Up" (Right Hook) | Best Female Collegiate Arrangement | Nominated | |
2014 | Tintinnabulation | Best Female Collegiate Album | Nominated |
"Fire" (Tintinnabulation) | Best Female Collegiate Song | Nominated | |
Jasleen Bawa for "Winter Trees" (Tintinnabulation) | Best Female Collegiate Soloist | Nominated | |
Michelle Gahagan for "Winter Trees" (Tintinnabulation) | Best Female Collegiate Arrangement | Nominated | |
2012 | "Love, Save the Empty" (Good Morning, Mr. Jefferson) | Best Female Collegiate Song | Nominated |
2010 | acaBELLEa | Best Female Collegiate Album | Nominated |
2002 | Aurora | Best Female Collegiate Album (Runner Up) | Won |
2000 | Bellissima | Best Female Collegiate Album (Runner Up) | Won |
"Fast Car" (Bellissima) | Best Female Collegiate Song | Nominated | |
Heather Bates for (Bellissima) | Best Female Collegiate Soloist | Nominated | |
Joelle Heise for (Bellissima) | Best Female Collegiate Arrangement | Won |
Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB)
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2009 | "Big Girls Don’t Cry" (acaBELLEa) | 2009 Song of the Year | Won |
Best of College A Cappella (BOCA)
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2014 | "Fire" (Tintinnabulation) | BOCA 2014: Best of College A Cappella | Won |
Voices Only A Cappella Compilation
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2015 | "Goodness Gracious" (Right Hook) | Voices Only 2015, Vol. 2 | Won |
2014 | "Do My Thing" (Tintinnabulation) | Voices Only 2014, Vol. 1 | Won |
2013 | "Rumour Has It" (Tintinnabulation) | Voices Only 2013, Vol. 1 | Won |
2011 | "Love, Save the Empty" (Good Morning, Mr. Jefferson) | Voices Only 2011, Vol. 2 | Won |
International Competitive Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs)
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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2003 | Virginia Belles | ICCA Quarter-Finals—3rd Place | Won |
2001 | Virginia Belles | ICCA Semi-Finals—2nd Place | Won |
My-Van Nguyen | Outstanding Vocal Percussion | Won | |
Lindsay Wilkonson | Outstanding Soloist | Nominated | |
2000 | Virginia Belles | ICCA Quarter-Finals—3rd Place | Won |
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his Academical Village, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original governing Board of Visitors included three U.S. presidents: Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, the latter as sitting president of the United States at the time of its foundation. As its first two rectors, Presidents Jefferson and Madison played key roles in the university's foundation, with Jefferson designing both the original courses of study and the university's architecture. Located within its historic 1,135 acre central campus, the university is composed of eight undergraduate and three professional schools: the School of Law, the Darden School of Business, and the School of Medicine.
Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the seat of government of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Charlotte. At the 2020 census, the population of the city was 46,553. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the City of Charlottesville with Albemarle County for statistical purposes, bringing its population to approximately 160,000. Charlottesville is the heart of the Charlottesville metropolitan area, which includes Albemarle, Buckingham, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson counties.
The Virginia Pep Band was a student-run musical ensemble at the University of Virginia (UVA). In the tradition of scatter or scramble bands, like those at Stanford, Rice and the Ivy League, the Pep Band preferred irreverent humor and individuality to marching in uniform formations. Founded in 1974, this group of students served as UVa's band supporting athletics in an official capacity until 2003. After being banned from official athletic events in 2003, the group continued to perform at sporting events such as swimming, field hockey, and ice hockey. The ensemble has also performed at Charlottesville community events including the Charlottesville 10-miler, the Alzheimer's Walk, and the United Way Day of Caring.
Scott Stadium, in full The Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III Field at Scott Stadium, is a stadium located in Charlottesville, Virginia. It is the home of the Virginia Cavaliers football team. It sits on the University of Virginia's Grounds, east of Hereford College and first-year dorms on Alderman Road but west of Brown College and the Lawn. Constructed in 1931, it is the oldest active FBS football stadium in Virginia.
The Seven Society is the most secretive of the University of Virginia's secret societies. Members are only revealed after their death, when a wreath of black magnolias in the shape of a "7" is placed at the gravesite, the bell tower of the University Chapel chimes at seven-second intervals on the seventh dissonant chord when it is seven past the hour, and a notice is published in the university's Alumni News, and often in the Cavalier Daily. The most visible tradition of the society is the painting of the logo of the society, the number 7 surrounded by the signs for alpha (A), omega (Ω), and infinity (∞), and sometimes several stars, upon many buildings around the grounds of the university.
John Paul Jones Arena, or JPJ, is a multi-purpose arena owned by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. Since November 2006, it serves as the home to the Virginia Cavaliers men's and women's basketball teams, as well as for concerts and other events. With seating for 14,623 fans John Paul Jones Arena is the largest indoor arena in Virginia and the biggest Atlantic Coast Conference basketball arena located outside of large metropolitan areas. Sports Illustrated named John Paul Jones Arena the best new college basketball arena of the 2000s.
The Cavalier Marching Band (CMB) is the marching band at the University of Virginia. The band's original director, William "Bill" Pease, was the first full-time marching band director in the history of the University of Virginia. The Cavalier Marching Band made its debut on September 11, 2004, after a considerable donation was made by University of Virginia benefactors Carl and Hunter Smith to found the band in 2003. The CMB uses a mixture of both DCI style glide step and high step in its performances. Of its 200 members, all seven undergraduate schools at the University of Virginia are represented.
The Lawn, a part of Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village, is a large, terraced grassy court at the historic center of Jefferson's academic community at the University of Virginia. The Lawn and its surrounding buildings, designed by Jefferson, demonstrate Jefferson's mastery of Palladian and Neoclassical architecture, and the site has been recognized as an architectural masterpiece in itself. The Lawn has been designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark District, and is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site along with the original buildings of the University of Virginia and Monticello, Jefferson's nearby residence; this designation is due to the site's architectural and cultural significance.
Secret societies have been a part of University of Virginia student life since the first class of students in 1825. While the number of societies peaked during the 75 years between 1875 and 1950, there are several newer societies and six societies that have been active for more than 100 years, including Seven Society, Z Society, IMP Society, Eli Banana, T.I.L.K.A. Society, and The 13 Society. The earliest societies, Eli Banana and T.I.L.K.A. Society, function as social clubs, while the Z Society, IMP Society, and Seven Society have a record of philanthropy and contribution to the university. Some of the more recent societies focus on the recognition or disapprobation of positive and negative contributions to the university.
The Hullabahoos are a student-run, all-male a cappella group at the University of Virginia. The group was founded in 1987 by Halsted Sullivan and recorded its 19th studio album in 2014. They have appeared as the fictional group "Here Comes Treble" on an episode of NBC's The Office, performed at the 2004 Republican National Convention, Washington Nationals baseball games, Good Morning America, the Philippines, weddings, and private parties. Other performance requests have included invitations from the White House, the Kennedy Center, and NBC's The Today Show.
The Virginia Glee Club is a men's chorus based at the University of Virginia. It performs both traditional and contemporary vocal works typically in TTBB arrangements. Founded in 1871, the Glee Club is the university's oldest musical organization and one of the oldest all-male collegiate vocal ensembles in the United States. It is currently conducted by Frank Albinder.
"The Good Old Song" is the de facto school song of the University of Virginia. It is often said to be the university's fight song, although the actual fight song is "The Cavalier Song". It is set to the music of "Auld Lang Syne", a song frequently sung on New Year's Eve.
The Virginia Gentlemen (VGs) is a lower voices collegiate a cappella group and the oldest a cappella group at the University of Virginia. The group was founded in 1953 as an elite octet of the Virginia Glee Club. Since establishing independence from the Virginia Glee Club in 1987, the group has continued to perform a mix of contemporary pop and classic vocal music.
Ernest Campbell Mead Jr. was professor of music and former head of the McIntire Department of Music at the University of Virginia.
Donald Loach is Associate Professor Emeritus of Music at the University of Virginia where he taught courses in music history and theory, and conducted numerous student choral ensembles including the University of Virginia Glee Club, University Singers, and Coro Virginia. In the Charlottesville community, he was for many years music director of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Oratorio Society now called the Oratorio Society of Virginia and of the senior choir of St. Paul's Memorial Church. In retirement he continued to teach general music courses, primarily for older students, through the UVa School of Continuing and Professional Studies and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. His principal field of scholarship centers on the history of Renaissance Music.
The Academical Village People (AVP) is an a cappella group at the University of Virginia founded in 1993 by a group of people who vowed to "never take themselves too seriously." They set themselves apart from other groups by being able to keep professional while maintaining their lax attitude, wild antics while performing, and their less traditional uniform of a garage mechanic style shirt. The name "Academical Village People" comes from Thomas Jefferson's Academical Village at the university in Charlottesville, Virginia. As of 2017, AVP, as it is often called for short, has released thirteen studio albums, including a greatest hits album, DECADEmical: Best of 1993-2003, of its first ten years in existence. The group has recorded many notable performances such as opening for Dana Carvey and Girl Talk, performing for Reba McEntire at the White House, concerts at the Kennedy Center, and performances in such countries as England, Spain, and Scotland.
The Virginia Sil'hooettes are a student-run, all-female identifying a cappella group at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. Once just the vision of four UVA students in the winter of 1988, the Sil'hooettes are now the most award-winning a cappella group at UVA. They have performed for thousands of people at venues including the Kennedy Center, The White House, John Paul Jones Arena, Baltimore Orioles home baseball games, and Boston Red Sox home baseball games.
The Lawn is a historical and central location on the grounds of the University of Virginia (UVA). Each school year, there are a number of events held on the Lawn to build a sense of community among the students, faculty, and the community in Charlottesville as a whole. Listed are events that have become traditions carried out by the university itself and the students.
Fraternities and sororities at the University of Virginia include the collegiate organizations on the grounds of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. First founded in the 1850s with the establishment of several fraternities, the system has since expanded to include sororities, professional organizations, service fraternities, honor fraternities, and cultural organizations. Fraternities and sororities have been significant to the history of the University of Virginia, including the founding of two national fraternities Kappa Sigma (ΚΣ) and Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠΚΑ).