In the Audience: No Instruments Necessary

In the Audience

No Instruments Necessary

by Andrew Barat

If you want to see a great performance around grounds, you can’t go wrong seeing one of UVa’s a capella groups in concert.  There is a wide variety of music that these groups cover from modern hits to classics and each show gives you something to remember.  My first exposure to a capella was at a UVa tradition called Rotunda Sing and since then I have been to a number of concerts.

Luckily, a capella grounds don’t only perform at their concerts.  Many of them perform at what we call dorm sing.  Groups will come to the quads of the first year housing areas and perform a few songs as a free sample of what you can see if you go to their concerts. 

My favorite concert I've been to has been the Academical Village People's 20th anniversary concert.  The performance was at the Paramount Theater so it was the largest venue I had seen an a capella concert at and because it was a big anniversary for the group, many alumni came to see the show as well.  The group looked like they had a lot of fun as they performed which made the audience even more excited to cheer for their favorite song or if their friend was singing a solo.  It was an incredible concert and was great to see all the former members of the group come on stage and perform as well.  The a capella groups clearly have an impact for those involved during the time at UVa and can make memorable experiences for audience members and performers alike. 

Check out the Academical Village People putting UVa’s top five Facebook posts to music!

Want to see more about all the groups on grounds?

See UVa Arts' page on the student groups on grounds.