The Oxford Belles are an all-female

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group from The University of Oxford and

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic (United Kingdom), Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and High ...

. The group performs on a regular basis in and around Oxford and London, primarily at balls and charity events, occasionally with other Oxford University a cappella groups such as The Oxford Gargoyles and

Out of the Blue Out of the Blue may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Out of the Blue'' (1931 film), a British musical by Gene Gerrard * ''Out of the Blue'' (1947 film), an American comedy directed by Leigh Jason *'' Out of the Blue: Live at Wembley'', a ...

History

The Belles were formed in 1995 by Helen Whiteley, a year-long visiting student from the University of Virginia, who had previously sung with

The Virginia Belles The Virginia Belles is the University of Virginia's oldest all-female a cappella group based in Charlottesville, Virginia. The group was established in 1977 by Katherine Mitchell as the female counterpart to the Virginia Gentlemen, the universit ...

. Helen was eager to continue the a cappella tradition, hugely popular in the US, on the east side of the Atlantic. In the 2008 quarterfinals of the

International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ("NCCA", a play on NCAA), is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college ''a cappella'' groups each ye ...

, the Belles were awarded prizes for Best Choreography (for their rendition of Blondie's " One Way Or Another"), and Lauren Bensted was awarded the prize for Best Arrangement. In the semi-finals, Joanna Langilie's solo in "One Way Or Another" was highly commended. In 2009, the Belles reached the final of

The Voice Festival UK The Voice Festival UK (VF-UK) is a UK arts education charity dedicated to providing opportunities to get involved with contemporary a cappella, unaccompanied singing. The Voice Festival's central purpose is to increase the awareness and popularit ...

(VF-UK), which established them for that year as the most successful all-female a cappella group in the UK.

Reviews

In 2001, The Oxford Belles performed at Marie Curie House in Edinburgh, where they received a positive review in '' The Scotsman'', performing a programme of "unlikely bedfellows" including the Bangles, Beatles, Van Morrison, and TLC. According to James Mullighan, "Their blend of sweet, simple a cappella pop is engaging". Their 2010 performance at Edinburgh Fringe received a more measured review in '' ScotsGay''

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

which stated, "Though their act was wobbly at times, the Oxford Belles gave a charming and talented performance, and with a few tweaks to their act, could be fantastic." In 2017, the Belles received recognition for the

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", with a review in ''

Mashable Mashable is a digital media platform, news website and entertainment company founded by Pete Cashmore in 2005. History Mashable was founded by Pete Cashmore while living in Aberdeen, Scotland, in July 2005. Early iterations of the site were a ...

'' suggesting, "this feminist reboot by The Oxford Belles could give yndiLauper a run for her money".

References

External links

Official website of The Oxford Belles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxford Belles, The Collegiate a cappella groups Music in Oxford Clubs and societies of the University of Oxford Musical groups established in 1995 Musical groups from Oxford 1995 establishments in England English women singers