The Virginia Gentlemen held their annual Spring Classic Concert in Old Cabell Hall with a two-act, 10-song showcase Thursday night. The concert was a culmination of the effort the group has put in throughout the semester and included a guest appearance from another a cappella group and emotional send-offs for those graduating.
Music director and third-year Engineering student Ryan Poquis shared the importance of this concert in commemorating the graduating class of VGs.
“We hope that our audience just takes away exactly how meaningful and important these seniors have been for us. They've kind of been rocks for four years now, so for these types of concerts, we really want to put them in the spotlight and let them shine.”
The Virginia Gentlemen are the University’s first a cappella group, established in 1953. Since their founding, the VGs have held concerts every semester where they cover a wide repertoire from classic music staples to contemporary hits.
Poquis kicked off the concert with a banger solo, singing “Hymn for the Weekend” by Coldplay. He exhibited strong range and control while Cavan Meade, president and third-year Engineering student blew the audience away with his technical beat-boxing. This was followed by second-year College student Will Richardson and third-year College student Ibraheem Qureshi joining together for a duet on “Diamonds” by Rihanna, where Richardson’s lower register complemented Qureshi's higher vocals.
The Gentlemen then invited female a cappella group Hoos In Treble onstage for a guest performance to sing together Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know.” The wide range of timbres from the combined forces of both groups created an angelic arc for the two soloists, second-year Batten student Brett Barton and Ivy Anderson, Hoos In Treble member and first-year College student. The duet blended beautifully to deliver one of the best performances of the night.
Another highlight of the evening was trio of VGs — Meade, first-year College student Nimish Nookala and second-year Engineering student Brian Flores-Toribio — who slowed things down on “Speechless” by Dan + Shay. All three showed their individual prowess throughout the song, but most impressive was their collective ability to harmonize on extended and challenging runs.
The first act ended with second-year College student Jordan Fulayter bringing the energy back up with his solo on “Everybody Talks” by Neon Trees. Fulayter’s strong stage presence was on full display, engaging the audience with his upbeat disposition and flashy dance moves.
As the group’s music director who makes the final decisions on song selections, Poquis arranges the majority of the harmonies and assists in running rehearsals. According to Poquis, the VGs rehearse for months leading up to the concert reviewing and memorizing songs, and the process gets more intense as the concert approaches.
“Closer to the concert, we have rehearsals basically every single night of that week where we drill songs to make sure that we're really locked in, that we sound good and that soloists feel confident in themselves,” Poquis said.
After an entertaining intermission complete with a performance from K-pop dance group K-Edge, act two was composed of senior solos from the five graduating fourth years. Prior to each of these, Gentleman members would give a heartfelt speech about the soloist to honor their efforts within the group before they leave the University.
“I think our spring concerts are usually a little bit more sentimental, because we really want to make sure that we recognize our fourth years,” Poquis said.
Fourth-year College student Nathan Hershberger started strong with his performance of “Why Georgia” by John Mayer, which was followed by a moving rendition of Marty Robbins’s “The Master’s Call” from fourth-year College student Stephen Wiecek.
Arguably the best solos of the night came from fourth-year College student Rocco Albanese and fourth-year Engineering student Cooper Davenport, who sang “Rain” by The Teskey Brothers and “Sunburn” by Ed Sheeran respectively. Albanese immediately got the venue’s attention with his soulful crooning, and Davenport wowed the audience with his impressive falsetto, who met him with raucous applause upon finishing.
Fourth-year College student Daniel Newlands wrapped up the second act with another crowd pleaser — “Ventura Highway” by America. Newlands had a solid performance and the song was anchored by an arrangement that was simple enough for the audience to recognize but complex enough to show off the group’s ability to blend seamlessly, even over more difficult harmonies.
Alan Watts, audience member and third-year Architecture student, was touched by the earnestness of the speeches given to each fourth-year.
“Clearly this group has a strong sense of mentorship,” Watts said, “It’s great to hear about how much of an impact the older members of the group have on the younger members in the ways they are able to build up their confidence and skills as singers, as well as friends and a support network as they are starting out college.”
After an encore of “Night Changes” by One Direction that further energized the crowd, the Virginia Gentlemen ended the night with their tradition of bringing all VGs, past and present, onstage to sing “The Lonesome Road” by James Taylor. It was clear in that moment how much love and camaraderie exists within the group’s intergenerational bonds.
“It's very much a family, which is what I was looking for when I first joined the group,” Albanese said. “That's what I said to the guys during my audition. I wanted a family, and that's certainly what I got.”
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