Browse a list of student music groups

Independent student musical groups cover a range of genres and interests. These descriptions are taken from the Contracted Independent Organizations list.

A cappella

The Academical Village People (AVP) have been rocking the University of Virginia for 11 years. These 14 gentlemen perform a range of tunes from oldies and disco to pop/rock and R&B. AVP’s high-octane, extreme a cappella performance stylings and off-the-wall antics may not get us chicks, but it sure does make for a good show. AVP recently completed its sixth album, “Scantily Plaid,” in its very own home studio (which doubled as a hallway to Matt, James and Mikey’s bathroom). Our moms say it’s really good so we hope it will continue the AV-tradition of award-winning recording. We’ve recently been notified that a track from the new CD, “Kate,” will be on the new compilation CD, “Sing,” put out by the AACI, so be sure to check us out there, too! Visit our Web site for samples, bios, and exclusive tracks that are Too-Hot-For-CD!! The name? Well the Academical Village was Thomas Jefferson’s vision of an intellectual community that evolved into the University of Virginia. The Village People...well they were just really cool. The Academical Village People — musical, comical, whimsical. Academical.

Blue Notes is U.Va’s only jazz a cappella group.

Ektaal is the University of Virginia’s first and only South Asian female a cappella group, performing a variety of songs that fuse together elements of Hindi and South Asian popular music with English pop tunes.

Hoos in Treble is the University of Virginia’s newest female a cappella group and was formed in 1999. We are an energetic and fun-loving bunch of girls who enjoy singing, dancing and entertaining a crowd! We perform from a variety of musical genres including soul, folk, country, rock, pop, jazz, hip-hop and R&B. We are a very strong performance group featuring complex arrangements, custom choreography and exciting harmony. We perform on a regular basis for a variety of U.Va. events and groups and compete on a regional level. Each year we travel to an East Coast destination to support our favorite cause — the fight against breast cancer.

The Hullabahoos are an all-male a cappella group famous for their sound and their style. Winner of the 2005 Contemporary A Capella Recording Award for Best Male Collegiate Song, the Hullabahoos consistently produce music of all kinds. Ranging from country to hip-hop, their diverse repertoire allows them to perform in every type of venue including the 2004 Republican National Convention, Washington Nationals games, the Bahamas, the Philippines and colleges around the United States. You can recognize them running around with their robes wreaking havoc on Grounds.

The New Dominions is the oldest co-ed a cappella group at U.Va., founded in 1990. Our eclectic repertoire varies from Metallica and Elvis Presley to Destiny’s Child and Dixie Chicks. You can catch us around Grounds at various gigs and concerts in our “ND” Superman logo T-shirts. Our goal is to not only perform coed a cappella music and enhance the quality of singing at U.Va., but also to enjoy doing it and entertain communities both on and off Grounds.

O-Tones was founded in fall 2000 as a coed Asian-American a cappella group. The languages of our repertoire include Mandarin Chinese, Taiwanese, Japanese, Korean and English.

Remix is an a cappella group specializing in the sounds of hip-hop and R&B.

The Virginia Belles are the University of Virginia’s oldest all-female a cappella group. The Belles were founded in 1977. The Belles perform a variety of songs — pop, R&B, country, spirituals and many other types. We sing for many different occasions including fundraising events on Grounds, private parties, weddings, sports events, concerts and business meetings.

Virginia Sil’hooettes is a nationally known all-female a cappella group at the University of Virginia. We were established in the fall of 1988 and have been singing and having fun ever since. We sing nearly all genres of music and will sing nearly anywhere.

Religious

Black Voices at the University of Virginia is a choir that sings music of the African-American culture (i.e., anthems, spirituals, classical music, contemporary gospel, etc.). The purpose of this organization is to provide an opportunity for people to assemble in Christian fellowship and song. Moreover, by singing this music, the choir aims to share the African-American culture with others as well as express spiritual principles. Rendering music at the University of Virginia and elsewhere, Black Voices provides an excellent opportunity for University of Virginia students to interact with residents of the Charlottesville-Albemarle communities, other college choirs and each other in a setting not provided by any other organization on Grounds. Black Voices represents God, the African-American culture and the University.

 

Christian ’Hoos Exalt (CHoosE) is the University’s coed Christian a cappella group.

 

Jubilate is a Christian choir made up of students of the University of Virginia. Our mission is to bring praise and glory to God through song.

 

Miscellaneous performance

 

The University Brass Ensemble is an independently run group of brass-playing musicians that serves to perform enjoyable brass choir music, specifically fun and exciting, for all.

The Virginia Glee Club is the oldest musical organization at the University of Virginia. As the Glee Club now moves through its 133rd year, its goals remain the same as they have been for the past 13 decades: to foster lifelong friendships in a spirit of brotherhood and to share the beauty and perfection of choral music through concerts that meet the highest standards of excellence. The Virginia Glee Club is a democratic organization. We have a constitution: the Virginia Glee Club Bylaws. There are two decision-making bodies of the Virginia Glee Club: the Executive Council and the Board. The members of both bodies, with the exception of the director, who sits on the Executive Council, are elected by the club members.

The Virginia Pep Band provides musical support for Virginia Athletics and the University community while having a great time.

Virginia Women’s Chorus, an all-female choral group, performs two major concerts every school year, plus a number of other smaller gigs — including Take Back the Night, sporting event national anthems and smaller regional tours. Singing songs from all genres from Thompson, Britten and Holst to music by contemporary artists such as Allison Krauss. Auditions are held at the beginning of each semester, and rehearsals are Monday and Wednesday evenings.

Service

The Community Arts Volunteers is a group of University of Virginia students who provide free after-school lessons in visual arts, music, dance, drama and writing to elementary school students in the Charlottesville area. The goal of the program is to make the arts accessible to children of all backGrounds. Each volunteer in the program is assigned an hour-long teaching shift at one of the participating elementary schools according to the volunteer’s statement of availability and teaching preferences. The curriculum of the program is open to the volunteers’ creativity. Volunteers create their own programs and are free to teach any art within their expertise. The instruction volunteers provide is both casual and the result of an entirely voluntary association, so in this sense it proves enjoyable for both the volunteers and students involved.

Musicians on Call, in coordination with a program that has already been established at the University hospital, will organize student volunteers to share music in the hospital. In addition, this program will provide an education forum on the advances of music therapy, covering how music is believed to interact with the mind and body and also how music is most effectively shared in a medical setting.

Business

Cauhoi Productions is a small student-run production organization. Our mission is to find talent among all of musical groups in U.Va. and help them record their songs into CDs as demo. Our organization will try to help student artists to get signed with a record label. Although Cauhoi Production is new in the music business and we don’t have many contacts, we believe that with enthusiasm and support from other organizations, we can help the artists get signed with a good record label. Basically, we will help the artists produce their songs from scratch, help arrange music, edit and advertise the songs.

Oluponya Records records music for talented students and student-groups on Grounds at the University of Virginia. Using modern recording equipment, a cappella groups, solo artists and mass choirs can be serviced through the Oluponya organization at low prices. The Oluponya organization also auditions and records solo artists and bands spanning genres, in order to be recorded for periodic mixes released by the group. The crux of Oluponya’s operations is quality service to University groups as well as promoting diversity on Grounds.

Promotion

The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPICMACAY) is a nonprofit organization, registered in California, whose aim is to help initiate an interest in Indian culture among the youth of the country. The Society aims at introducing traditional culture through the medium of free concerts on Indian music, dance and yoga. SPICMACAY was started in India in 1977 by a group of Indian youths who realized that their peers knew very little about their own cultural heritage. SPICMACAY has successfully reached millions of enthusiasts through Indian classical music and dance. During the past 14 years, SPICMACAY has organized thousands of concerts, recitals, baithaks (concerts in an intimate and informal setting) and lecture demonstrations of Indian classical music and dance by leading artists all of whom are preeminent in their fields. These artists are selected for having made substantial contributions to their respective fields.

Tyrannosaurus Rock is an organization dedicated to the progress of independent musical arts in the University community. The organization sponsors small shows featuring underground hip hop, punk, electronic and experimental performers. Our members feel that the University community is ready to embrace a more consistent presence of indie music on Grounds and would like to provide such a service. Tyrannosaurus Rock provides monthly independent music concerts in a relatively small venue on Grounds as well as occasionally larger shows and casual screenings of underground music documentaries on occasion.

The Young Composers’ Society was created to encourage the compositional development of undergraduates at the University with a serious interest in music composition and serves to better integrate their cause with the programs offered by the McIntire Department of Music. We meet weekly to engage in an open forum in which students’ works-in-progress are presented and discussed. This interchange actively encourages members to develop their repertoire both quantitatively and qualitatively. At the end of each semester, a concert of chamber works commissioned by the group at the beginning of the semester is performed and recorded by volunteer and paid students and faculty. During the months in between, a lecture series of visiting composition faculty from the department and/or other outside experienced composers is conducted to inform students of the activities of their local musical mentors and to teach them about the issues facing professional composers in academia and the career world. All styles and approaches to writing music are welcome and appreciated. We actively seek and desire new participants!