Nervous, the Maverick Belles, the school’s first acapella group approached the stage for their chapel debut. The Maverick Belles, confident in their skills, began singing a Dolly Parton classic. Soon, the girls began to woo the crowd with their perfect pitch and talented voices.
“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,” Ashley Smith, a freshman who attended the performance, said.
This August, junior Eliza Dorros, with the help of junior Biana Sieler, founded the Maverick Belles, an acapella group consisting of ten girls: Abi Balachandran, Annie Villa, Biana Sieler, Cate Adams, Claire Connelly, Claire Glickert, Elisa Feygin, Eliza Dorros, Kate Andearsen, and Vivian Conelly. Dorros had wanted to form this group since her sophomore year. This group reflects the two founders’ love of music.
The group was made to provide another opportunity for devoted singers to meet and perform, but it 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 a 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 songs only sung by women, fostering a sense of feminism within the group. Last chapel, the group sang “Light of a Clear Blue Morning” by Dolly Parton, a world-renowned singer. At their next performance in the SAC music assembly, they plan on singing Roar, another song that showcases the power of another iconic female, Katy Perry.
The group searched hard to find a committed faculty sponsor that would dedicate their time towards the group. Having a background as an opera singer and a thespian, Colleen Kimball was a qualified candidate and role model for the girls. On campus, Kimball is the director of clinical services at the School.
In the future, the Belles hope to incorporate community service into their performances. Dorros explained her goal of performing at Angela’s home, a home for women released from prison that are reacclimating to society.
“I 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 practicing during free time. In order to be prepared for performances, the group 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’s just life and it’s super exciting,” Dorros said.
The structure of the choir does not allow underclassmen girls to be a part of Kantorei, the advanced choir that performs acapella songs. Because of this, Dorros and many others had not done any acapella singing before. Since forming the group, Dorros has appreciated that it gives her another opportunity to sing throughout the year, fulfilling her love for performing.
Being part of the group is fun but there are added challenges. Singing is an enjoyable hobby but it is also technical and difficult 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 be able to maintain pitch and it’s a lot harder than it looks.” Dorros said.
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 many others have made new friends throughout the process. The girls all have enjoyed singing, getting to know each, and creating a smaller community of performers within the school.
