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, occasionally with other Oxford University a cappella groups such as The Oxford Gargoyles and Out of the Blue.The Oxford Belles perform with The Oxford Gargoyles, 2003–2004 The Oxford Belles perform with Out of the Blue
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.2008 results for International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella 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.Results from the 2009 VFUK competition
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 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 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".
Members Source:
Hilary Yu (New) (Co-President) Chloe Cameron (Linacre) (Co-President) Faith Caswell (Regent's) (Musical Director) Evie Gilder (St John's) (Treasurer) Ania Savage (New) Bella Cox (Merton) Eugenie Ng (St Catherine's) Isabelle Reaney-McElvanney (Christ Church) Rhiannon Green Thaejus Ilango (St John's) Venisha Nembang (Corpus Christi) Vrinda Mahtani (Jesus)
References
External links Official website of The Oxford Belles