UR Octaves performs at Spring Fever concert and shares organization's traditions

Editor’s Note: Jimmy James is a member of The Richmond Octāves. 

The Richmond Octāves delivered a Top Gun themed concert in the packed Jenkins Greek Theater Saturday night. 

As the University of Richmond’s all-male a capella group, The Octāves performed their annual spring fever concert, which has been a tradition since 1993, and have big plans for a new album, president of Richmond Octāves Alex Robertson said. 

“It's our most well-known tradition in terms of just us and our concert and our group,” Robertson said. 

This year over 280 tickets were sold. 

The Sirens, UR’s all-female a capella group, opened the show with two songs: “Forget You” by CeeLo Green and “Lost in Japan” by Shawn Mendes.

During the show, the Octāves performed a song called “Shenandoah,” in which several alumni in the audience were invited to come perform with the group. Per tradition, every Octāve learns this song, senior Will Harford said. 

“At least once every four years, so every Octāve does it at some point, we go to Shenandoah Valley and hike to the top of the mountain and sing the song to Shenandoah,” he said. 

The concert was held for the first time outside last year due to elongated COVID-19 restrictions, however, Robertson said that the concert would continue. 

“When we did it for the first time last year, we had a blast and thought it was super fun and a fun venue for people to come out outside,” Robertson said.

The Octāves cover of “Canon Moon” by Harry Styles is not to be missed. Both Harford and Robertson agreed that it was their favorite song they performed. 

“We arranged it together last, which was really fun and it's a really great way to close the year,” Harford said. “It’s just an upbeat happy song.” 

The all-male acapella group was founded in 1990 as a part of a senior project, according to their website. 

Their website also states that the, ‘“Octāves” came from the musical term “octave," and served as a clever reference to the school's eight-legged mascot: The Richmond Spiders”

Later this year, the Octāves are planning on releasing their eighth studio album and their first since 2016 according to Robertson.

For the past three years, the group has been working on this album, which includes songs with alumni voices, Harford said. 

“We went up to Charlottesville to do all the recordings,” he said. “We know a guy with a great a capella studio out there.” 

Like all selective registered student organizations on campus, The Octāves will be affected by the recent changes to the student organization funding guidelines.

“We were not impacted for this album because all of these costs happened essentially before CSI forced change to happen, but future recording is looking a little bit dire now that we don't have access to a lot of money,” Robertson said.

Sophomore Ryan Thompson said, “Support student organizations as a whole, it’s the most important part of being at Richmond.”

Contact lifestyle writer Reeve Boeckmann at reeve.boeckmann@richmond.edu.