Founded in 1988, we are Georgetown’s first co-ed a cappella group. The Phantoms are ~18 students performing rock, pop, and R&B music. Recently the Phantoms have sung with Bobby McFerrin, opened for Chingy and the Black Eyed Peas, performed at the State Department and Kennedy Center, and maintained a yearly repertoire of 40+ songs. We also co-host the annual invitational D.C. Acapella Fest (“DCAF”).
Phantoms History
The Georgetown Phantoms were founded by Huey-Jin Soon in 1988 as a Christmas caroling group. According to legend, one day local Jesuit “Pops” Davis approached the then-unnamed group and asked what they were called. Founding member Travis Sutton immediately replied “we are the Phantom Singers, because no one knows where we will be singing next!” The name stuck, and The Phantom Singers (eventually just The Phantoms) were official.
The Phantoms quickly widened their repertoire beyond holiday songs, incorporating various rock and pop hits. In 1991 they established, with the Georgetown GraceNotes, the annual D.C. Acapella Fest (DCAF for short) – an invitational fall concert that continues to sell out Gaston Hall today.
The group’s first album, “Hmm… Looks Like Moose Country,” was also a watershed for Georgetown University acapella as it was the first Compact Disc release of any group on campus (it was also released on cassette tape). The Phantoms have gone on to produce a total of 6 CDs as of 2009, and our last disc “PHIVE” was mixed and designed by group members.
Available for private and public concerts, the Phantoms have performed at a number of notable events and venues. If you are interested in hiring us for a gig, please see our contact page. We also occasionally stop by Lauinger Library late nights, or at various on-campus events—just like the original group, you never know where next!
