The Botetourt Chamber Singers was formed at the College of William & Mary in 1974 by Dr. Frank T. Lendrim. Originally an auditioned subset of the W&M Choir, it now stands as a separate entity, and affirms some of W&M’s best vocal talent.
“The Bots,” under the direction of Dr. Michelle Kwok, perform in and around Williamsburg for such popular events as Grand Illumination and caroling in Colonial Williamsburg, as well as many W&M sponsored events. The Bots have been invited to perform at the Virginia State Music Educator’s Association Convention in 2005, 2007, 2011, and 2016. They were also invited to perform at the VA All-State Choral event in 2016.
The summer of 2005 marked the Bots’ first International Tour (with the W&M Choir) where they performed several concerts in Romania, Hungary, Croatia, and Slovenia. Since then they have also toured to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco; Italy, Greece and Turkey; Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland; and Germany, Czechia, Slovakia, and Austria. In May 2017, the ensemble also toured South Africa and gave concerts with several South African choirs.
The ensemble sings a wide variety of choral literature from the Renaissance to contemporary works, including a full concert of jazz and Broadway standards. Each February, they hold an annual Gala Concert Fundraiser in the Kimball Theater. They have released 4 CDs, including “Something Olde, Something New,” “Sing We Joyous, All Together,” “All My Heart This Night Rejoices,” and “50 Years of Music (1974-2024).”
Performances
- Family Weekend Concert: September 18th at 7:30 PM
- Homecoming Concert: October 23rd at 8:30 PM
- Williamsburg Landing Concert: November 10th at 7:00 PM
- Combined Choirs Fall Concert: November 14th at 7:30 PM
- Combined Choirs Winter Concert: December 5th at 2pm
- Grand Illumination: December 5th at 5:30 PM
- Bernstein Performance with WMSO: December 5th at 7:30 PM
- Bots Christmas Caroling: December 12 (Time TBD)
- Bots Concert with Yale Glee Club: January 16th at 7:30 PM
- Bots Gala Concert: February 13th (Time TBD)
- Bots Domestic Tour: April 9th – April 12th (Details TBD)
- Bots Spring Concert: April 18th at 2:00 PM (@Great Hall)
- Combined Choirs Spring Concert: May 1st at 2:00 PM
Auditions
Membership is open to William & Mary students by audition, held during the first week of each academic year. (Auditions for the 26-27 academic year were held August 23rd – August 25th.)
The audition process consists of vocalization, ear-training exercises, sight-reading, and a prepared piece of your choice (with or without accompaniment.)
Audition questions? Email michael.porter@wm.edu or DM us on Instagram!
Officers
- President: Natasha Haines ’27
- Treasurer: Luke Mitchell ’27
- Librarian: Aarthi Bharathan ’28
- Gala Chairs: Reilly Radzville ’29 & Sophie Statler ’29
- Social Chair: Morgan Cook ’28
- Recording Chair: Alyce Snead ’29
- Publicity: Kaitlin Langberg ’29
International Tour
One of the most exciting opportunities as a member of the Botetourt Chamber Singers is the chance to go on international tour. This experience not only allows the Bots to share their music with a larger audience, but also creates the opportunity to learn about many other cultures.
Summer 2026: Bots and the W&M Choir had the opportunity to preform in Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Austria!
You can support the Bots by donating to our International Tour Fund.
Keep up with us!
Follow us on social media for our latest updates! For inquiries, contact Dr. Michelle Kwok (director) at ykwok@wm.edu or Natasha Haines (president) at nehaines@wm.edu
