The Virginia Gentlemen (VGs) is a lower voices collegiate a cappella group and the oldest a cappella group at the University of Virginia.[1] The group was founded in 1953 as an elite octet of the Virginia Glee Club.[2] 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.[1]
Recognizable by the signature navy blue blazers and orange-and-blue bow ties worn during performances, the VGs offer regular performances across the Charlottesville area and the United States, and conduct annual international tours, having most recently traveled to Guatemala, Los Cabos and California. Additionally, the group has performed in recent years at the Sydney Opera House, the Forbidden City, the Grand Palace of Thailand, and at the White House for the Bush and Obama administrations.
About
Glee Club era and independence
The original 1953 octet of the Virginia Gentlemen.
The Virginia Gentlemen were founded in 1953 and are the oldest a cappella group at the University of Virginia. The group was conceived as an elite octet of the Virginia Glee Club and would perform regularly at their concerts, eventually building enough of a reputation to attract its own audiences and perform its own shows. The group existed for over three decades as a subsidiary of the Glee Club until establishing itself as a contracted independent organization in 1987, under the leadership of then-music director Michael Butterman. Still, the Virginia Gentlemen feature at Glee Club events like their annual Christmas Concert, as a nod to their roots.
Modern group
Since the VGs' independence from the Virginia Glee Club, much changed with the group, the least of which being the group's membership size. From the Glee Club era size of 8 to 12 members, the group now stands regularly between 13 and 17 members per year. The group's musical tastes changed as well, diverging from the classical and barbershop chorus pieces of the Glee Club era to arrangements of modern pop singles and rock ballads that it performs and records today.
The VGs maintain a close relationship with the University of Virginia and the city of Charlottesville, performing regularly on campus in concerts and for special occasions and memorials, including the vigil for Yeardley Love after her death.[3]
The VGs performing at their 60th Anniversary Concert in April 2013.
The group recorded its first album in 1988 with Live From the Studio and has since released 22 studio albums. The VGs most recent album release was in 2016 with Upside Down, a reference to their recent travel to Antarctica. Several Virginia Gentlemen arrangements have been featured on Best of College A Cappella compilations, including their renowned a cappella arrangement of the song "Insomniac" by Billy Pilgrim.[4][5][6][7][8][9][10]
Activities
Performances
Concerts
The Virginia Gentlemen annually perform four concerts throughout the year, typically in Old Cabell Hall. The first of these concerts is the Family Weekend Concert held as part of the events organized for the University's Family Weekend in the middle of the Fall semester. The second is the Holiday Concert held in conjunction with the Virginia Sil'hooettes in December. The third of these is the Winter Classic held in February, which at times has also been held in conjunction with the Hullabahoos and the Academical Village People. The fourth concert of the year is the Spring Concert, held in April. The proceeds from the Holiday Concert and, in recent years, the Winter Classic, are annually donated to charity.
The VGs also perform annually at the Annual Christmas Concert of the Virginia Glee Club in honor of the two groups' long-standing relationship. Traditionally, when the Glee Club performs "The Twelve Days of Christmas," the eighth day is sung by the VGs, an homage to the original octet which formed out of the Glee Club.
The group has traveled extensively since its independence, beginning with regular tours around the country and to the Caribbean in the early years of independence. For the last decade and a half, the group has traveled on an annual international tour, most recently visiting New Zealand and Australia in March 2019. The Virginia Gentlemen have now traveled to all 7 continents, a feat that has been accomplished by very few performing groups.[13] See their record of travel for more.
Traditions
Image and attire
The Virginia Gentlemen's standard performance attire consists of khakis, blue blazers, and blue and orange bow ties (the UVA colors), for which members of the group are widely recognized around campus.[14] Indeed, several of the a cappella groups founded at the University of Virginia after the Virginia Gentlemen established their identities in response to the formal look taken by the Virginia Gentlemen at concerts.[15] However, the group does not perform exclusively in "VG attire" but has performed more informally as suited by the occasion.
Signature songs
Over six decades, the Virginia Gentlemen have arranged and performed hundreds of songs, several of which have become group classics. These songs, performed many times annually and recognized by students at the University of Virginia as VG signatures, include "Insomniac," by Billy Pilgrim, the group's most celebrated and acclaimed arrangement;[16] "On the Turning Away," by Pink Floyd, performed during some of the University's most difficult times;[3][17] and "Shenandoah," a Glee Club standard carried over from the groups' long history together.
"Lonesome Road"
The first and last song that each Virginia Gentleman sings during his time in the group is "Lonesome Road", by James Taylor. At the close of each concert, the Virginia Gentlemen invite all past VGs onstage to join in its singing, and it serves as the final song on Gold, the group's 50th Anniversary Album, released in 2003. Though the song is younger than the group, past members of the Virginia Gentlemen have since learned the arrangement and all members past and present perform the song together whenever the occasion arises.[18]
"When We Were Young"
In 2016, the group debuted its rendition of the famous Adele track, "When We Were Young." The cover was the first of the group's to reach the one million view threshold on YouTube.[19]
^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.
