The Sirens host Holiday Concert

Students filled the Pier for The Sirens’ annual Holiday Concert on Wednesday evening. The Sirens, University of Richmond’s all-female a cappella group, has hosted this a cappella concert since its debut Holiday Concert in 1995.

Kristen Gell, The Sirens’ president, said the concert went really well, and they were very happy with the turnout. Gell said the Holiday Concert was the group’s most popular event of the year.

Julia Dowling, president of Off the Cuff, said she thought the concert was a lot of fun and successful, and all the groups performed well. “It’s great having a lot of students in attendance,” Dowling said. “It makes the whole night really fun and a great start to the holiday season.”

Maddie Stephens, a senior who attended the concert, said it was fun and festive. Stephens said her favorite part was when The Sirens’ used helium to sing the Alvin and the Chipmunks song. Stephens said this was her third holiday a cappella concert, and she thought the groups would continue to improve. “It really seems like they grew a lot, and I really liked that,” Stephens said.

Chloe Zung, president of Choeur du Roi, said she thought her group sounded the best it had ever sounded. “The Holiday Concert makes me really proud to be part of the a cappella community at Richmond,” Zung said. She also said she enjoyed performing with the other a cappella groups and how all the groups supported each other.

Gell said her favorite part was singing "Baby It’s Cold Outside" with a member of The Octaves, as it was a great opportunity to collaborate with another group. “That’s something I think we’re going to try to do more of in the future with the four groups,” Gell said.

Conor Lemmon, president of The Octaves, said he thought the concert went great and everyone performed well, given how everyone just came back from Thanksgiving break. Lemmon said his favorite part each year was the breakdown section of their song “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree.”

Gell said one thing they may change for next year’s concert is the start time. Gell said a later start time would be beneficial as it would allow more time for set up and sound checks for the groups.

Sophomore Noelle Anna said she had enjoyed taking a study break to go the concert and see everyone dressed in their crazy and festive outfits. Anna said she thought the concert was great, but at a few points there were some problems with the microphones not working and the sound being fuzzy.

Stephens said she liked the concert’s location at the Pier, but thought Camp Concert Hall was somewhere to consider in the future because the acoustics are better there.

Contact reporter Bridget Friendly at bridget.friendly@richmond.edu