FARMINGTON – For 100 years, colleges and universities across the country have been the homes of outstanding vocal ensembles with no accompaniment, says a flier that will be distributed to returning University of Maine at Farmington students next week.

With the success of the newly reorganized Western Maine Choral Society, Dennis Hayes, who conducts the UMF Community Chorus, decided to bring a more contemporary musical group to campus.

Hayes hopes to attract six to 16 talented singers to perform a variety of contemporary a cappella tunes at various venues on and off campus. Unlike vocal groups of the Western Maine Choral Society, the new, yet-unnamed group is open only to UMF students.

Hayes said his “goal is to be the impetus to get this up and running and then leave it to the students to run,” acting as the faculty adviser for the student organization. A 30-year veteran of music education, Hayes taught 27 years for SAD 9 and was the director of the Mt. Blue Voices, an a cappella group at the high school. Hayes retired a few years ago and has been working with the Community Chorus for the last three.

He conducted the UMF Community Chorus, composed of students and community members, in their performance of Variety is the Spice of Life, a holiday and folk music concert in December. In addition to the a cappella group, Hayes will be conducting the community chorus again in a performance of Schubert’s Mass in G with orchestra in May.

He said he hopes to see the new student group perform with the men’s and women’s choruses in a gala concert in March. He also wants to motivate them to compete nationally against other famed college groups such as the Whiffenpoofs of Yale University and the University of Maine Steiners. The name for the group will be chosen by members, as will their rehearsal schedule and performances, he said.

According to Steven Pane, conductor for the Nordica Men’s and Women’s Choruses, the recent change in the structure of the choral groups is working, allowing community members and university students the opportunity to work conscientiously for a shorter period of time, culminating with a performance.

“The experiment is working,” he said. “All change brings messiness but it’s good messiness. We’ll make some changes next year, but it will all be positive,” he said.

Pane is also hopeful about the student a cappella group.

“There will be students that will come to UMF just for this ensemble,” he said.