On paper, the UNC Achordants officially began at the end of the spring 2001 semester, when--after much delay and even more prodding from musical director Arash Jahanian--then-president Derek Vanderpool

A 2002 incarnation of the Achordants

finally finished the necessary paperwork for the group to become a recognized organization on campus. In reality, however, the creation of the Achordants began much earlier and over an extended period of time, which I will try to abbreviate here.

The idea to start a new all-male a cappella group at UNC first occurred to Arash and Derek at the end of their freshmen year, in the spring of 2000. The two friends were frustrated by what they saw as limited options for singers at the school, as well as a lack of musical diversity in the existing musical groups. Also, for the sake of truth in historical recounting, it must be acknowledged that the two were also recovering from their failed attempts to be accepted into any a cappella group on campus (Arash had auditioned for the Clef Hangers, and Derek for both the Clefs and Tar Heel Voices). Both Arash and Derek like to think, however, that they would have started the Achordants regardless of whether or not they had made it into either the Clefs or THV.

A 2002 publicity photo, including the founding members

Having made the decision to form a new musical group, the two set themselves to work after the summer break, organizing the many tedious and boring tasks necessary to start a new group that, for the sake of the reader's attention span, I will not go into here. Also during that fall 2000 semester, the group's third founding member, Eric Ellis, joined Arash and Derek. In January 2001 a primordial incarnation of the group--consisting of Eric at bass, Arash at baritone, Derek at tenor II, and mutual friend Dan Hinson at Tenor I--performed the national anthem for a Powder Puff football game at Carmichael Field.

After such an auspicious start, it was obviously only a matter of time before the group finally came together. A matter of significant time, but a matter of time nonetheless. Three months later, at the end of March 2001, the first auditions for the UNC Achordants had been held and members were chosen. Dino Alexander, David Angeles, Collin Cooper, and Dan Hinson all officially joined the group at that time. Which brings us to the end of the spring 2001 semester and the official inauguration of the group at the (supposedly) annual SpringFest (that only occurred that year) on April 19, 2001. The Achordants' first songs performed in public were Billy Joel's "For the Longest Time," the barbershop standard "Hello My Baby," and Franz Biebl's "Ave Maria," three selections that emphasized a commitment to musical diversity that the group continues to hold today.

Since the group's inception, the UNC Achordants have striven to embody the best in a cappella music and Carolina in general, combining a dedication to performing as wide a variety of music as possible in as wide a variety of locations as possible--from the concert halls of UNC to the Boardwalk of Atlantic City to some girl's dorm room in Morrison for her birthday--with their dedication to promoting their sponsor, the Campus Y's, mission of service, all while remembering to never take themselves too seriously.
After all, it's only a cappella music, and you don't get much goofier than that.