At Georgetown, a high concentration of men in navy suits can only mean two things: either you’re in the MSB, or you’re at a Chimes performance. On Feb. 6, as students and parents shuffled into Gaston Hall, it was the latter.
The Georgetown Chimes rang in 2026 with the 53rd annual Cherry Tree Massacre, the group’s long-running a cappella showcase that brings groups from campuses across the D.C. area together on one stage. From indie ballads to pop-punk anthems to barbershop classics, each ensemble brought its own style and musical flair to help celebrate a cappella tradition.
The Chimes are Georgetown’s premier all-male a cappella group, as well as Georgetown’s oldest a capella group, best known for their firm roots in the barbershop quartet style—that is, four-part vocal harmony with a tenor, a lead, a baritone, and a bass, typically singing the same lyrics at the same time. Opening with a traditional arrangement of “We Meet” and a cover of the jazz standard “Day In, Day Out,” the Chimes set the tone for Cherry Tree with the classic harmonies that have defined the group since their founding in 1946.
Next in the lineup was Treble in Paradise, a female and gender-inclusive group from American University, whose covers of “The Gold” by Manchester Orchestra and Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten” ushered in a pop-forward persuasion that carried through the rest of the guest groups’ sets.
Superfood followed as the second Hoya group of the night. With a driving, dynamic energy, the co-ed ensemble performed songs by half•alive and Coldplay before closing with a spirited cover of “Ribs” by Lorde that brought an extra dose of liveliness to the track.
Their set led into the GraceNotes, who glided onto the stage wearing coordinated navy blue outfits and wide, beaming smiles. As Georgetown’s a cappella group for women and gender minorities, the GraceNotes brought a bright tone to their performances of Olivia Dean’s “So Easy (To Fall In Love)” and Ellie Goulding’s “Anything Could Happen.”
But the highlight of the GraceNotes’ set was undeniably their final number, a medley of songs by the Andrews Sisters performed in collaboration with the Chimes.
“I think a musical collaboration with the GraceNotes made a lot of sense because they give us—and we give them—a whole other instrument to work with, right? Because we don’t have female voices and they don’t have male voices,” Aidan Metz (CAS ’26), the Chimes’ artistic director, said.
This a cappella group collaboration is not first of its kind, but it is the first in recent years. The rehearsals required additional scheduling and logistics to coordinate the schedules of both groups.
Chiara Volpi (SFS ’28), co-music director of the GraceNotes, found the experience worthwhile. “Aidan is really good at what he does as a conductor, so it was really cool for me as a new music director…to learn a little bit from him,” said Volpi.
“I think that we learned a lot from the GraceNotes. They probably didn’t learn all that much from us,” said Metz, expressing similar sentiments.
The medley was arranged by Mark Jennings, and the Feb. 6 show was the first-ever performance of the arrangement. Jennings will be in attendance at the next Cherry Tree Massacre show to hear his work brought to life.
The Chimes opened the show’s second act with “Occupations,” one of the group’s traditions at Cherry Tree, in which members recited what they would be if they were not a Georgetown Chime.
The members’ comedic answers included Disney adults and finance bros, as well as nods to life at Georgetown, like a faulty printer, a construction-filled campus, and Ed Cooley hitting a child with a water bottle. As each member recited their “occupation,” the stage grew more chaotic and the audience grew louder with applause and laughter—a break from the Chimes’ typical refined image.
“I think, generally, traditions that tend to stick for as long as some of ours have stick for a reason,” Metz said. “Doing a skit in the middle of an a cappella show is definitely uncharacteristic and a little bit out there, but we think it serves a nice purpose to break up the show and provide some levity in the middle of it. And so as long as it keeps serving that purpose, we’re good with it.”
They also welcomed a new slate of guest groups to the stage. Georgetown’s Phantoms performed covers of “Superstition” by Stevie Wonder and “Bleeding Love” by Leona Lewis. They were followed by the University of Virginia’s Virginia Belles, who sang rousing covers of “American Teenager” by Ethel Cain and “Material Girl” by Madonna.
The last guest group of the night was The Capitol Gs, who sang a pop-punk medley featuring songs by Fall Out Boy, Lit, and Paramore, as well as a cover of “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay.
The Chimes returned to the stage one more time to perform a well-polished set of their own. They began with a Glee Cast-inspired rendition of Destiny’s Child’s “Bills, Bills, Bills,” before moving to a mashup of “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan and “The One That Got Away” by Katy Perry. In the more traditional portion of the set, they sang “Oh Love That Will Not Let Me Go,” as well as “The Sound of Music.”
They also included a special performance to highlight the senior Chimes, with the five graduating members performing a rendition of “When I Grow Up” from Matilda the Musical.
At the end of the show, the Chimes called for all inactive Chimes in the audience to join them on stage. With current students and alumni from all walks of post-grad life standing shoulder to shoulder, the large group closed the evening with “Goodfellow” and Georgetown’s fight song.
“It’s cool to see an 80-year-old standing next to a 60-year-old standing next to a 40-year old standing next to an undergrad singing these songs together at the end of the night,” Metz said. “I think it really encapsulates the best of the group…It’s the closest anybody in a cappella will feel to competing at a home sports game.”
The second and final performance of the 53rd Cherry Tree Massacre—dubbed the “Alumni Show”—will take place on February 21 in Gaston Hall. With a different list of invited a cappella groups, the second show will vary from the first in many ways. But for the Chimes and the GraceNotes, who are performing again, they hope that the alumni-filled audience and the few extra weeks of practice will make for an even better show.
“At the Alumni Show, it definitely does impact the atmosphere and the vibes to have probably 50 to 100 raucous alumni Chimes watching,” Metz said. ”It’s always a real pleasure to sing for them, and I hope it also enriches a little bit of the audience experience.”
