The Virginia Belles is the oldest and most established all-female a cappella group at the University of Virginia. Simply put, we are a group of young ladies who love to sing, we prefer that no instruments be involved, and we have been making beautiful music together for 35 years. In 1977, UVA student Katherine Mitchell realized that no outlet existed for female a cappella at the University—while the University’s first all-male a cappella group, the Virginia Gentlemen, had been founded since 1953. Unwilling to let the boys have all the fun, Katherine founded the Virginia Belles, comprised of the most talented members of the Virginia Women's Chorus, as the VG’s female counterpart. While it is 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. The Belles share our music at a variety of venues at the University, in Charlottesville, and up and down the east coast. We were recognized by the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards, featured in 2011’s Voices Only compilation of top collegiate a cappella, opened for Ingrid Michaelson at the Music Inspires Health concert in Washington D.C., and have even been covered by Fox news. The Belles also love to travel and consistently perform alongside some of the most prestigious college a cappella groups on the East Coast—from Harvard, Yale, Brown and more—as well as with UVA’s own talented male groups. We love to lend our voices to charities, official University events, and private events alike. The Belles’ most recent studio album, “Tintinnabulation,” was released in the Spring of 2013, its success following the same path as our past albums including "Good Morning Mr. Jefferson," and "acaBELLEa." Everything we perform and record has been arranged and learned by members of our group. Despite being beyond proud of our achievements, we constantly strive to develop, grow, and improve as a group. 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 just an a cappella group -- it is something that we hope to share with audiences and with each other for another 35 years…and long after that.