Glee Club era and independence

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 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]}

Performances

Annual international tours

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.

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.

Musical awards

Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs)

Selection for "best of" compilation albums

Best of College A Cappella (BOCA)

Voices Only

Record of Travel