The Oxford Belles Explained

The Oxford Belles are an all-female and non-binary 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".

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]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lennon . Sean . Rolle . Daniel . 2008-04-22 . Stock up on Wadstock . https://web.archive.org/web/20120306032851/http://www.cherwell.org/culture/music/2008/04/22/stock-up-on-wadstock . 2012-03-06 . Cherwell.org.
  2. Web site: The Oxford Belles perform at Mansfield College Women's Dinner . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110221082441/http://www.mansfield.ox.ac.uk/alumni/events/womens-dinner-2010.html . 21 February 2011 . 26 January 2011 . Mansfield College . dmy-all.
  3. Web site: The Oxford Belles perform at Oxhub charity event . 26 January 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110727160805/http://oxfordhub.org/unwrapped . 27 July 2011 . dead . dmy-all .
  4. http://www.theoxfordgargoyles.co.uk/history/shows/ The Oxford Belles perform with The Oxford Gargoyles, 2003–2004
  5. http://www.ootb.org.uk/tindex.php?page=history The Oxford Belles perform with Out of the Blue
  6. http://www.varsityvocals.com/acappella-results-previous.html#2008 2008 results
  7. http://www.thevoicefestival.co.uk/results.html Results from the 2009 VFUK competition
  8. News: Mullighan . James . 25 August 2001 . [Review] The Oxford Belles (Festival Edition) ]. . 2023-06-13 . . ProQuest.
  9. News: Bowles . Lawrence . August 2010 . [Review] The Oxford Belles – All-Female A Cappella at Its Finest ]. . 2023-06-13 . EBSCOHost.
  10. News: Thompson . Rachel . 2017-03-08 . A cappella 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun(damental Rights)' is your new feminist anthem . en . . 2022-01-10.