The Belles were founded in the fall of 1977 by Katherine Mitchell, a student at the University of Virginia. A woman who continues to love music, Katherine noticed that there was no outlet for female a cappella at UVa. The Virginia Gentlemen, UVa's oldest male a cappella group had been at the University since 1953. Katherine therefore formed the Belles to serve as a female counterpart to the VG's.

In 1977, the Belles were a select part of the Women's Chorus. The most talented members of the Women's Chorus were asked to audition for the Belles. Today, the Belles are a Contracted Independent Organization run through UVa's student council and are no longer a part of the Women's Chorus. The group is entirely student run and affiliated with the Music Department.

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