The Belles were founded in the fall of 1977 by Katherine Mitchell, a student at the University of Virginia. A woman who continues to love music, Katherine noticed that there was no outlet for female a cappella at UVa. The Virginia Gentlemen, the university's oldest all-male a cappella group had been established at the University since 1953. Katherine therefore formed the Virginia Belles to serve as a female counterpart to the VG's.

In 1977, the Belles were a select part of the Women's Chorus. The most talented members of the Women's Chorus were asked to audition for the Belles., singing both madrigal and popular music.

Today, the Belles are a Contracted Independent Organization run through UVa's student council and are no longer a part of the Women's Chorus. The group is entirely student-run and affiliated with the UVa Music Department. The Belles sing for almost every type of occasion, be it fundraising events on

Grounds, private parties, weddings, sports events, concerts, or business meetings. They tour the East Coast once a year, visiting numerous other schools, colleges, and universities to share their love of music with others. In addition the Belles record and release a new CD every other year. Their repertoire today continues to be an eclectic mix of all different genres of music.