The Octaves, University of Richmond's oldest a cappella group, discovered Monday that it was runner-up for the Zipcar and Ford September Students with Drive Competition.
Zipcar, a car sharing and car club provider, partnered with Ford to create the Students with Drive program, a monthly competition in which five winning clubs receive driving credit to use toward group transportation, according to the program's Facebook page.
As a September finalist, The Octaves won $1,000 worth of Zipcar credits. They were 45 votes shy of the $5,500 grand prize, won by Michigan State University's Ballroom Dance Team.
According to The Octaves website, the men had hoped to use Zipcar to travel off campus for performances throughout the school year.
"As a performing group, we do end up having to travel for some performances," said Jackson Taylor, The Octaves president. "This semester in particular, we are really hard into recording."
The Octaves plan to release its next album this spring, and consequently spend most of its weekends recording music just south of Washington D.C., Taylor said. The members of The Octaves had hoped that the $5,500 grand prize would cover their trip to Boston this year for their annual fall tour, he said.
When asked how they had learned about the competition, Taylor credited the group's music director Jared Feinman. This summer, Taylor said Feinman had been "just visionary, making huge strides for our group not only on a musical level, but also as our executive officer of marketing."
Feinman, who manages The Octaves' Facebook and Twitter accounts, applied for the competition over the summer when he saw it mentioned in a Spiderbyte, Taylor said.
"Come September, we found out we were finalists and were competing with other organizations in an attempt to gain $5,500," Taylor said.
Despite the loss, Taylor was thrilled with the publicity the competition generated for The Octaves, he said. Considering the size of the student body of University of Richmond and that of Michigan State, the closeness of the competition really demonstrated the overwhelming support of the Richmond community, along with The Octaves' friends and families, he said.
Taylor said there was a possibility they might apply again, but he was pleased that the competition simply raised awareness for The Octaves.
"Now, that many more people know about our group," he said.
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The Octaves will offer a Family Weekend performance at noon and 9 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets are available for purchase in Tyler Hanes Commons.
Contact reporter Rachel Oplinger at rachel.oplinger@richmond.edu
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