The Virginia Belles is the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...

's oldest all-female

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group based in

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen Ch ...

. The group was established in 1977 by Katherine Mitchell as the female counterpart to the

Virginia Gentlemen 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 ...

, the university's oldest a cappella group. Completely student-run, the Belles continue to perform an eclectic range of vocal music from

oldies Oldies is a term for musical genres such as pop music, rock and roll, doo-wop, surf music (broadly characterized as classic rock and pop rock) from the second half of the 20th century, specifically from around the mid-1950s to the 1980s, as we ...

and

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming *Independent video game development, video games created without financial backing from large companies *Indie game, any game (board ...

and R&B. They sing in and around Charlottesville, and up and down the

East Coast East Coast may refer to: Entertainment * East Coast hip hop, a subgenre of hip hop * East Coast (ASAP Ferg song), "East Coast" (ASAP Ferg song), 2017 * East Coast (Saves the Day song), "East Coast" (Saves the Day song), 2004 * East Coast FM, a ra ...

and all across the U.S. (often wearing little black dresses), and have received awards and honors from internationally acclaimed organizations such as the

Contemporary A Cappella Society The Contemporary A Cappella Society (of America), or CASA, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella music of all styles around the world. CASA was founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon in San Francisco just ...

, Varsity Vocals, and the Recorded A Cappella Review Board.

History

The Belles were founded in the fall of 1977 by Katherine Mitchell, a student at the University of Virginia. A woman who continues to love music, Katherine noticed then that there was no outlet for female a cappella at the university. The

, 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. 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 A madrigal is a form of secular vocal music most typical of the Renaissance (15th–16th c.) and early Baroque (1600–1750) periods, although revisited by some later European composers. The polyphonic madrigal is unaccompanied, and the number o ...

and popular music. Today, the Belles hold auditions every semester for every female student at the university to attend.

The Belles Today

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. The group is entirely student-run and affiliated with the UVA McIntire Department of Music. 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 iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and

Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential economi ...

Fall Roll

The Belles tour the East Coast every year on a trip they call Fall Roll, visiting numerous other schools, colleges, and universities. Past trips have included visits with the

Princeton Footnotes The Princeton Footnotes are a low-voice a cappella group from Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. The Footnotes are a student-run, semi-professional performance group that generally consists of ten to twenty members. The Footnotes hold ...

, Vanderbilt Melodores, The Baker's Dozen of

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

Men of Last Call,

William and Mary's The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

The Gentlemen of the College The Gentlemen of the College is a Tenor/Bass singing group, and the oldest Tenor/Bass ''a cappella'' group at the College of William & Mary. Founded in 1990

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

Juxtaposition, The UNC Achordants, etc. The University of Virginia's Fall Break is always reserved for this excursion.

CD Production

The Belles record and release a new CD biyearly. 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. 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.

Awards

Musical Awards

Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) , - , rowspan="3", 2016 , , ''Right Hook'' , , Best Female Collegiate Album , , , - , Jasleen Bawa for "Team" (''Right Hook'') , , Best Female Collegiate Soloist , , , - , Brianna Meese, Michelle Gahagan for "Don't Wake Me Up" (''Right Hook''), , Best Female Collegiate Arrangement , , , - , rowspan="4", 2014 , , ''Tintinnabulation'' , , Best Female Collegiate Album , , , - , "Fire" (''Tintinnabulation'') , , Best Female Collegiate Song , , , - , Jasleen Bawa for "Winter Trees" (''Tintinnabulation'') , , Best Female Collegiate Soloist , , , - , Michelle Gahagan for "Winter Trees" (''Tintinnabulation''), , Best Female Collegiate Arrangement , , , - , 2012 , , "Love, Save the Empty" (''Good Morning, Mr. Jefferson'') , , Best Female Collegiate Song , , , - , 2010 , , ''acaBELLEa'' , , Best Female Collegiate Album , , , - , 2002 , , ''Aurora'' , , Best Female Collegiate Album (Runner Up) , , , - , rowspan="4", 2000 , , ''Bellissima'' , , Best Female Collegiate Album (Runner Up) , , , - , "Fast Car" (''Bellissima'') , , Best Female Collegiate Song , , , - , Heather Bates for (''Bellissima'') , , Best Female Collegiate Soloist , , , - , Joelle Heise for (''Bellissima'') , , Best Female Collegiate Arrangement , , '
Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB)
'' , - , 2009 , , "Big Girls Don’t Cry" (''acaBELLEa'') , , 2009 Song of the Year , ,

Selection for "Best Of" Compilation Albums

'
''Best of College A Cappella (BOCA)''
'' , - , 2014 , , "Fire" (''Tintinnabulation'') , , ''BOCA 2014: Best of College A Cappella'' , , '
''Voices Only A Cappella Compilation''
'' , - , 2015 , , "Goodness Gracious" (''Right Hook'') , , ''Voices Only 2015, Vol. 2'' , , , - , 2014 , , "Do My Thing" (''Tintinnabulation'') , , ''Voices Only 2014, Vol. 1'' , , , - , 2013 , , "Rumour Has It" (''Tintinnabulation'') , , ''Voices Only 2013, Vol. 1'' , , , - , 2011 , , "Love, Save the Empty" (''Good Morning, Mr. Jefferson'') , , ''Voices Only 2011, Vol. 2'' , ,

A Cappella Competitions

International Competitive Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs) , - , 2003 , , Virginia Belles , , ICCA Quarter-Finals—3rd Place , , , - , rowspan="3", 2001 , , Virginia Belles , , ICCA Semi-Finals—2nd Place , , , - , My-Van Nguyen , , Outstanding Vocal Percussion , , , - , Lindsay Wilkonson , , Outstanding Soloist , , , - , 2000 , , Virginia Belles , , ICCA Quarter-Finals—3rd Place , ,

Discography

*''Woman'' (2019) *''Lightning in a Bottle'' (2017) *''Right Hook'' (2015) *''Five - EP'' (2015) *''Tintinnabulation'' (2013) *''Good Morning Mr. Jefferson'' (2011) *''acaBELLEa'' (2009) *''Taking Every Detour'' (2007) *''Essentially Covered'' (2005) *''Sterling'' (2003) *''Aurora'' (2001) *''Bellissima'' (1999) *''Dig'' (1997) *''ReBELLEion'' (1995) *''Bar Belles'' (1992) *''Belle Bottoms'' (1991) *''AcaBELLEa'' (1990)

Notable alumni

Kelleigh Bannen Kelleigh Carlyle Bannen (born February 18, 1981) is an American country music singer and host of Apple Music's Beats 1 "Today's Country" radio show. She debuted in 2012 with the single "Sorry on the Rocks", which has charted on Hot Country Songs ...

- musician, solo artist *

Jia Tolentino Jia Angeli Carla Tolentino (born 1988) is an American writer and editor. A staff writer for ''The New Yorker,'' she previously worked as deputy editor of ''Jezebel'' and a contributing editor at ''The Hairpin''. Her writing has also appeared in ' ...

- author, editor

More A Cappella at UVA

- all male *

Hullabahoos 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 Tre ...

- all male * The Academical Village People - all male *Virginia Sil'hooettes - all female *Hoos In Treble - all female *The New Dominions - co-ed *CHoosE - Christian *Remix - hip - hop *Achoostics - all female philanthropy *Harmonious Hoos All-Gender A Cappella

References

External links

The Official Virginia Belles Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Virginia Belles, The Collegiate a cappella groups University of Virginia musical groups Musical groups established in 1977 1977 establishments in Virginia Women in Virginia