The Oxford Belles are an all-female a cappella group from The University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. The group performs on a regular basis in and around Oxford and London, primarily at balls and charity events,[1][2][3] occasionally with other Oxford University a cappella groups such as The Oxford Gargoyles and Out of the Blue.[4][5]

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. 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 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.[6] In 2009, the Belles reached the final of The Voice Festival UK (VF-UK), which established them for that year as the most successful all-female a cappella group in the UK.[7]

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.[8] According to James Mullighan, "Their blend of sweet, simple a cappella pop is engaging".[8]

Their 2010 performance at Edinburgh Fringe received a more measured review in ScotsGay magazine 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."[9]

In 2017, the Belles received recognition for the International Women's Day cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", with a review in Mashable suggesting, "this feminist reboot by The Oxford Belles could give [Cyndi] Lauper a run for her money".[10]

References

  1. ↑ Lennon, Sean; Rolle, Daniel (22 April 2008). "Stock up on Wadstock". Cherwell.org. Archived from the original on 6 March 2012.
  2. ↑ "The Oxford Belles perform at Mansfield College Women's Dinner". Mansfield College. Archived from the original on 21 February 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  3. ↑ "The Oxford Belles perform at Oxhub charity event". Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  4. ↑ The Oxford Belles perform with The Oxford Gargoyles, 2003–2004 Archived 18 September 2012 at archive.today
  5. ↑ The Oxford Belles perform with Out of the Blue
  6. ↑ 2008 results Archived 14 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine for International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
  7. ↑ Results from the 2009 VFUK competition Archived 5 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  8. 1 2 Mullighan, James (25 August 2001). "[Review] The Oxford Belles (Festival Edition)". The Scotsman. Retrieved 13 June 2023 – via ProQuest.
  9. ↑ Bowles, Lawrence (August 2010). "[Review] The Oxford Belles – All-Female A Cappella at Its Finest". ScotsGay Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2023 – via EBSCOHost.
  10. ↑ Thompson, Rachel (8 March 2017). "A cappella 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun(damental Rights)' is your new feminist anthem". Mashable. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
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