The Oxford Belles

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. 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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