The Virginia Belles

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 Virginia Belles
The Belles performing at The Virginia Gentlemen's Family Weekend Concert
The Belles performing at The Virginia Gentlemen's Family Weekend Concert
Background information
Also known asThe Belles
OriginUniversity of Virginia
GenresA Cappella
Years active1977–present
LabelsA Cappella Records
MembersClass 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

Websitevabelles.com

History

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

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.

Fall Roll

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.

CD Production/Album Recording

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.

Awards
Virginia Belles awards and nominations
Totals[lower-alpha 1]
Wins13
Nominations15
Note
  1. Certain award groups do not simply award one winner. They recognize several different recipients, have runners-up, and have third place. Since this is a specific recognition and is different from losing an award, runner-up mentions are considered wins in this award tally. For simplification and to avoid errors, each award in this list has been presumed to have had a prior nomination.

Musical Awards

Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2016Right HookBest Female Collegiate AlbumNominated
Jasleen Bawa for "Team" (Right Hook)Best Female Collegiate SoloistNominated
Brianna Meese, Michelle Gahagan for "Don't Wake Me Up" (Right Hook)Best Female Collegiate ArrangementNominated
2014TintinnabulationBest Female Collegiate AlbumNominated
"Fire" (Tintinnabulation)Best Female Collegiate SongNominated
Jasleen Bawa for "Winter Trees" (Tintinnabulation)Best Female Collegiate SoloistNominated
Michelle Gahagan for "Winter Trees" (Tintinnabulation)Best Female Collegiate ArrangementNominated
2012"Love, Save the Empty" (Good Morning, Mr. Jefferson)Best Female Collegiate SongNominated
2010acaBELLEaBest Female Collegiate AlbumNominated
2002AuroraBest Female Collegiate Album (Runner Up)Won
2000BellissimaBest Female Collegiate Album (Runner Up)Won
"Fast Car" (Bellissima)Best Female Collegiate SongNominated
Heather Bates for (Bellissima)Best Female Collegiate SoloistNominated
Joelle Heise for (Bellissima)Best Female Collegiate ArrangementWon

Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB)

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2009"Big Girls Don’t Cry" (acaBELLEa)2009 Song of the YearWon

Selection for "Best Of" Compilation Albums

Best of College A Cappella (BOCA)

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2014"Fire" (Tintinnabulation)BOCA 2014: Best of College A CappellaWon

Voices Only A Cappella Compilation

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2015"Goodness Gracious" (Right Hook)Voices Only 2015, Vol. 2Won
2014"Do My Thing" (Tintinnabulation)Voices Only 2014, Vol. 1Won
2013"Rumour Has It" (Tintinnabulation)Voices Only 2013, Vol. 1Won
2011"Love, Save the Empty" (Good Morning, Mr. Jefferson)Voices Only 2011, Vol. 2Won

A Cappella Competitions

International Competitive Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs)

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2003Virginia BellesICCA Quarter-Finals—3rd PlaceWon
2001Virginia BellesICCA Semi-Finals—2nd PlaceWon
My-Van NguyenOutstanding Vocal PercussionWon
Lindsay WilkonsonOutstanding SoloistNominated
2000Virginia BellesICCA Quarter-Finals—3rd PlaceWon

Discography
  • In A College Town (2022)
  • Love, Hazel (2021)
  • 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

More A Cappella at UVA

References
  1. "Virginia Women's Chorus comes back". The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  2. "CIO Spotlight: The Virginia Belles". The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  3. "Current Repertoire". The Virginia Belles. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  4. "Upcoming Events". The Virginia Belles. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  5. "Aca-awesome Wahoos". The Cavalier Daily. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  6. "Virginia Belles Constitution". @UVA. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  7. "Virginia Belles". @UVA. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  8. "Affiliated Ensembles and Organizations". UVA McIntire Department of Music. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
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