Nervous, the Maverick Belles approached the stage for their Chapel debut. The School’s first a cappella group, confident in their skills, began singing the Dolly Parton classic “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
“The group blew the crowd’s breath away during Chapel when they sang. You could tell they were incredibly good together and that they all had very good voices,” freshman Ashley Smith said.
This August, junior Eliza Dorros, with the help of junior Bianca Sieler, founded the Maverick Belles. The group consists of 10 girls: Abi Balachandran, Annie Villa, Bianca Sieler, Cate Adams, Claire Connelly, Claire Glickert, Elisa Feygin, Eliza Dorros, Kate Andreasen and Vivian Connelly. Since her sophomore year, Dorros had wanted to form this group to reflect the two founders’ love of music.
The a cappella group not only provided another opportunity for devoted singers to meet and perform, but also connected both the older and younger performers at the School.
“I was trying to give any girl who wanted to be in a school performance an opportunity to show people what they can do,” Dorros said. “It’s just a lot of fun because all of us love singing.”
The Maverick Belles performs music exclusively sung by women, fostering a sense of female empowerment within the group. They plan on performing “Roar” by Katy Perry in the upcoming Student Affairs Council music assembly.
The group searched hard to find a committed faculty sponsor that would dedicate time towards the group. Having a background as an opera singer and a thespian, Director of Clinical Services Colleen Kimball was a qualified candidate and role model for the girls.
In the future, the Belles hope to incorporate community service into their performances. Dorros explained her goal of performing at the Angela House, a community center to support previously incarcerated women to transition into society.
“I would like to add a community service element to our performances because I really like sharing art with people,” Dorros said.
Dorros believes that communication is the most important part of maintaining a performance group. Everyone in the group is busy which can make it difficult to plan rehearsal times.
Due to their limited practice time, the Belles emphasize the efficiency and dedication the members must have to maintain. In order to prepare for performances, the members practice independently.
“I know it can be super intimidating singing on the stage in front of the entire Upper School, but it’s okay because that is just life—but it’s really exciting,” Dorros said.
The structure of the School’s choir program does not allow underclassmen girls to join Kantorei, the advanced choir that performs a cappella songs. Because of this, Dorros and many others had not done any a cappella singing before. Since forming the group, Dorros has appreciated the new opportunity to sing throughout the year, fulfilling her love for performing.
Dorros notes how singing is an enjoyable hobby but has technical challenges at times.
“Not only do you have to be able to sing, but you have to be able to sing and maintain your part and maintain pitch,” Dorros said. “It’s a lot harder than it looks.”
Through their singing, the Maverick Belles have fostered a sense of community between group members and the student body. As a result, the group has gotten to know each other on a deeper level, creating bonds between different grade levels.
“I’ve definitely gotten to know some of the girls in my grade better, like junior Claire Connelly,” Dorros said. “I hadn’t really talked to her a lot, but she’s really sweet.”
Many people in the group were friends before they started singing together, but others have made new friends throughout the process. The girls have enjoyed singing, getting to know each other and creating a smaller community of performers within the school.
