By Sophia Sciulli

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:: Christmas came early this year with a bonus blog from one of our MDs! Sophia celebrates the season by reflecting on a concert she attended on campus recently, one blessed with the spirit of Christmas and melody

:: December 18, 2025

:: I had the pleasure of attending my second Richmond Holiday Acapella concert on December 4th. Hosted by the all-female group, the Sirens, the performance also featured the Octaves, Off the Cuff, and Choeur du Roi (or chords). Here are my reviews and overall comments on each piece (in chronological order). 

The Sirens sang beautifully as they opened and closed the concert. Unfortunately, I cannot remember all of the songs they sang, however, I do recall “Santa Baby,” “The Miracle of Hannukah,” and “Salve Regina.” “Santa Baby” featured a quintessentially Ariana Grande soloist; however, this student performed the pop song with more pazazz than her celebrity counterpart would have. I also enjoyed “The Miracle of Hannukkah,” I feel as though the holiday definitely gets left in the dust as the commercialization of Christmas consumes the month of December. So, t’was nice to hear a different type of song pertaining to the origin story of the celebration of light. Additionally, Salve Regina” was a good opportunity for the Sirens to exemplify their wide vocal range as the altos, tenors, and sopranos all sang in low and high registers. 

Off the Cuff sang a few Christmas songs, however, their most notable piece was one of my favorites, “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes. Unbeknownst to me, ending their holiday set with this indie folk song is an Off the Cuff tradition. I absolutely love “White Winter Hymnal” as the song reminds me of getting my license Junior Year and listening to my Spotify folk playlist “a lake,” on repeat. So, when Off The Cuff announced that they were going to sing the Fleet Foxes song, I had an audible reaction: a mix between a squeal and a cheer (I would say). Not everyone in the crowd was particularly as joyous as I was, nonetheless, my excitement spoke for itself. 

The octaves, Richmond’s all male acapella group, also held a notable performance. They sang a rendition of the song “White Christmas” by The Drifters. An octave sang the fourth verse– “I, I, I am dreaming…” — of the song with a nasally quality, like the way the 1950s band’s version of the song. Additionally, the same octave had his own spin on Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline as he opted for a “Sweet Santa” parody. Instead of the usual “bum bum bum” response to the chorus, the audience sang “ho ho ho.” Another octave member stated that the sweet Santa parody was an attempt to integrate a level of seriousness into their holiday set.

Choeur du Roi University of Richmond’s oldest all-gender acapella concert sang “I’ll Be Home,” by Meghan Trainor, “This Christmas” by Donny Hathaway, and “O Holy Night. Their set was a mix of classy and contemporary, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

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