The Voice Festival UK
Encyclopedia
The Voice Festival UK is the only UK-wide festival which celebrates the art of unaccompanied singing.
The Festival's central purpose is to increase the awareness and popularity of the a cappella art form in the UK, and to support the development of the existing UK a cappella scene, by recruiting and encouraging new participants, developing new audiences, supporting and educating existing participants and building UK A Cappella Communities.
From 2009 to 2010, there were three regional rounds of the Festival, held in Oxford
, Cambridge
and St Andrews
. In 2011, two new regional rounds were added in London
and Birmingham
due to the increasing popularity of the event.
On three occasions, the winners of the annual university competition have been invited to perform at the ICCA
final in New York. In 2009, Out of the Blue
came second in the finals, meaning they were officially the second-best university group in the world. The 2010 winners, The Oxford Gargoyles
, were unable to compete in the final in New York
due to the University of Oxford
's exam timetable.
The Festival's central purpose is to increase the awareness and popularity of the a cappella art form in the UK, and to support the development of the existing UK a cappella scene, by recruiting and encouraging new participants, developing new audiences, supporting and educating existing participants and building UK A Cappella Communities.
History
Founded in 2008, the Voice Festival UK comprises a series of workshops, masterclasses, concerts, competitions and networking events open to school and university students, as well as community singers. The programme of events takes place across the year, including an annual Festival in February and March each year.From 2009 to 2010, there were three regional rounds of the Festival, held in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
and St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
. In 2011, two new regional rounds were added in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
due to the increasing popularity of the event.
On three occasions, the winners of the annual university competition have been invited to perform at the ICCA
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, originally the National Championship of Collegiate A Cappella , is an international competition that attracts hundreds of college a cappella groups each year...
final in New York. In 2009, Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue (Oxford University)
Out of the Blue is an all-male a cappella group at University of Oxford in England. The student-run group sings an eclectic mix of songs, focusing on covers of modern rock and pop hits....
came second in the finals, meaning they were officially the second-best university group in the world. The 2010 winners, The Oxford Gargoyles
The Oxford Gargoyles
The Oxford Gargoyles is a mixed-voice jazz a cappella group from Oxford University, England. The group's repertoire is rooted in the jazz songbook but also extends to pop, soul, Latin and gospel numbers. The group was founded in 1998 and has been instrumental in the rise of collegiate a cappella in...
, were unable to compete in the final in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
due to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
's exam timetable.
Past Results of the University Competition
| Year | Cambridge Regional | Oxford Regional | St Andrews Regional | Birmingham Regional | London Regional | Overall Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Cadenza Cadenza (University of Cambridge) -History:Cadenza is a mixed a cappella choir at Cambridge University in England. Originally founded in 1997 as a small jazz choir with a conductor and a band, in 2002 it was changed to a smaller close-harmony a cappella group to sing arrangements that include a wider repertoire ranging from pop to... , The Oxford Alternotives The Oxford Alternotives The Oxford Alternotives are a mixed-voice pop a cappella group from Oxford University, England. They are the oldest a cappella group in Oxford. The group covers wide variety of songs - from the traditional pop and rock to more alternative selections... |
Out of the Blue Out of the Blue (Oxford University) Out of the Blue is an all-male a cappella group at University of Oxford in England. The student-run group sings an eclectic mix of songs, focusing on covers of modern rock and pop hits.... , The Oxford Belles The Oxford Belles The Oxford Belles are an all-female a cappella group from The University of Oxford, England, though in recent years they have included students from Oxford Brookes University... |
The Other Guys The Other Guys (University of St Andrews) The Other Guys is an all-male a cappella ensemble from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. The group was founded in 2004 and has been one of the groups responsible for the rise of collegiate a cappella in Scotland.... , The Alleycats |
Not applicable | Not applicable | Out of the Blue |
| 2010 | Cadenza Cadenza (University of Cambridge) -History:Cadenza is a mixed a cappella choir at Cambridge University in England. Originally founded in 1997 as a small jazz choir with a conductor and a band, in 2002 it was changed to a smaller close-harmony a cappella group to sing arrangements that include a wider repertoire ranging from pop to... , The Fitz Sirens |
Out of the Blue Out of the Blue (Oxford University) Out of the Blue is an all-male a cappella group at University of Oxford in England. The student-run group sings an eclectic mix of songs, focusing on covers of modern rock and pop hits.... , The Oxford Gargoyles The Oxford Gargoyles The Oxford Gargoyles is a mixed-voice jazz a cappella group from Oxford University, England. The group's repertoire is rooted in the jazz songbook but also extends to pop, soul, Latin and gospel numbers. The group was founded in 1998 and has been instrumental in the rise of collegiate a cappella in... |
The Alleycats, The Accidentals | Not applicable | Not applicable | The Oxford Gargoyles |
| 2011 | Cadenza Cadenza (University of Cambridge) -History:Cadenza is a mixed a cappella choir at Cambridge University in England. Originally founded in 1997 as a small jazz choir with a conductor and a band, in 2002 it was changed to a smaller close-harmony a cappella group to sing arrangements that include a wider repertoire ranging from pop to... |
Out of the Blue Out of the Blue (Oxford University) Out of the Blue is an all-male a cappella group at University of Oxford in England. The student-run group sings an eclectic mix of songs, focusing on covers of modern rock and pop hits.... |
The Accidentals | Augmented Seven | All The King's Men | Cadenza |