Fifty years after its founding, 2003 is a year of celebration for the oldest a cappella group on Grounds -- the Virginia Gentlemen. As a part of this celebration, the Virginia Gentlemen, clad in their blue sports coats and bow ties, will be holding their 50th anniversary concert tomorrow in Old Cabell Hall.
The audience of tomorrow's show, however, is not going to get just a regular spring a cappella concert.
In addition to the traditional new music and skits, for their 50th anniversary the VGs have planned several special extras for their concert.
The concert is more of a "celebration of 50 years than a regular concert," 4th-year College student Ben Rottenborn said.
As a part of the "celebration," seven of the original eight 1953 Virginia Gentlemen will be in attendance at the concert to sing a song with current members.
"We thought it would be a really neat idea to get some of the original founders of the Virginia Gentlemen to come back and sing," Rottenborn said. "We got their contact information from Alumni Hall, and they all seem to be looking forward to it."
As well as the original members, several more recent VG alumni will be singing some of their better-known solos.
The concert is part of an entire reunion weekend for the Virginia Gentlemen and alumni. More than a hundred men are coming to town for the festivities, which include a reception at the Colonnade Club and brunch.
The current VGs hope to meet alums and re-acquaint themselves with those they may have met in the past. They also hope to learn more about the history of their group, according to Rottenborn.
The Virginia Gentlemen try to have a reunion with the alumni every five years. This 50th anniversary, however, is expected to have a much larger turnout than those in the past.
A new CD will be available at the show for $15. The two-disk CD is a Virginia Gentlemen anthology including 43 songs, some being hits from the group's older repertoire.
The show should be a collection of memories from the past 50 years and a display of the continued tradition of the Virginia Gentlemen, as described by an alumnus on the Web site:
"All are unified by their love for the University of Virginia and memories of the fellowship, song, travel and inebriation of the Virginia Gentlemen."
The concert starts at 8 p.m. tomorrow night in Old Cabell Hall.
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