Established in 2013, the Trinity Belles are the all-female acapella group taking the Trinity singing world by storm.
Under the society umbrella of Trinity Singers, which includes Boydell, Singers and the Trinitones, the Trinity Belles are at the heart of Trinity’s diverse musical sphere.
With their eclectic repertoire, the Belles have been expanding the sphere of acapella in recent years, notably having performed at the American Cathedral in Paris in March, as well as hosting their summer concert at The Grand Social in April.
In light of their successes at the end of last Hilary Term, The University Times caught up with the Belles committee to discuss their plans for the upcoming year.
“We really want to make a space for women in music where we can all have fun while also becoming better musicians”, stresses conductor Audrey Maglich. Singing all contemporary music, the group’s ethos is centred around “creativity and musicianship”, explains Public Relations Officer, Alexandra Rojas.
With many of their members coming from different musical backgrounds, the Belles offer something for everyone. As Maglich recalls, “I sang a lot of choral music in high school, but it wasn’t really for me, I wanted an opportunity to do choral music in a more contemporary way”.
Upon arriving in Dublin, Maglich spoke to a Belles alum at the freshers fair and decided to get involved. For her, the Belles was “a really great form of escapism” to hone her musical skills, before turning into something more, as the fourth year Geography and Geology student is now conductor, alongside Victoria Rojas.
Reflecting on how they first got involved in the group, both Alexandra Rojas and the librarian Kathleen Strijdom remember hearing about the Trinity Belles online, through their expanding social media presence, before coming to college. Strijdom asserts, “I just wanted a space where I could sing, and having been in other acapella groups at school, Trinity Belles was the perfect society to join”.
While stepping up their game, “Covid definitely hindered our ability to perform last year”, notes Strijdom. She continues, wryly commenting that “singing with masks on was really not fun”. This underscores their commitment to up their performances this year and, as Victoria Rojas asserts, “this year we have an amazing group of girls, it is our first year back with in-person audition and everyone has really stepped up their game”. Hinting at what audiences can expect from the Belles performances for the year, Maglich, with characteristic acapella drama, snaps her fingers while exclaiming, “this year, we’re taking Belles to the next level!”.
Discussing their plans for the upcoming year, the Belles give a few exciting previews to look out for. Alexandra Rojas notes, “we have lots of charity gigs taking place especially around Christmas time”, while Strijdom excitedly explains, “this year is our 10 year anniversary, so keep an eye out for our big celebration coming in April 2023”. As Maglich comments, “we are going to be doing lots of gigs, with our next gig being November 2nd at the Hist debate in the GMB”. With all three mentioning different events being planned, there’s sure to be something for everyone coming from the Trinity Belles this year.
