New Virginians
Encyclopedia
The New Virginians was a musical group from Virginia Tech founded in 1972. Its founder and first director was Stan Kingma, who had directed the Virginia Tech Glee Club
, later called the Showmen, which was the nucleus of choral music singing at Virginia Tech. The group featured 24 singer/dancers, a 12 piece showband, a technical staff and a public-relations staff focused on a musical variety show which toured Virginia
and surrounding states as "musical ambassadors of Virginia Tech" in shows hosted by civic groups, conventioneers, and sometimes the university itself. The group was known on campus for its annual "Homeshow" which was presented each spring and Christmas show during the holiday which benefited a local charity.
During those 21 years, the group produced 17 album
s and performed a cross country summer tour sponsored by Georgia Pacific in the late 1970s which concluded with an appearance on the Dinah Shore Show
. Georgia Pacific president and former Virginia Tech president T. Marshall Hahn
was instrumental in arranging the tour. Stan Kingma, who directed the group for its first six years, and most of the original New Virginians staff and originators (Stan Kingma and Christopher "Kit" Bond) left the program at the end of the 1978 season. After a year of inactivity, the University restarted the program in 1979 under the direction of John Howell where it continued until the end of the 1993 spring semester when John Howell founded and directed the Early Music Ensemble at Virginia Tech
. Founding member Associate Professor of Music Emeritus Paul Breske led the showband until his death in 1992.
. University budget cuts in 2004 forced the loss of all vocal and instrumental jazz professors and the group was completely disbanded bringing a close the 30+ year history of groups under the New Virginians name.
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, later called the Showmen, which was the nucleus of choral music singing at Virginia Tech. The group featured 24 singer/dancers, a 12 piece showband, a technical staff and a public-relations staff focused on a musical variety show which toured Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and surrounding states as "musical ambassadors of Virginia Tech" in shows hosted by civic groups, conventioneers, and sometimes the university itself. The group was known on campus for its annual "Homeshow" which was presented each spring and Christmas show during the holiday which benefited a local charity.
During those 21 years, the group produced 17 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s and performed a cross country summer tour sponsored by Georgia Pacific in the late 1970s which concluded with an appearance on the Dinah Shore Show
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
. Georgia Pacific president and former Virginia Tech president T. Marshall Hahn
T. Marshall Hahn
Thomas Marshall Hahn Jr. was President of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University from 1962 to 1974 and Director of Georgia Pacific from 1983 to 1993. He received his B.S...
was instrumental in arranging the tour. Stan Kingma, who directed the group for its first six years, and most of the original New Virginians staff and originators (Stan Kingma and Christopher "Kit" Bond) left the program at the end of the 1978 season. After a year of inactivity, the University restarted the program in 1979 under the direction of John Howell where it continued until the end of the 1993 spring semester when John Howell founded and directed the Early Music Ensemble at Virginia Tech
Early Music Ensemble at Virginia Tech
The Early Music Ensemble is a group of instrumentalists and vocalists at Virginia Tech performing historical music. The group was founded in 1996 as the outgrowth of a program of class and studio instruction in early instruments and informal recorder and vocal/instrumental ensembles...
. Founding member Associate Professor of Music Emeritus Paul Breske led the showband until his death in 1992.
Reorganization
The group was reorganized in 1994 a 12 member Jazz Choir under the direction of Lisanne Lyons. The new group also disbanded the showband replacing it a rhythm quartet of student musicians playing guitar, piano, bass and drums. That instrumental group was later replaced with prerecorded musical accompaniment. The group continued in the Jazz Choir format for 10 years, winning the Downbeat Award two years in a row for the most outstanding jazz choir in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. University budget cuts in 2004 forced the loss of all vocal and instrumental jazz professors and the group was completely disbanded bringing a close the 30+ year history of groups under the New Virginians name.
Reunions
In July 2007, over 100 Alumni from the Kingma years came together in Richmond, Va for a reunion celebrating the 35th anniversary of the founding of the group. Alumni stepped back into the tasks they performed so many times as students as technicians set the stage, and singers and band members performed for the community.Discography
All albums are available on LP only unless specified| Year | Title | notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Rockin the Place Tonight | CD and cassette only |
| 1992 | Putting It Together | CD and cassette only |
| 1991 | Sing! | CD and cassette only |
| 1990 | Dancing in the Street | cassette only |
| 1989 | Rising Stars | |
| 1987 | American Made | |
| 1986 | Great American Variety Show | |
| 1977 | Coast to Coast | double LP |
| 1972 | The New Virginians | |
| 1976 | Celebrate | |
| That's Entertainment | ||
| They're Playing Our Song | ||
| 1982 | Reach Out and Touch | |
| 1973 | Morning Stars | |
| 1973 | Golden Afternoons |
Notable alumni
- Chol Kong - Artistic Director of the Northwest Asian American Theater, Performer 1987-1991
- Nancy Glisson Lucy - 1993 Miss VirginiaMiss VirginiaThe Miss Virginia competition is a scholarship pageant for women, with the titleholder representing Virginia in the Miss America pageant. The competition was founded in 1953 as a scholarship contest for young women, although women had represented Virginia in the Miss America pageant since the 1930s...
, 4th runner to 1993 Miss America, Performer, 1988-1992