Our History

The Virginia Belles is the oldest and most established all female-identifying a cappella group at the University of Virginia. Simply put, we are a group of young ladies who love to sing without instruments, and we have been making beautiful music together for 48 years. Entertaining audiences around Grounds and the greater Charlottesville community, the Belles perform a diverse repertoire of pop, oldies, R&B, folk, and traditional songs.

In 1977, UVA student Katherine Mitchell realized that there was no existing outlet for female a cappella at the University, despite the University’s first all-male a cappella group, the Virginia Gentlemen, founded in 1953. Unwilling to let the boys have all the fun, Katherine founded the Virginia Belles as the VG’s female counterpart, comprised of the most talented members of the Virginia Women’s Chorus. While the Belles are no longer a part of the Women’s Chorus, the group remains affiliated with the McIntire Department of Music at the University and continues to bring together exceptionally talented women with a passion for music.

CURRENTLY

The Belles have accomplished a lot since their inception in 1977 — sharing their music at a variety of venues at the University, in Charlottesville, and along the East Coast. We performed at the United States Senate, opened for Ingrid Michaelson at the Music Inspires Health concert in Washington D.C, and have been consistently recognized by the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, Voices Only, and Varsity Vocals Best of College A Cappella Compilation Albums. Our press includes coverage in Elle Magazine, the New Yorker, NBC, and Fox News, among others. Coming from a broad range of backgrounds and academic interests, our members alumni have pursued journalism, law, medicine, C-suite, reality TV (The Voice and American Idol), and even professional music!

COLLABORATIONS

The Belles also love to travel and perform alongside some of the most prestigious college acapella groups on the East Coast—from Princeton, Yale, Brown, and more — as well as with UVA’s own talented groups. We lend our voices to charities, official University events, and private events alike —singing for UVA Basketball, Rotunda Sings, Lighting of the Lawn, the Tom Tom Festival, Board of Trustees, and sporting events, to name a few. Everything we perform and record has been arranged and learned entirely by members of our own group. Despite being beyond proud of our achievements, we constantly strive to develop, grow, and improve as a group.

Once a belle, always a belle.

While music is what brings the Belles together, it is our friendship that keeps us together. Once a Belle, always a Belle; it is a bond that simply cannot be put into words.  Whether rehearsing, performing, or just hanging out, the Virginia Belles is much more than an a cappella group — it is something that we hope to share with audiences and with each other for another 48 years… and long after that.