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Wikipedia

List of university a cappella groups in the United Kingdom

This is a list of university a cappella musical groups in the UK who have achieved some level of notability or recognition.

University of Aberdeen edit

Aberpella edit

Aberpella are the original University of Aberdeen's a cappella ensemble. They were founded in 2011 as the AUSA (Aberdeen University Student Association) A Cappella Society by Nathan Chadwick. They were semi-finalists at the Voice Festival UK 2015, Voice Festival UK 2017 and ICCA 2017.[citation needed]

In 2015, Aberpella and their sister group The Killer Quines recorded their first professional EP, 3000 And Counting. In 2017 Aberpella recorded their first solo EP, 50 Tones of Grey.

The group also performed a week long run of their 2016/17 repertoire at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival under the title "Aberpella Presents: 50 Tones of Grey"

In 2019, Aberpella placed second at the Scottish A Cappella Championships, and were also the only mixed-gender group to place.[1]

[2][full citation needed]

The Killer Quines edit

The Killer Quines are an all-female a cappella group at the University of Aberdeen. Founded in 2013 by Joanna Casson, the name derives from the doric dialect commonly used in Aberdeenshire where 'quine' translates as 'girl'. The group covers songs in a range of musical styles from pop, indie, folk, jazz, soul, gospel, to classical. Since the group's emergence, they have competed in the Scottish A Cappella Championships. In 2015, the group got through to the semi-finals at a Voice Festival UK in Glasgow, and in 2017 to the quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. The Killer Quines are frequently invited to perform at local events at various venues across Scotland, including an International Women's Day event (2014), a University of Aberdeen LGBTQ event (2015), and Maggie's cancer charity in Glasgow (2016), as well as hosting their own concerts in Aberdeen city.

Chordiac Arrest edit

Chordiac Arrest were formed in the summer of 2011 by a group of medical students. Although they have performed at some events in Aberdeen, most recently being joint winners of the open Vocal Group class (V21) in the Aberdeenshire Music Festival, they have never entered the Voice Festival UK.[3][4] They disbanded in the summer of 2012, as final year of medicine spread the group far and wide on rural placements. However a reunion of six members formed GCS-3 (the Gangster Coma Scales - 3) who performed at a Christmas Concert in 2012, with the American group Pentatonix as their inspiration.[5]

In addition to this group something of an a cappella revolution occurred at the medical school and two more groups started towards the end of 2012, namely The Ultrasounds and A Patella, under the guidance of Tim Lewis.

University of Bath edit

The Alley Barbers edit

The longest-running vocal group at Bath University,[6] The Alley Barbers sing a wide range of songs in four part harmony, often in the barbershop style. Current conductor and former student member, Tim Greeves, succeeded the director of student music-making, Robin Jackson, on his retirement in 2005. The founder of Bristol University's TUBBS A Cappella was a member of the Alley Barbers from 2000 to 2001.[7]

Aquapella edit

Aquapella are the University of Bath's first contemporary a cappella group. Founded by Civil Engineering student Andrew Hakes in 2011, they competed in the Voice Festival UK for the first time in 2012. Since then, they have released an EP Lambda in 2016, won the UK ICCA finals in 2017 and VoiceFest UK in 2018.[citation needed] They embarked on their first UK tour, I Wouldn't Be, in 2017/2018.[citation needed]

University of Birmingham edit

The University of Birmingham's a cappella society, A Cappella Birmingham, currently has seven groups – two all-female, and seven mixed. One former group at the university – The Sons of Pitches – has since become an external group, and performs professionally.

The Sons of Pitches edit

The Sons of Pitches is an all-male a cappella group formed in October 2010[8] by Mark Nathan.[9] In 2011, they took part in the inaugural Birmingham semifinal of the Voice Festival UK. In 2012, they won the Birmingham semifinal of Voice Festival UK, and competed at the final in London. They returned to the London finals again in 2013 where they received more awards than any other group in the competition, being recognised for 'Outstanding Arrangement', 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion', 'Outstanding Choreography/Stagecraft' and 'Outstanding Performance', but ultimately lost overall to Vive from Guildhall. However, just a few weeks later The Sons of Pitches won the 'International Wildcard Round' of the International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA), and competed in the International Finals at The Town Hall, New York City, on 20 April 2013.

In September and October 2015 The Sons of Pitches were one of the a cappella groups who appeared in the Gareth Malone BBC television series, The Naked Choir.[10] The choir won the competition.

The Uptone Girls edit

The Birmingham Songbirds was an all-female a cappella group. In 2012 they reached the Birmingham semifinal of the Voice Festival UK.[11] Later that year, they changed their name to 'The Uptone Girls'.

Former Groups edit

Augmented Seven was a mixed-voice a cappella group from the University of Birmingham formed in 2010 by Tom Johnson and Mark Nathan.[9] They were University of Birmingham's first a cappella group and only mixed group. In 2011, the group entered the Voice Festival UK at the inaugural Birmingham semifinal, and progressed to the final after winning the 'Outstanding Performance' award.[12] Later that year, the group split up due to artistic differences. Three of its male members went on to join the second incarnation of The Sons of Pitches from 2011 to 2012. This group has since disbanded.

The Lorelites was an all-female a cappella group formed in January 2011.[8] In 2011 they took part in the first Birmingham semifinal of the Voice Festival UK. Now defunct.

University of Bristol edit

Academy edit

Academy are the university's all-male-identifying a cappella group formed in 2015 by Nick Jones. The group is known for their fun, crowd-pleasing stage presence and creative arrangements. In the summer of 2017, Academy appeared on Sky One's Sing: Ultimate A Cappella, opening the first episode. In 2018, their first year of competing and Jones' first year as music director, Academy progressed to the ICCA UK Final in London's New Wimbledon Theatre.[13] Later in the same year, Academy reached the semifinals of the Voice Festival UK.[14] In August 2018, Academy made their Edinburgh Fringe debut performing the joint show "Academy and Pitch Fight present: Buy One, Get One Free" alongside their sister group Pitch Fight. In December 2018, Academy released their first single and music video, Jones' arrangement of LunchMoney Lewis' "Bills", which featured in their 2018 ICCA set.[15] The group reached the ICCA UK final again in 2019, their second year entering the competition, with beatboxer Cem Rifat winning Outstanding Vocal Percussion at the quarterfinal stage. In 2020 Academy recorded and released their debut album "Exhibit A". The album went on to receive five CARA nominations, including two for their version of Mark Ronson's "Bang Bang Bang".[16] The group went on to win the CARA for Best Lower Voices Collegiate Song, and came runner-up for Best Debut Scholastic Album.[17]

All Sharps edit

All Sharps (formerly known as HotTUBBS) was an auditioned a cappella group partially-contained within TUBBS A Cappella. Formed in 2008,[18] they have won medals at the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition and Oxford Music Festival. They had also been semi-finalists in Voice Festival UK twice: in 2012[19] and in 2015.[20] HotTUBBS rebranded at the end of 2017 to become All Sharps.

The Bristol Suspensions edit

The Bristol Suspensions are a mixed voice a cappella group formed in October 2014 by Joe Pickin, Eve Robertson, and Rafaella Barratt. In their first year of existence, they performed in the Voice Festival 2015, released a hit music video, sang on BBC Radio, recorded an album, and brought a show to the Edinburgh Fringe, with a sell-out final night. In their second year, they placed third in the ICCA semifinals, as well as achieving an award for Outstanding Arrangement in Aliak Bedirian's 'Madness/Magic' and Outstanding Vocal Percussion for Scott Lechleiter, and in 2016 won the Voice Festival UK university competition. In 2017, the group completed a US Tour and performed on BBC One's Pitch Battle and released their debut album Landmark. For three consecutive years (2017–2019), the group have placed in the top three groups at the ICCA UK Finals and were runner-up in 2019 (missing first place by one point). From 2018 to 2019, the group have won special awards for 'Outstanding Choreography' and 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion' two years in a row awarded to Performance Directors: Sam Walter (2018/9) and Alessia Doyle (2019) and Vocal Percussionists: James Dempsey (2018/9) and Jonny Simon (2018/9) respectively. In 2019, The Bristol Suspensions celebrated the group's 5th birthday with a 'Five Year Anniversary Show' where all previous generations of the group came back to perform in a reunion concert alongside the incumbent group. The fifth generation of the group released an EP of their 2019 ICCA set, titled Testament, and won the Irish International A Cappella Festival. In the 2021 virtual edition of ICCA, the group progressed to the international final of the competition with their version of "The Heartburn Song" by Lawrence, picking up awards for Vocal Percussion, Arrangement and Audio Mixing on the way.[21]

The Bristones/Top Note/The Tone Rangers (formerly known as TUBBS A Cappella) edit

The University of Bristol Barbershop Singers was a society formed in 2007 at the University of Bristol from an earlier quartet, to act as an umbrella group supporting "non-classical" a cappella singing.[22] The society was started by Iain Hallam, who was musical director for most of the next ten years,[22] and who went on to direct British mixed barbershop chorus champions[23] Bristol A Cappella from their formation in 2013. There were three main unauditioned choruses (for upper, lower and mixed voices) and HotTUBBS (now the All Sharps), plus numerous quartets and smaller ensembles. Several member quartets have competed at national barbershop finals, with Park Street and Patchwork qualifying to represent the UK at international competitions. In 2014, Park Street became the National Barbershop Quartet Champions.[24] Following their Edinburgh Fringe show 'Cheap Trills' in 2017, TUBBS A Cappella was rebranded as three new unauditioned groups: The Bristones (mixed voices), Top Note (upper voices) and The Tone Rangers (lower voices).

Pitch Fight edit

Pitch Fight are a 14-piece all female identifying competitive a cappella group formed in 2015. In 2016 they competed in the VoiceFest. They have appeared on national television in Sky One's Sing: Ultimate A Cappella and became runners up in the ICCA 2018 Exeter Quarterfinal, having also picked up awards for Catt Hurman's "Outstanding Choreography" and Äyanna Christie-Brown's "Outstanding Solo". They then went on to place fourth in the ICCA UK Final 2018, again winning the "Outstanding Soloist" award and just two weeks later became VoiceFest 2018 finalists. In August 2018 they debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe alongside their brother group Academy A Cappella with their joint show "Academy and Pitch Fight present: Buy One, Get One Free" which was sold out for its final two performances. In 2019, Pitch Fight once again qualified for the ICCA UK Final by placing as Runners Up in the Exeter Quarterfinal, along with picking up the "Outstanding Choreography" award for the second year in a row. Pitch Fight are returning to the Edinburgh fringe in August 2019 with their aca-brothers, Academy, to perform "Romeo & Juliet: An A Capella Tragedy". In 2020 they recorded their first EP, Purple Reign, which released on 26 September. The group placed third in the UK semifinal of the virtual ICCA in 2021, receiving the award for "Outstanding Choreography" at Quarterfinals for the third consecutive year.[25]

University of Cambridge edit

Cadenza edit

Cadenza is a mixed-voice group formed originally in 1997 as a small jazz choir, complete with conductor and band, which was changed in 2002 to its present setup as a smaller close harmony a cappella group.

In March 2011, the group won the Voice Festival UK[12] and travelled to New York to compete in the ICCA final in April 2011. They did not place in the top three.[26]

In January 2012, it was confirmed that Cadenza would not be competing in the Voice Festival UK in 2012, thus becoming the first ever group not to try and retain their title.[27]

Fitz Barbershop edit

Fitz Barbershop is an all-male a cappella group that used to accept only members from Fitzwilliam College but now is open to members of all colleges. Having been founded in 1994 by Alex Tester, the then Organ Scholar for Fitzwilliam Chapel Choir, it is the oldest currently-running a cappella group in Cambridge. At Christmas 2009, they went to Berlin to busk at the Christmas markets, and were featured on the German 24-hour news channel.[28]

In 2009, the group entered the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition in the Cambridge semifinal. They won the award for 'Outstanding Musicality' for Wonderful Tonight.[12] In 2010 they entered again, winning the award for 'Outstanding Performance' and the 'Ward Swingle Award for Originality', gifting them a wild card into the London final. They went on to claim the 'Outstanding Performance' award again in the final.[12]

They frequently perform at Cambridge May Balls, and have on occasion hosted one night events at the ADC Theatre.[29] In March 2014 the group put on a 20th anniversary concert alongside the Fitz Sirens at Fitzwilliam College.[30]

The Fitz Sirens edit

The Fitz Sirens is an all-female a cappella group affiliated to Fitzwilliam College. It has performed at many prestigious venues, including 10 Downing Street and The House of Lords.[citation needed]

In 2010, the group reached the final of the Voice Festival UK, where they won the award for 'Outstanding Musicality'.[12]

Blue Shakti edit

Blue Shakti is a mixed voice Hindi/English fusion a cappella group. It was formed in 2010 and has performed at various events in and around Cambridge, including society balls and Mastana, an annual cultural show organised by students.

The King's Men edit

Formerly known as "Collegium Regale", The King's Men is the close harmony group formed from the Choral Scholars of the Choir of King's College, Cambridge. The group has been running for more than 80 years.

The King's Men functions separately from the main Choir (most famous for the broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on the radio at Christmas) and is run entirely by the members of the group itself. It performs regularly around Britain, and has performed as far afield as North America, Australia and Hong Kong.

Cardiff University edit

Cardiff University A Cappella society was established in 2013 and currently has five groups: Acappellads, Acatude, DeciBelles, InterChorus and Vox. Cardiff University A Cappella Society performs two showcases a year (Winter and Spring) and gig/busk throughout the year. The society has also been booked for weddings.[31] In 2019, the society had a membership of 116 across the groups, making them a large society at Cardiff University for the first time in their five-year history.

Acappellads edit

Acappellads are a male and non-binary A Cappella group and were the first group formed within the Cardiff University A Cappella society. Arrangements include "How Long/Attention" (Charlie Puth), "Hit Me Baby One More Time" (Britney Spears), Weathered (Jack Garratt) and "Watercolour/Crush/Propane Nightmares" (Pendulum).

DeciBelles edit

DeciBelles are a small all female a cappella group from Cardiff University. DeciBelles perform a range of songs arranged by members of the group, and like performing songs about female empowerment. Current arrangements include; Almost Human (Rag'n'Bone man), Salute (Little Mix), Superlove (Andreya Triana) and more. In 2019, the DeciBelles came third in their ICCA quarterfinal in Exeter, becoming the first Welsh group to qualify for the ICCA semi finals.[32] They also reached the ICCA UK Semifinals in 2020.[33] The group released their debut EP, "Watch Your Back" in May 2021.

Vox edit

Vox are a small mixed voice a cappella group from Cardiff University currently consisting of fourteen members. Vox perform a range of songs, arranged by members of the group. Current arrangements include "Fading into Grey" (Billy Lockett), "Mistakes" (Andra Day), "Palo Santo" (Years And Years), and many others.[34] Vox have now qualified for the ICCA quarterfinals three times, in 2018, 2019 and 2020.

University of Durham edit

Northern Lights edit

Northern Lights are a mixed voice a cappella group from Durham University who perform a wide range of genres. The group was formed as Palatinotes in 2013 and in their first year they performed at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2015 they released their first single, 'Dancing in the Moonlight', reached the semi-finals of the ICCAs and returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with sell-out performances of their show, 'The Northern Lights Display'.

In 2016 they competed again in the ICCAs, in which they came fourth in the UK, after winning both 'Outstanding Soloist' and 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion' in their quarterfinal heat. In August 2016 they released an EP, 'Bright Lights Small City' and a music video, "Don't Look Back in Anger", before returning to the Edinburgh Fringe for a third run with their show, 'The Voice Awakens'.

Northern Lights were the winners of the Northern regional final of the 2017 ICCAs, once again taking home 'Outstanding Soloist' and 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion'. They released their second music video, 'Bird Set Free' that summer and took their show 'Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them' to the Fringe.

In 2018 Northern Lights placed third in the UK Final of the ICCAs after winning the Northern quarterfinal heat and receiving 'Outstanding Soloist' and 'Outstanding Arrangement'. They have recorded their second EP and third music video.

In 2020, Northern Lights placed 2nd in the UK Finals after winning the Northern quarterfinal for the 5th time in a row and received 'Outstanding Soloist'.

In 2022, they placed 3rd in the UK Finals after winning their quarterfinal and received 'Outstanding Arrangement' and 'Outstanding Soloist' once again.[35]

The group have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe for the last 6 years and will be returning again in August 2022.

University of Edinburgh edit

Licence to Trill edit

Licence to Trill is the University of Edinburgh's only all-female competitive A Cappella group. They were formed in 2016 and consist of 15 members.

In 2017, they were placed second at their first Scottish A Cappella Championships and won a place at the Voice Festival UK Final in the same year. In 2019, Licence to Trill won the Scottish A Cappella Championships. Vocal coach and Judge, Jennifer John, praised the group on their vocal blend, together with tight choreography and ability to convey their passion and close bond to the audience.[citation needed]

Licence to Trill released their first EP 'Red is the New Black' in March 2019.

Tone Up edit

Tone Up are the University of Edinburgh's only mixed A Cappella group, forming in 2016. They were selected for the Voice Festival UK Final in 2017, where they won several 'Outstanding' awards including 'Outstanding Overall Performance' and 'Outstanding Soloist.'

In 2018, Tone Up were placed fourth in the ICCA UK Final overall. At the 2019 Scottish A Cappella Championship, Tone Up won both the 'Outstanding Soloist' and 'Outstanding Arrangement' award.

Tone Up released a music video to their first single, "New York", which was nominated for two A Cappella Video Awards at the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival.[citation needed]

Cloud IX edit

Cloud IX is the University of Edinburgh's only all-male competitive A Cappella group, formed (Founder: Peter Ning) in 2017 (usually) consisting of nine members.

In 2021, they were placed third in the Scottish A Cappella Championships and won the best video award. By beating all other Scottish all-male A Cappella groups, they had won the title 'Scotland's Premier All-Male A Cappella Group'. After placing third, the group had placed new efforts on placing higher in future competitions.

In 2022, they managed to do this and placed second in the Scottish A Cappella Championships thanks to the efforts of the group's three MDs: Ruari Fraser, Daniel Larbi and Daniel Kozma-Percy. Furthermore, the group won the 'Best Arrangement Award' for Daniel Larbi's beautiful rendition of Still Fighting It - Ben Folds.

University of Exeter edit

 
The Sweet Nothings are one of the University of Exeter's eight A Capella groups.

Sweet Nothings edit

Sweet Nothings is an all-female group from Exeter University. They were formed in 2006 and as such are the oldest group at the university.[36] In 2009, they competed in the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition[36] and in 2012 they competed again, winning an award for 'Outstanding Performance' in the Bristol regional round.[37]

They have competed twice in the semi-finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella and three times at the Voice Festival UK, winning the award for 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion' in 2016.

In May 2015 they recorded their first ever 5-track EP titled Unwrapped with The Vocal Company. They performed their first show at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe named 'Go Sweet or Go Home' and returned with 'Unwrapped' (2015), 'We Need To Talk' (2016) and in 2017 turned the tables (being an all female group) and sang songs traditionally sung by men in their show 'Who Run the World?'. In 2018 they performed 'Sweet Nothings Live at the Edinburgh Fringe!' and in 2019 'Ocean's 9'. The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 closed down all Edinburgh Festival performances and tourism but Sweet Nothings returned in 2021 with their show 'Now That's What I Call Timeless' and again in 2022 with 'A Night at the Movies'.

In August 2015, they released their first charity single titled 'Telephone', a mash up of Beyoncé & Lady GaGa's 'Telephone' and Lady GaGa's 'Just Dance' Through the Summer of 2016, Sweet Nothings was selected to participate in the Gareth Malone's BBC 2 program "The Choir: Gareth's Best in Britain" which was aired in November–December 2016.[citation needed]

Semi-Toned edit

Semi-Toned is an all-male contemporary a cappella group who sing a variety of modern and classic songs.[38] They were formed in October 2010 by Eddie Henley, Jon Minter and Simon Eaton.

They competed for the first time in The Voice Festival UK in 2012, winning both "Outstanding Arrangement" and "Outstanding Vocal Percussion". In 2013 the group won the South West regional, advancing to the London final, as well as "Outstanding Stagecraft and Choreography" and, once more, "Outstanding Vocal Percussion". Semi-Toned made their Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2013. Their show "The Exe-Men" was reviewed enthusiastically[39] in a Fringe that was not kind to a cappella groups.[36]

In 2014, the group once again reached the final of The Voice Festival UK and winning awards for "Outstanding Arrangement" for their mash-up of "Dear Darlin'" by Olly Murs and "The Fox (What Does The Fox Say?)" by Ylvis, "Outstanding Overall Performance" and "Outstanding Soloist" for Michael Luya in "Motion Picture Soundtrack" by Radiohead.[40] They then continued their Edinburgh Fringe success with 2014's "Toned Up" which saw a second five-star review from Broadway Baby and a prestigious "Bobby" Award, the group becoming the first University ensemble and first a cappella group to achieve this.[41] In September the group recorded its first self-titled 5-track EP with The Vocal Company, featuring covers of John Newman, Daft Punk, Paolo Nutini, Jay Z and Radiohead.

In January 2015, Semi-Toned competed in the Semi-Finals of the ICCA's in London, finishing in second place overall, whilst winning "Outstanding Choreography".[42] Then in April, Semi-Toned won The Voice Festival UK as well as "Outstanding Overall Performance"[40] thereby fully establishing itself upon the UK a cappella scene. Soon after they embarked on their first tour of the East Coast of the United States, visiting and performing with groups from Colombia, NYU, Princeton, Yale and North Eastern College

Harmonics A Cappella edit

Harmonics A Cappella (formerly Harmonics) was formed in October 2012 by Charlotte Sidwell and Zoe Fitzsimmons. As the only auditioned mixed classical and contemporary a cappella group at the University of Exeter, they perform both classical pieces and contemporary pieces with a slightly more classical feel. Unlike the other auditioned groups at the university, they do not compete; instead focussing on performing their varied repertoire at a professional standard, as well as recording and releasing songs on major streaming services. They have a tradition of busking annually at Christmas to raise money for a group-chosen charity.[43]

Harmonics A Cappella released their first CD in December 2014, Christmas With Harmonics. The group has since released multiple singles via streaming services. For example, they recorded Eric Whitacre's "Sleep" in November 2019.

Harmonics A Cappella became an official Exeter Guild affiliated society in August 2020.[43] On 21 December 2020 they released a Christmas EP, titled O Night Divine, comprising five songs recorded remotely during lockdown.[44]

The Bluebelles edit

The Bluebelles are Exeter University's newest all-female a cappella group.[38] Formed in September 2013 the Bluebelles are an all-female group that started out focusing on jazz and barbershop-style music, however have recently moved towards a more contemporary repertoire. They perform a wide variety of genres, and have performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2015. The group also released their debut EP "Double Denim" on 8 August 2018.

Illuminations edit

Illuminations are a mixed a cappella group, formed by Emily Botsford and Charlotte Mckeown in October 2011, who sing music ranging from modern pop to rock classics. In their 2012–2013 season the group performed for BBC's Children in Need and competed in their first Voice Festival UK, receiving a personal commendation for stagecraft. They competed in the ICCA quarter-finals competition 2016 at Exeter University, winning Best Soloist for Izzie Ballentine-Dykes' rendition of Regina Spector's 'The Call',[45] arranged by Abigail Green. They regularly perform at local venues such as the Old Firehouse and John Gandy's open mic nights where they also won first prize during early 2016.

The group went on to place second at the 2017 South West quarter finals ICCA's, competing in the UK final at Wimbledon Theatre, London. Illuminations began their Edinburgh Fringe debut the same year, performing to a sell-out audience in their show, 'A Pitchpipers Guide to the Melody'. Not only did they debut their first Fringe show in 2017, but they also competed on the Sky One show Sing: Ultimate A Cappella,[46] reaching the final round and placing second in their heat. The group continues to grow musically and returned to Edinburgh in 2018 to perform a second Fringe show 'By Process Of Illumination' and will be releasing an EP and music video in the Summer. In 2019 they performed their third Edinburgh Fringe show, 'Minds Alight'. The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 closed down all Edinburgh Festival performances and tourism but Illuminations returned in 2021 with their show 'Somebody Special - The Aca-Betrayal' and again in 2022 with 'The 11th Hour'. The group currently has twelve members (as of 2021), ranging from first to fourth years.[47]

Former groups edit

The Madrigals are a mixed a cappella group from Exeter University formed in 2008 by Ben Pennington. They specialise in singing madrigals.[38] The group has since disbanded.

Hoi Rhapsodoi are a mixed a cappella octet from Exeter University. Formed in 2008 by Erika Borley and Tom Simpson, they sing a huge mix of secular and sacred music. The group has since disbanded in 2016.[38]

University of Glasgow edit

Choral Stimulation edit

Choral Stimulation is a mixed-voice a cappella group from the University of Glasgow formed in 2008. Since 2010, they have competed in the Voice Festival UK at the St Andrews semifinal. In 2011, they won the award for 'Outstanding Performance'[12] for their arrangement entitled "Night at the Movies", which incorporated theme tunes from several Hollywood blockbusters, including The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. Became the first group outside of St Andrews to win the VF-UK Regional for Scotland in 2013 to go on to compete in London as well as picking up the award for 'Outstanding Arrangement'.[48]

In September and October 2015 Choral Stimulation were one of eight groups who appeared in the BBC television series, The Naked Choir, after auditions from 400 groups from across the UK.[49]

Guildhall School of Music and Drama edit

The Conchords edit

The Conchords are an a cappella group from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, who won the UK ICCA Semifinals in 2020 and 2022.[50][51]

Imperial College London edit

The Techtonics edit

The Techtonics is an all-male a cappella group from Imperial College London formed in the summer of 2008 by Christian Carter and Ed Brightman.[52] The group became an immediate success on campus, coming second on Imperial Idol 2009, and appearing alongside Athlete and Noel Fielding at Imperial's Summer Ball that year.[52]

In 2010, they participated in the Cambridge semifinal of the Voice Festival UK, and Carter received the award for 'Outstanding Arrangement' of Robbie Williams' "Come Undone".[12] The following year, they competed in the newly formed London semifinal, and won the award for 'Outstanding Performance'.[12]

The group took a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a week in the summer of 2010 and sold out on their final performance.[52] They recorded an album in 2010 and regularly busk on Portobello Road on a Saturday morning.

Between 28 August and 4 September 2011, the group embarked upon a tour of Croatia alongside the Imperial College Chamber Choir, and competed in the Vocal Marathon a cappella competition.[53] They were described as "setting the audience on fire" and bringing a "fresh and positive energy" to the competition.[54]

The group competed in the London Regional Round of the Voice Festival UK 2012, claiming awards for 'Outstanding Performance' and 'Outstanding Soloist'.[12]

The Techtonics won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in 2016, becoming the first non-US group to ever hold the title.[55]

The group returned to the ICCA in 2020, placing third in the UK Semifinal. In the 2021 virtual running of ICCA, The Techtonics placed second in the UK, receiving awards for best audio mixing along the way.[56]

Imperielles edit

Formed in 2011, Imperielles are Imperial's most established all-female a cappella group. They won the award for Outstanding Soloist at the international semi-finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs) in 2015 and competed in Voice Festival UK in March 2012 and 2014.[27]

The Scopes edit

The Scopes is a mixed group, formed in 2011. They have since competed in Voice Festival UK in 2013 and 2014. They were ICCA semi-finalists in 2015 and 2016.

Harmaphrodite edit

Harmaphrodite were formed in 2006 by Jessica Gillingwater. The group is no longer in existence but performed at Exhibition Road Music Day in 2006 and 2007.[57][58] They competed in the Voice Festival 2011 in the London Regional Round.

King's College London edit

All The King's Men edit

All The King's Men is the first and only all-male a cappella group from King's College, London. They were formed by freshers in September 2009,[59] and went on to have a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010.

In 2011, they entered the Voice Festival UK and won their regional round, also claiming the award for 'Outstanding Musicality'. In the final, they won the award for 'Outstanding Performance' with their mashup of "Boogie Nights" and "I Don't Feel Like Dancin'".[12] In the summer of that year, they returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.[60]

On 11 February 2012 they won the London Regional round of Voice Festival UK for the second year running. They were also awarded the prize for Outstanding Choreography.[12]

In February 2012 the group toured the West Coast of America performing at many universities including Claremont, USC, UC Stanford and UC Berkeley.[61]

On 10 March 2012 All the King's Men won the Final of Voice Festival UK. They also won the award for Outstanding Musicality in their arrangement of Hallelujah.[62][full citation needed]

The group dissolved in 2020.

The Rolling Tones edit

The Rolling Tones is an all-female a cappella group from King's College London. Formed in 2007 by Alice Whiteley, the group has since been invited to perform at a number of significant events, including the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics and the RBS International Women's Day Event 2014. The Tones have performed several successful sets at the Brandenburg Choral Festival and continue to sing at various events across London.

In 2014, the group reached the semi-finals of The Voice Festival UK and in 2015, they reached the finals, becoming the first all-female a cappella group to reach the deciding stage of the competition since 2009. The group was awarded the prize for 'Outstanding Arrangement' at both the semi-finals and finals for Zara Tso's arrangement of "Awake My Soul", originally performed by Mumford & Sons.

University of Leeds edit

The Songsmiths edit

The Songsmiths are a mixed a cappella group from the University of Leeds. They have performed at the British Heart Foundation Ball, various University Union events and at the Riley and JCR Awards. They have been very successful in the Voice Festival UK competitions; in 2012 winning Best Arrangement and in 2013 winning Best Soloist and Best Musicality. They reached the quarter finals of the ICCAs in 2017, their first year in the competition, and the semi-finals in 2018. In 2019, the group progressed to the UK Final of the ICCAs and came 3rd overall. Following on from this success the group took their first show "10 Things I Hate About A Cappella" to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and sold out their entire run. UK"Taking A Cappella to unreachable levels of intimacy" - The Songsmiths (2013)[63]

The Cosmopolitones edit

The Cosmopolitones are an all-female a cappella group from the University of Leeds. Formed in 2014, they have grown in a short time, reaching the ICCA Quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018, winning awards for Best Arrangement. In 2018 they also made their debut at Voice Festival UK. They are currently on a break, combining their members with The Songsmiths ahead of their competition bid this year and debut Edinburgh Fringe Festival run in August 2019

University of Manchester edit

Alvarium edit

Alvarium is a mixed-voice A Cappella group, representing the University of Manchester at national and international competitions. Founded in 2016 as "Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them" by Jamie Davis, Alvarium is the only auditioned group and the only competition group of the University of Manchester's A Cappella and Beatboxing Society (UMACABS). After winning Battle of The Societies in 2017, a competition organised by the University of Manchester Students' Union, and reaching the finals of The Voice Festival UK in 2018, they started to compete internationally in competitions such as the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. They changed their name from Fantastic Beats and Where to Find them to Alvarium in 2019; Alvarium denoting beehive – a reference to the worker bee symbol of Manchester.

In March 2021, Alvarium released their first music video titled "Be My Strange Addiction".

Besides competing, Alvarium have performed in charity fundraisers, philanthropy events, society showcases, and other events. They are currently in the progress of making their first EP.

Although existing for nearly five years, the group has only had three musical directors; Courtney Levy (former MD), Maurits Bekkers (former MD) and Elena Strachan (current MD)

University of Manchester's A Cappella and Beatboxing Society edit

The University of Manchester's A Cappella and Beatboxing Society (UMACABS) was founded in 2015, and has since grown to over 100 members across different groups: "Alvarium" (formerly known as "Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them"), "Amplify", "Tone Deft", "Real Hymn Shady's", "Duly Noted" and "Licence to Trill". UMACABS hosts an a cappella showcase every December and May, in which all groups perform covers of popular songs. Performances from the showcase are recorded and uploaded to the society's YouTube channel.[64] Aside from the showcase, individual groups organise and perform at external concerts, such as university events, corporate functions and charity fundraisers.

Manchester University Barbershop Singers edit

The Manchester University Barbershop Singers (MUBS) originally started in 2010 as a men's chorus and became a full University of Manchester Students' Union society in 2013 with the addition of a ladies' chorus. The names of the two choruses are Mantunian Way and Ultraviolet, respectively.

Since 2014, Mantunian Way has competed in the yearly British Association of Barbershop Singers Chorus competition, obtaining third place overall in 2014. Mantunian Way obtained seventh overall place in the 2016 Harrogate BABS Chorus competition as well as the Jim Carter trophy for best small chorus.

Members of Ultraviolet have competed in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers chorus competition as part of Chrystal Chords in 2015 .

Sing It! Society edit

Sing It! are a mixed A capella chorus set up by University of Manchester students in 2016. The chorus is open to non-university members, is non-auditioned and has a diverse mix of people. They perform a range of music including jazz, folk and barbershop. Their first competition outing was in the 2017 British Association of Barbershop Singers Mixed Chorus competition in Bournemouth, where they achieved a very respectable score for a chorus only eight months in existence.

University of Nottingham edit

The University of Nottingham's A Cappella Society was formed in September 2014, as an umbrella society for a range of auditioned, non-auditioned, mixed-gender, and single-gender groups, across a wide variety of musical styles.[65]

RadioOctave edit

RadioOctave is a mixed a cappella group from the University of Nottingham. Formed in 2014, it was the first a cappella group from the university.[66] In 2016, RadioOctave competed at The Voice Festival UK for the first time, reaching the semi-finals.

In 2016, RadioOctave appeared on Gareth Malone's The Choir: Best in Britain, competing in the Midlands and Wales category. [67][68]

The group also performed at the Women's Cricket World Cup Semi-Final in Derby in 2017

In 2021, RadioOctave became the first a cappella group from Nottingham to qualify for the ICCA UK finals with their rendition of Boogie Wonderland, earning a place in the top 8 UK a cappella groups.[69] Furthermore, in 2021, RadioOctave were awarded 2nd place in the National University Choir Competition. RadioOctave continued their successful streak by again qualifying for the ICCA UK finals in 2022 and 2023.[70][71] In 2022 they also featured on a BBC East Midlands News programme publicising their Edinburgh Fringe show, Ages of Icons, and then in 2022 they performed at Splendour Festival, an annual music festival in Nottingham.

Aca-pocalypse edit

Aca-pocalypse is a mixed auditioned a cappella group from the University of Nottingham.[66] Having formed in October 2015, Aca-pocalypse reached the semi-finals of The Voice Festival UK in 2017.[72]

In 2022, Aca-pocalypse won the ICCA UK Quarterfinal #2 with 401 points, receiving the Outstanding Soloist award and advancing to the UK ICCA Semifinal.[70][73] They had similar success in 2023, getting second place in their quarterfinal and once again reaching the UK Semifinal.[74][71]

The group's repertoire includes a wide range of genres, from pop and rock to jazz and classical. Aca-Pocalypse has performed at a variety of venues, including the Nottingham Playhouse, Splendour Festival, and the Cambridge Junction. The group has also won several awards, including the 2017 Voice Festival UK Semi-Finalist Award and the 2022 ICCA UK Quarterfinal #2 Winner Award.

Unplugged edit

Unplugged is a mixed auditioned A Cappella group from the University of Nottingham, formed in 2018. The group began with an aim to perform cheesy, guilty pleasure arrangements and started competing nationally in 2019. They have since competed annually in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella and were awarded third place in the National University Choir Competition 2021.[75]

University of Oxford edit

The Men of Magdalen edit

The Men of Magdalen are an acappella group composed of the Academical Clerks of The Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford. They perform at a variety of events and concerts, most notably at their yearly Carol performance at the Angel and Greyhound pub. The clerks perform a variety of music from Gaudete to Postman Pat to the highest standard.

The New Men edit

The New Men is an A capella group made up of the choral scholars of The Choir of New College, Oxford. They sing a range of genres of music, from renaissance polyphony to Disney, barbershop, and pop. They perform over Christmas and in the Summer.

Out of the Blue edit

Out of the Blue was formed in 2000 by postgraduate Derek Smith, who, having arrived in Oxford after an undergraduate degree at Harvard University, noticed the distinct lack of an all-male a cappella group at the university. Since their inception, they have become one of the most successful university groups in the UK, having toured the UK[citation needed], Ireland[citation needed], the United States,[76][77][78] Japan, Sri Lanka and Scandinavia[citation needed], and acquiring consecutive Fringe Sell-Out Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2006.[citation needed]

The group took part in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs) in 2009, progressing to the grand final in New York City, coming second. That year they also won the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition, the final of which they would go on to reach every year that they entered, winning again in 2014.[12][79]

In 2011 they took part in Britain's Got Talent and progressed to the live semifinals. They finished fourth in the fourth semifinal and therefore did not progress to the final.[80]

In 2014, the group released a medley of Shakira songs, most notably "Hips Don't Lie", as a charity single on YouTube. The video was retweeted by Shakira,[81] and has since reached over seven million views.

The group performs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year. 2022 was their 18th year performing at the festival.[82]

The Oxford Gargoyles edit

The Oxford Gargoyles is a mixed-voice jazz a cappella group formed in 1998 by Divya Seshamani and Hannah Harper. They have toured the United States several times,[83] appearing at Disneyland[citation needed] in Los Angeles and on NBC.[84]

In 2007, the group won the Western European semifinal of the ICCAs and progressed to the final in New York.[79] They won the Voice Festival UK in 2010.[12]

In 2012, they won the Open Category of the Choir of the Year competition and performed at the finals, which were broadcast on BBC.

In 2014, the Gargoyles toured Hong Kong and Macau, performing at the first Oxford Asia Alumni Weekend, Cathay Pacific / HSBC Rugby Sevens Weekend, Hong Kong City Hall, Teatro Dom Pedro V, and more than a dozen other venues.

They have appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2006,[83][85] and had a sell-out show in 2008.[citation needed]

The Oxford Belles edit

The Oxford Belles is one of the two all-female a cappella groups from the University of Oxford. They 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.

In 2009, the group reached the London final of the Voice Festival UK and were confirmed as the best female group that year.[12] Following this success, they travelled to New York City[86] later that year, and returned to America in 2010, this time to the West Coast and California.

In 2010, they took a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time since 2000 and received critical acclaim for their performances.[87][88]

In 2012–2013, the Belles recorded and released a single and a music video. They competed in Voice Festival UK 2013 and received the award for "Outstanding Musicality".

In 2023, the Belles participated in Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 5 sold-out shows, winning the Best A Capella award in the Derek Awards.

The Oxford Alternotives edit

 
The Oxford Alternotives at the Voice Festival UK Finals 2009, held at the Wathen Hall, St Paul's School, London

The Oxford Alternotives is a mixed-voice a cappella group and the oldest a cappella group from the University of Oxford, having formed in 1993. They were founded as the Oxford University Alternative Singing Society by three students seeking an alternative to the chapel choirs dominating the university music scene at the time.

They have toured the US a number of times, including a performance at the 9/11 memorial service for British victims in New York in 2005.[89] The group also appears every year at the Edinburgh Fringe, having received 5-stars in 2013.[90]

In 2009, the group came second in the Voice Festival UK, winning awards for 'Outstanding Arrangement' and 'Outstanding Soloist', and again qualified for the national final as Oxford regional champions in 2013.[12]

In The Pink edit

In The Pink is one of the two all-female a cappella groups from the University of Oxford. They were formed in 2003.

In 2006, the group participated in the ICCAs in Western European semifinal in Oxford. They finished third, with Alexandra Godfree winning the award for 'Outstanding Arrangement' on "Rainy Days and Mondays". In 2007 they entered again, and despite not placing in the top three, Rebecca Dale won the award for 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion'. In 2008, the group participated again, this time in the first of two quarterfinals. This time Suzannah Merchant claimed the award for 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion'.[79]

They have appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2005 and are set to do so again in 2013. As a result of their performance in 2010, they appeared on the Richard Bacon show on Radio 4.[citation needed]

The group have recorded five studio albums: Naked (2005), Tickled Pink (2006), All Mouth No Trousers (2007), By Any Other Name (2008), Pinkredible (2010) and their latest effort "She Who Dares" (2012).[91] They competed in the Oxford round of the Voice Festival UK 2013 and received awards for 'Outstanding Performance' and 'Outstanding Soloist'.[92]

In 2019, the group released 3 music videos: "Color Song/Fallingwater", "Havana X New Rules", and "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark".

The Ultrasounds edit

The Ultrasounds are an all-male a cappella group from the medical school of the University of Oxford. They formed in 2010 and made their competitive debut at The Voice Festival UK 2012 in the Oxford Regional Round,[93] where they won 'Outstanding Overall Performance' and 'Best Vocal Percussionist'.

The Beatroots edit

The Beatroots are an 8-strong mixed a cappella group of postgraduate students from the University of Oxford, formed in 2012. They were awarded 'Judges' Favourite Song' at the Voice Festival UK Community Showcase in 2014.

The Aneurhythms edit

The Aneurhythms are a relatively new arrival (established 2014) to Oxford's roaring a cappella scene. However, since their conception they have taken the scene by storm, having been praised as the best all-female medical student A capella Oxford has to offer. The group have performed at a variety of student and charity events across Oxford, singing a variety of self-arranged repertoire from old classics to new pop mash ups.

The Oxford Commas edit

The Oxford Commas are an all male a cappella group. Formed in November 2014, the group regularly performs a variety of gigs in and around Oxford, including at colleges, weddings and balls. The group initiated their first international tour to the east coast of the US in March 2017.

In November 2017, the group reached further heights when they appeared on Sing: Ultimate A Cappella, Sky TV's a cappella competition. They won their initial heat and progressed to the finals, eventually finishing in fifth place overall.

Royal Holloway, University of London edit

Absolute Harmony edit

Absolute Harmony is a mixed-voice a cappella group formed in 1997 at Royal Holloway, University of London as 'Alternative Harmony' by Regina Yau, who did not feel there was much opportunity for the average student to sing in an informal, unauditioned choir. After the group disintegrated somewhat due to Yau taking a year abroad, she returned, influenced by several American collegiate a cappella groups and decided to convert the group into an a cappella group, with a smaller group of members meeting more often to form 'Absolute Harmony'. The group was instrumental in the inauguration of the first ever British Inter-collegiate Contemporary Championship of A Cappella (BICCAs).

Eventually the name of the entire group changed to 'Absolute Harmony', with a smaller group, 'Hardcore Harmony', meeting more regularly to work towards competitions.[94]

University of Sheffield edit

Steelworks edit

Steelworks is the competition group of the University of Sheffield A Cappella and Beatbox Society, established by Sergio Filipe in 2014. The group took part in the Sky One competition Sing: Ultimate A Cappella, hosted by Cat Deeley, in 2017. Under Kaan Harwood, the group reached the quarter-finals of the ICCAs in 2019, their first year in the competition. In 2020, the group won their ICCA quarter-final, led by Johanna Stroud, to reach the UK finals in London. The group also boasts a barbershop quartet, Low Key, who were formed in 2018. In 2023 Steelworks performed for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their show 'Vocal Vengeance - A Murder on the Stage Floor'. In 2023, the group performed for the first time at SNAC, hosted at Leeds, under the direction of Alessandro Maruca.

University of St Andrews edit

The Other Guys edit

The Other Guys was formed in 2004 and are the only all-male a cappella group from the University of St Andrews. They are perhaps best known for their YouTube hit "Royal Romance", a tribute to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, which gained recognition in the rest of the United Kingdom,[95] the United States,[96][97] Australia,[98] and India[99] within a week, and the video also appeared on "Webtastic" on The Today Show.[100]

The group entered the ICCAs for the first time in 2007, when St Andrews hosted the Western European quarterfinal, and progressed to the semifinal in London.[79] They repeated this success in the following year.[79] In 2009 they progressed to the London final of the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition.[12]

The Alleycats edit

The Alleycats is a mixed-voice a cappella group formed in 2001. Having originally been an all-male group, in 2007 girls were allowed to audition for the first time, and now the group consists of roughly half and half.[citation needed]

In 2008, the group appeared on the BBC's Last Choir Standing, making it to the final fifteen.[101] The group also took a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and plan to do so in August 2011.[citation needed]

In 2009 and 2010, the group progressed to the final of the Voice Festival UK in London. In 2009, Lizzy Weintz won the award for 'Outstanding Arrangement' in the final. In 2010, the group received the 'Outstanding Performance' award.[12]

The Accidentals edit

The Accidentals is an all-female a cappella group.

In 2010 they progressed from the St Andrews semifinal of the Voice Festival UK to the London final having won the award for 'Outstanding Performance'. In 2011 they achieved this success again, with Anna McDonald winning the award for 'Outstanding Soloist' for her performance of Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" and Ellie Mason winning the award for 'Outstanding Vocal Percussion' at the semifinal. In the final, the group were highly commended for their arrangement of "Price Tag", as well as their Vocal Percussion.[12]

Scottish A Cappella Championships 2014 Ellie Mason awarded Outstanding Arrangement.

Scottish A Cappella Championships 2015 Awarded first place became Scottish Champions.

Scottish A Cappella Championships 2016 Awarded third place

Scottish A Cappella Championships 2016 Stephanie Boyle awarded Outstanding Soloist.

Scottish A Cappella Championships 2017 Niamh Kidd awarded Outstanding Choreography

ICCA Semi Finals London 2015 Awarded third Place

ICCA Quarter Finals Edinburgh 2017 Awarded second Place

ICCA Quarter Finals Edinburgh 2018 Awarded third Place

The Hummingbirds edit

The Hummingbirds is an all-female a cappella group. They have competed in the Voice Festival UK since its inception in 2008. The group won the "Outstanding Choreography" award during the Scottish A Cappella Championship in 2015. The Hummingbirds made their debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016.

St Andrews Madrigal Group edit

Formed in 1946 by student Evelyn Webb.[102] The auditioned choir of sixteen sings madrigals as well as contemporary 'choral' A Capella by the likes of Eric Whitacre, Paul Mealor etc. In addition the group has for many decades sung choral arrangements of popular music, long before this style underwent something of a renaissance in the mid to late 1990s.

The Vocal Bandits edit

The Vocal Bandits are St Andrews' only non-auditioned a cappella group made up of both males and females.[citation needed]

University of Warwick edit

The Leamingtones edit

The Leamingtones are a mixed competition group from the University of Warwick, and perform a music from a range of genres. They released their debut album Pheonix in 2023.

ICCA Quarter Finals Exeter 2023 Awarded first place[103]

ICCA Quarter Finals Exeter 2023 Georgie Lagden awarded Outstanding Soloist

ICCA Quarter Finals Nottingham 2024 Awarded first place[104]

ICCA Quarter Finals Nottingham 2024 Georgie Lagden awarded Outstanding Soloist

ICCA Quarter Finals Notthingham 2024 George Collier awarded Outstanding Arrangement

Open A Cappella Compeition 2024 Awarded second place

Open A Cappella Competition 2024 George Collier awarded Outstanding Arrangement

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External links edit

  • The Voice Festival Official Website

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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources List of university a cappella groups in the United Kingdom news newspapers books scholar JSTOR July 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message This is a list of university a cappella musical groups in the UK who have achieved some level of notability or recognition Contents 1 University of Aberdeen 1 1 Aberpella 1 2 The Killer Quines 1 3 Chordiac Arrest 2 University of Bath 2 1 The Alley Barbers 2 2 Aquapella 3 University of Birmingham 3 1 The Sons of Pitches 3 2 The Uptone Girls 3 3 Former Groups 4 University of Bristol 4 1 Academy 4 2 All Sharps 4 3 The Bristol Suspensions 4 4 The Bristones Top Note The Tone Rangers formerly known as TUBBS A Cappella 4 5 Pitch Fight 5 University of Cambridge 5 1 Cadenza 5 2 Fitz Barbershop 5 3 The Fitz Sirens 5 4 Blue Shakti 5 5 The King s Men 6 Cardiff University 6 1 Acappellads 6 2 DeciBelles 6 3 Vox 7 University of Durham 7 1 Northern Lights 8 University of Edinburgh 8 1 Licence to Trill 8 2 Tone Up 8 3 Cloud IX 9 University of Exeter 9 1 Sweet Nothings 9 2 Semi Toned 9 3 Harmonics A Cappella 9 4 The Bluebelles 9 5 Illuminations 9 6 Former groups 10 University of Glasgow 10 1 Choral Stimulation 11 Guildhall School of Music and Drama 11 1 The Conchords 12 Imperial College London 12 1 The Techtonics 12 2 Imperielles 12 3 The Scopes 12 4 Harmaphrodite 13 King s College London 13 1 All The King s Men 13 2 The Rolling Tones 14 University of Leeds 14 1 The Songsmiths 14 2 The Cosmopolitones 15 University of Manchester 15 1 Alvarium 15 2 University of Manchester s A Cappella and Beatboxing Society 15 3 Manchester University Barbershop Singers 15 4 Sing It Society 16 University of Nottingham 16 1 RadioOctave 16 2 Aca pocalypse 16 3 Unplugged 17 University of Oxford 17 1 The Men of Magdalen 17 2 The New Men 17 3 Out of the Blue 17 4 The Oxford Gargoyles 17 5 The Oxford Belles 17 6 The Oxford Alternotives 17 7 In The Pink 17 8 The Ultrasounds 17 9 The Beatroots 17 10 The Aneurhythms 17 11 The Oxford Commas 18 Royal Holloway University of London 18 1 Absolute Harmony 19 University of Sheffield 19 1 Steelworks 20 University of St Andrews 20 1 The Other Guys 20 2 The Alleycats 20 3 The Accidentals 20 4 The Hummingbirds 20 5 St Andrews Madrigal Group 20 6 The Vocal Bandits 21 University of Warwick 21 1 The Leamingtones 22 References 23 External linksUniversity of Aberdeen editAberpella edit Aberpella are the original University of Aberdeen s a cappella ensemble They were founded in 2011 as the AUSA Aberdeen University Student Association A Cappella Society by Nathan Chadwick They were semi finalists at the Voice Festival UK 2015 Voice Festival UK 2017 and ICCA 2017 citation needed In 2015 Aberpella and their sister group The Killer Quines recorded their first professional EP 3000 And Counting In 2017 Aberpella recorded their first solo EP 50 Tones of Grey The group also performed a week long run of their 2016 17 repertoire at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival under the title Aberpella Presents 50 Tones of Grey In 2019 Aberpella placed second at the Scottish A Cappella Championships and were also the only mixed gender group to place 1 2 full citation needed The Killer Quines edit The Killer Quines are an all female a cappella group at the University of Aberdeen Founded in 2013 by Joanna Casson the name derives from the doric dialect commonly used in Aberdeenshire where quine translates as girl The group covers songs in a range of musical styles from pop indie folk jazz soul gospel to classical Since the group s emergence they have competed in the Scottish A Cappella Championships In 2015 the group got through to the semi finals at a Voice Festival UK in Glasgow and in 2017 to the quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella The Killer Quines are frequently invited to perform at local events at various venues across Scotland including an International Women s Day event 2014 a University of Aberdeen LGBTQ event 2015 and Maggie s cancer charity in Glasgow 2016 as well as hosting their own concerts in Aberdeen city Chordiac Arrest edit Chordiac Arrest were formed in the summer of 2011 by a group of medical students Although they have performed at some events in Aberdeen most recently being joint winners of the open Vocal Group class V21 in the Aberdeenshire Music Festival they have never entered the Voice Festival UK 3 4 They disbanded in the summer of 2012 as final year of medicine spread the group far and wide on rural placements However a reunion of six members formed GCS 3 the Gangster Coma Scales 3 who performed at a Christmas Concert in 2012 with the American group Pentatonix as their inspiration 5 In addition to this group something of an a cappella revolution occurred at the medical school and two more groups started towards the end of 2012 namely The Ultrasounds and A Patella under the guidance of Tim Lewis University of Bath editThe Alley Barbers edit The longest running vocal group at Bath University 6 The Alley Barbers sing a wide range of songs in four part harmony often in the barbershop style Current conductor and former student member Tim Greeves succeeded the director of student music making Robin Jackson on his retirement in 2005 The founder of Bristol University s TUBBS A Cappella was a member of the Alley Barbers from 2000 to 2001 7 Aquapella edit Aquapella are the University of Bath s first contemporary a cappella group Founded by Civil Engineering student Andrew Hakes in 2011 they competed in the Voice Festival UK for the first time in 2012 Since then they have released an EP Lambda in 2016 won the UK ICCA finals in 2017 and VoiceFest UK in 2018 citation needed They embarked on their first UK tour I Wouldn t Be in 2017 2018 citation needed University of Birmingham editThe University of Birmingham s a cappella society A Cappella Birmingham currently has seven groups two all female and seven mixed One former group at the university The Sons of Pitches has since become an external group and performs professionally The Sons of Pitches edit Main article The Sons of Pitches The Sons of Pitches is an all male a cappella group formed in October 2010 8 by Mark Nathan 9 In 2011 they took part in the inaugural Birmingham semifinal of the Voice Festival UK In 2012 they won the Birmingham semifinal of Voice Festival UK and competed at the final in London They returned to the London finals again in 2013 where they received more awards than any other group in the competition being recognised for Outstanding Arrangement Outstanding Vocal Percussion Outstanding Choreography Stagecraft and Outstanding Performance but ultimately lost overall to Vive from Guildhall However just a few weeks later The Sons of Pitches won the International Wildcard Round of the International Championships of Collegiate A Cappella ICCA and competed in the International Finals at The Town Hall New York City on 20 April 2013 In September and October 2015 The Sons of Pitches were one of the a cappella groups who appeared in the Gareth Malone BBC television series The Naked Choir 10 The choir won the competition The Uptone Girls edit The Birmingham Songbirds was an all female a cappella group In 2012 they reached the Birmingham semifinal of the Voice Festival UK 11 Later that year they changed their name to The Uptone Girls Former Groups edit Augmented Seven was a mixed voice a cappella group from the University of Birmingham formed in 2010 by Tom Johnson and Mark Nathan 9 They were University of Birmingham s first a cappella group and only mixed group In 2011 the group entered the Voice Festival UK at the inaugural Birmingham semifinal and progressed to the final after winning the Outstanding Performance award 12 Later that year the group split up due to artistic differences Three of its male members went on to join the second incarnation of The Sons of Pitches from 2011 to 2012 This group has since disbanded The Lorelites was an all female a cappella group formed in January 2011 8 In 2011 they took part in the first Birmingham semifinal of the Voice Festival UK Now defunct University of Bristol editAcademy edit Academy are the university s all male identifying a cappella group formed in 2015 by Nick Jones The group is known for their fun crowd pleasing stage presence and creative arrangements In the summer of 2017 Academy appeared on Sky One s Sing Ultimate A Cappella opening the first episode In 2018 their first year of competing and Jones first year as music director Academy progressed to the ICCA UK Final in London s New Wimbledon Theatre 13 Later in the same year Academy reached the semifinals of the Voice Festival UK 14 In August 2018 Academy made their Edinburgh Fringe debut performing the joint show Academy and Pitch Fight present Buy One Get One Free alongside their sister group Pitch Fight In December 2018 Academy released their first single and music video Jones arrangement of LunchMoney Lewis Bills which featured in their 2018 ICCA set 15 The group reached the ICCA UK final again in 2019 their second year entering the competition with beatboxer Cem Rifat winning Outstanding Vocal Percussion at the quarterfinal stage In 2020 Academy recorded and released their debut album Exhibit A The album went on to receive five CARA nominations including two for their version of Mark Ronson s Bang Bang Bang 16 The group went on to win the CARA for Best Lower Voices Collegiate Song and came runner up for Best Debut Scholastic Album 17 All Sharps edit All Sharps formerly known as HotTUBBS was an auditioned a cappella group partially contained within TUBBS A Cappella Formed in 2008 18 they have won medals at the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition and Oxford Music Festival They had also been semi finalists in Voice Festival UK twice in 2012 19 and in 2015 20 HotTUBBS rebranded at the end of 2017 to become All Sharps The Bristol Suspensions edit The Bristol Suspensions are a mixed voice a cappella group formed in October 2014 by Joe Pickin Eve Robertson and Rafaella Barratt In their first year of existence they performed in the Voice Festival 2015 released a hit music video sang on BBC Radio recorded an album and brought a show to the Edinburgh Fringe with a sell out final night In their second year they placed third in the ICCA semifinals as well as achieving an award for Outstanding Arrangement in Aliak Bedirian s Madness Magic and Outstanding Vocal Percussion for Scott Lechleiter and in 2016 won the Voice Festival UK university competition In 2017 the group completed a US Tour and performed on BBC One s Pitch Battle and released their debut album Landmark For three consecutive years 2017 2019 the group have placed in the top three groups at the ICCA UK Finals and were runner up in 2019 missing first place by one point From 2018 to 2019 the group have won special awards for Outstanding Choreography and Outstanding Vocal Percussion two years in a row awarded to Performance Directors Sam Walter 2018 9 and Alessia Doyle 2019 and Vocal Percussionists James Dempsey 2018 9 and Jonny Simon 2018 9 respectively In 2019 The Bristol Suspensions celebrated the group s 5th birthday with a Five Year Anniversary Show where all previous generations of the group came back to perform in a reunion concert alongside the incumbent group The fifth generation of the group released an EP of their 2019 ICCA set titled Testament and won the Irish International A Cappella Festival In the 2021 virtual edition of ICCA the group progressed to the international final of the competition with their version of The Heartburn Song by Lawrence picking up awards for Vocal Percussion Arrangement and Audio Mixing on the way 21 The Bristones Top Note The Tone Rangers formerly known as TUBBS A Cappella edit The University of Bristol Barbershop Singers was a society formed in 2007 at the University of Bristol from an earlier quartet to act as an umbrella group supporting non classical a cappella singing 22 The society was started by Iain Hallam who was musical director for most of the next ten years 22 and who went on to direct British mixed barbershop chorus champions 23 Bristol A Cappella from their formation in 2013 There were three main unauditioned choruses for upper lower and mixed voices and HotTUBBS now the All Sharps plus numerous quartets and smaller ensembles Several member quartets have competed at national barbershop finals with Park Street and Patchwork qualifying to represent the UK at international competitions In 2014 Park Street became the National Barbershop Quartet Champions 24 Following their Edinburgh Fringe show Cheap Trills in 2017 TUBBS A Cappella was rebranded as three new unauditioned groups The Bristones mixed voices Top Note upper voices and The Tone Rangers lower voices Pitch Fight edit Pitch Fight are a 14 piece all female identifying competitive a cappella group formed in 2015 In 2016 they competed in the VoiceFest They have appeared on national television in Sky One s Sing Ultimate A Cappella and became runners up in the ICCA 2018 Exeter Quarterfinal having also picked up awards for Catt Hurman s Outstanding Choreography and Ayanna Christie Brown s Outstanding Solo They then went on to place fourth in the ICCA UK Final 2018 again winning the Outstanding Soloist award and just two weeks later became VoiceFest 2018 finalists In August 2018 they debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe alongside their brother group Academy A Cappella with their joint show Academy and Pitch Fight present Buy One Get One Free which was sold out for its final two performances In 2019 Pitch Fight once again qualified for the ICCA UK Final by placing as Runners Up in the Exeter Quarterfinal along with picking up the Outstanding Choreography award for the second year in a row Pitch Fight are returning to the Edinburgh fringe in August 2019 with their aca brothers Academy to perform Romeo amp Juliet An A Capella Tragedy In 2020 they recorded their first EP Purple Reign which released on 26 September The group placed third in the UK semifinal of the virtual ICCA in 2021 receiving the award for Outstanding Choreography at Quarterfinals for the third consecutive year 25 University of Cambridge editCadenza edit Cadenza is a mixed voice group formed originally in 1997 as a small jazz choir complete with conductor and band which was changed in 2002 to its present setup as a smaller close harmony a cappella group In March 2011 the group won the Voice Festival UK 12 and travelled to New York to compete in the ICCA final in April 2011 They did not place in the top three 26 In January 2012 it was confirmed that Cadenza would not be competing in the Voice Festival UK in 2012 thus becoming the first ever group not to try and retain their title 27 Fitz Barbershop edit Fitz Barbershop is an all male a cappella group that used to accept only members from Fitzwilliam College but now is open to members of all colleges Having been founded in 1994 by Alex Tester the then Organ Scholar for Fitzwilliam Chapel Choir it is the oldest currently running a cappella group in Cambridge At Christmas 2009 they went to Berlin to busk at the Christmas markets and were featured on the German 24 hour news channel 28 In 2009 the group entered the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition in the Cambridge semifinal They won the award for Outstanding Musicality for Wonderful Tonight 12 In 2010 they entered again winning the award for Outstanding Performance and the Ward Swingle Award for Originality gifting them a wild card into the London final They went on to claim the Outstanding Performance award again in the final 12 They frequently perform at Cambridge May Balls and have on occasion hosted one night events at the ADC Theatre 29 In March 2014 the group put on a 20th anniversary concert alongside the Fitz Sirens at Fitzwilliam College 30 The Fitz Sirens edit The Fitz Sirens is an all female a cappella group affiliated to Fitzwilliam College It has performed at many prestigious venues including 10 Downing Street and The House of Lords citation needed In 2010 the group reached the final of the Voice Festival UK where they won the award for Outstanding Musicality 12 Blue Shakti edit Blue Shakti is a mixed voice Hindi English fusion a cappella group It was formed in 2010 and has performed at various events in and around Cambridge including society balls and Mastana an annual cultural show organised by students The King s Men edit Formerly known as Collegium Regale The King s Men is the close harmony group formed from the Choral Scholars of the Choir of King s College Cambridge The group has been running for more than 80 years The King s Men functions separately from the main Choir most famous for the broadcast of the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols on the radio at Christmas and is run entirely by the members of the group itself It performs regularly around Britain and has performed as far afield as North America Australia and Hong Kong Cardiff University editCardiff University A Cappella society was established in 2013 and currently has five groups Acappellads Acatude DeciBelles InterChorus and Vox Cardiff University A Cappella Society performs two showcases a year Winter and Spring and gig busk throughout the year The society has also been booked for weddings 31 In 2019 the society had a membership of 116 across the groups making them a large society at Cardiff University for the first time in their five year history Acappellads edit Acappellads are a male and non binary A Cappella group and were the first group formed within the Cardiff University A Cappella society Arrangements include How Long Attention Charlie Puth Hit Me Baby One More Time Britney Spears Weathered Jack Garratt and Watercolour Crush Propane Nightmares Pendulum DeciBelles edit DeciBelles are a small all female a cappella group from Cardiff University DeciBelles perform a range of songs arranged by members of the group and like performing songs about female empowerment Current arrangements include Almost Human Rag n Bone man Salute Little Mix Superlove Andreya Triana and more In 2019 the DeciBelles came third in their ICCA quarterfinal in Exeter becoming the first Welsh group to qualify for the ICCA semi finals 32 They also reached the ICCA UK Semifinals in 2020 33 The group released their debut EP Watch Your Back in May 2021 Vox edit Vox are a small mixed voice a cappella group from Cardiff University currently consisting of fourteen members Vox perform a range of songs arranged by members of the group Current arrangements include Fading into Grey Billy Lockett Mistakes Andra Day Palo Santo Years And Years and many others 34 Vox have now qualified for the ICCA quarterfinals three times in 2018 2019 and 2020 University of Durham editNorthern Lights edit This section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed May 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Northern Lights are a mixed voice a cappella group from Durham University who perform a wide range of genres The group was formed as Palatinotes in 2013 and in their first year they performed at the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Festival In 2015 they released their first single Dancing in the Moonlight reached the semi finals of the ICCAs and returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with sell out performances of their show The Northern Lights Display In 2016 they competed again in the ICCAs in which they came fourth in the UK after winning both Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Vocal Percussion in their quarterfinal heat In August 2016 they released an EP Bright Lights Small City and a music video Don t Look Back in Anger before returning to the Edinburgh Fringe for a third run with their show The Voice Awakens Northern Lights were the winners of the Northern regional final of the 2017 ICCAs once again taking home Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Vocal Percussion They released their second music video Bird Set Free that summer and took their show Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them to the Fringe In 2018 Northern Lights placed third in the UK Final of the ICCAs after winning the Northern quarterfinal heat and receiving Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Arrangement They have recorded their second EP and third music video In 2020 Northern Lights placed 2nd in the UK Finals after winning the Northern quarterfinal for the 5th time in a row and received Outstanding Soloist In 2022 they placed 3rd in the UK Finals after winning their quarterfinal and received Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Soloist once again 35 The group have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe for the last 6 years and will be returning again in August 2022 University of Edinburgh editLicence to Trill edit Licence to Trill is the University of Edinburgh s only all female competitive A Cappella group They were formed in 2016 and consist of 15 members In 2017 they were placed second at their first Scottish A Cappella Championships and won a place at the Voice Festival UK Final in the same year In 2019 Licence to Trill won the Scottish A Cappella Championships Vocal coach and Judge Jennifer John praised the group on their vocal blend together with tight choreography and ability to convey their passion and close bond to the audience citation needed Licence to Trill released their first EP Red is the New Black in March 2019 Tone Up edit Tone Up are the University of Edinburgh s only mixed A Cappella group forming in 2016 They were selected for the Voice Festival UK Final in 2017 where they won several Outstanding awards including Outstanding Overall Performance and Outstanding Soloist In 2018 Tone Up were placed fourth in the ICCA UK Final overall At the 2019 Scottish A Cappella Championship Tone Up won both the Outstanding Soloist and Outstanding Arrangement award Tone Up released a music video to their first single New York which was nominated for two A Cappella Video Awards at the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival citation needed Cloud IX edit Cloud IX is the University of Edinburgh s only all male competitive A Cappella group formed Founder Peter Ning in 2017 usually consisting of nine members In 2021 they were placed third in the Scottish A Cappella Championships and won the best video award By beating all other Scottish all male A Cappella groups they had won the title Scotland s Premier All Male A Cappella Group After placing third the group had placed new efforts on placing higher in future competitions In 2022 they managed to do this and placed second in the Scottish A Cappella Championships thanks to the efforts of the group s three MDs Ruari Fraser Daniel Larbi and Daniel Kozma Percy Furthermore the group won the Best Arrangement Award for Daniel Larbi s beautiful rendition of Still Fighting It Ben Folds University of Exeter edit nbsp The Sweet Nothings are one of the University of Exeter s eight A Capella groups Sweet Nothings edit Sweet Nothings is an all female group from Exeter University They were formed in 2006 and as such are the oldest group at the university 36 In 2009 they competed in the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition 36 and in 2012 they competed again winning an award for Outstanding Performance in the Bristol regional round 37 They have competed twice in the semi finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella and three times at the Voice Festival UK winning the award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion in 2016 In May 2015 they recorded their first ever 5 track EP titled Unwrapped with The Vocal Company They performed their first show at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe named Go Sweet or Go Home and returned with Unwrapped 2015 We Need To Talk 2016 and in 2017 turned the tables being an all female group and sang songs traditionally sung by men in their show Who Run the World In 2018 they performed Sweet Nothings Live at the Edinburgh Fringe and in 2019 Ocean s 9 The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 closed down all Edinburgh Festival performances and tourism but Sweet Nothings returned in 2021 with their show Now That s What I Call Timeless and again in 2022 with A Night at the Movies In August 2015 they released their first charity single titled Telephone a mash up of Beyonce amp Lady GaGa s Telephone and Lady GaGa s Just Dance Through the Summer of 2016 Sweet Nothings was selected to participate in the Gareth Malone s BBC 2 program The Choir Gareth s Best in Britain which was aired in November December 2016 citation needed Semi Toned edit Main article Semi Toned Semi Toned is an all male contemporary a cappella group who sing a variety of modern and classic songs 38 They were formed in October 2010 by Eddie Henley Jon Minter and Simon Eaton They competed for the first time in The Voice Festival UK in 2012 winning both Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Vocal Percussion In 2013 the group won the South West regional advancing to the London final as well as Outstanding Stagecraft and Choreography and once more Outstanding Vocal Percussion Semi Toned made their Edinburgh Fringe debut in 2013 Their show The Exe Men was reviewed enthusiastically 39 in a Fringe that was not kind to a cappella groups 36 In 2014 the group once again reached the final of The Voice Festival UK and winning awards for Outstanding Arrangement for their mash up of Dear Darlin by Olly Murs and The Fox What Does The Fox Say by Ylvis Outstanding Overall Performance and Outstanding Soloist for Michael Luya in Motion Picture Soundtrack by Radiohead 40 They then continued their Edinburgh Fringe success with 2014 s Toned Up which saw a second five star review from Broadway Baby and a prestigious Bobby Award the group becoming the first University ensemble and first a cappella group to achieve this 41 In September the group recorded its first self titled 5 track EP with The Vocal Company featuring covers of John Newman Daft Punk Paolo Nutini Jay Z and Radiohead In January 2015 Semi Toned competed in the Semi Finals of the ICCA s in London finishing in second place overall whilst winning Outstanding Choreography 42 Then in April Semi Toned won The Voice Festival UK as well as Outstanding Overall Performance 40 thereby fully establishing itself upon the UK a cappella scene Soon after they embarked on their first tour of the East Coast of the United States visiting and performing with groups from Colombia NYU Princeton Yale and North Eastern College Harmonics A Cappella edit Harmonics A Cappella formerly Harmonics was formed in October 2012 by Charlotte Sidwell and Zoe Fitzsimmons As the only auditioned mixed classical and contemporary a cappella group at the University of Exeter they perform both classical pieces and contemporary pieces with a slightly more classical feel Unlike the other auditioned groups at the university they do not compete instead focussing on performing their varied repertoire at a professional standard as well as recording and releasing songs on major streaming services They have a tradition of busking annually at Christmas to raise money for a group chosen charity 43 Harmonics A Cappella released their first CD in December 2014 Christmas With Harmonics The group has since released multiple singles via streaming services For example they recorded Eric Whitacre s Sleep in November 2019 Harmonics A Cappella became an official Exeter Guild affiliated society in August 2020 43 On 21 December 2020 they released a Christmas EP titled O Night Divine comprising five songs recorded remotely during lockdown 44 The Bluebelles edit The Bluebelles are Exeter University s newest all female a cappella group 38 Formed in September 2013 the Bluebelles are an all female group that started out focusing on jazz and barbershop style music however have recently moved towards a more contemporary repertoire They perform a wide variety of genres and have performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2015 The group also released their debut EP Double Denim on 8 August 2018 Illuminations edit Illuminations are a mixed a cappella group formed by Emily Botsford and Charlotte Mckeown in October 2011 who sing music ranging from modern pop to rock classics In their 2012 2013 season the group performed for BBC s Children in Need and competed in their first Voice Festival UK receiving a personal commendation for stagecraft They competed in the ICCA quarter finals competition 2016 at Exeter University winning Best Soloist for Izzie Ballentine Dykes rendition of Regina Spector s The Call 45 arranged by Abigail Green They regularly perform at local venues such as the Old Firehouse and John Gandy s open mic nights where they also won first prize during early 2016 The group went on to place second at the 2017 South West quarter finals ICCA s competing in the UK final at Wimbledon Theatre London Illuminations began their Edinburgh Fringe debut the same year performing to a sell out audience in their show A Pitchpipers Guide to the Melody Not only did they debut their first Fringe show in 2017 but they also competed on the Sky One show Sing Ultimate A Cappella 46 reaching the final round and placing second in their heat The group continues to grow musically and returned to Edinburgh in 2018 to perform a second Fringe show By Process Of Illumination and will be releasing an EP and music video in the Summer In 2019 they performed their third Edinburgh Fringe show Minds Alight The coronavirus pandemic of 2020 closed down all Edinburgh Festival performances and tourism but Illuminations returned in 2021 with their show Somebody Special The Aca Betrayal and again in 2022 with The 11th Hour The group currently has twelve members as of 2021 ranging from first to fourth years 47 Former groups edit The Madrigals are a mixed a cappella group from Exeter University formed in 2008 by Ben Pennington They specialise in singing madrigals 38 The group has since disbanded Hoi Rhapsodoi are a mixed a cappella octet from Exeter University Formed in 2008 by Erika Borley and Tom Simpson they sing a huge mix of secular and sacred music The group has since disbanded in 2016 38 University of Glasgow editChoral Stimulation edit Choral Stimulation is a mixed voice a cappella group from the University of Glasgow formed in 2008 Since 2010 they have competed in the Voice Festival UK at the St Andrews semifinal In 2011 they won the award for Outstanding Performance 12 for their arrangement entitled Night at the Movies which incorporated theme tunes from several Hollywood blockbusters including The Lord of the Rings Star Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean Became the first group outside of St Andrews to win the VF UK Regional for Scotland in 2013 to go on to compete in London as well as picking up the award for Outstanding Arrangement 48 In September and October 2015 Choral Stimulation were one of eight groups who appeared in the BBC television series The Naked Choir after auditions from 400 groups from across the UK 49 Guildhall School of Music and Drama editThe Conchords edit The Conchords are an a cappella group from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama who won the UK ICCA Semifinals in 2020 and 2022 50 51 Imperial College London editThe Techtonics edit The Techtonics is an all male a cappella group from Imperial College London formed in the summer of 2008 by Christian Carter and Ed Brightman 52 The group became an immediate success on campus coming second on Imperial Idol 2009 and appearing alongside Athlete and Noel Fielding at Imperial s Summer Ball that year 52 In 2010 they participated in the Cambridge semifinal of the Voice Festival UK and Carter received the award for Outstanding Arrangement of Robbie Williams Come Undone 12 The following year they competed in the newly formed London semifinal and won the award for Outstanding Performance 12 The group took a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for a week in the summer of 2010 and sold out on their final performance 52 They recorded an album in 2010 and regularly busk on Portobello Road on a Saturday morning Between 28 August and 4 September 2011 the group embarked upon a tour of Croatia alongside the Imperial College Chamber Choir and competed in the Vocal Marathon a cappella competition 53 They were described as setting the audience on fire and bringing a fresh and positive energy to the competition 54 The group competed in the London Regional Round of the Voice Festival UK 2012 claiming awards for Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Soloist 12 The Techtonics won the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella in 2016 becoming the first non US group to ever hold the title 55 The group returned to the ICCA in 2020 placing third in the UK Semifinal In the 2021 virtual running of ICCA The Techtonics placed second in the UK receiving awards for best audio mixing along the way 56 Imperielles edit Formed in 2011 Imperielles are Imperial s most established all female a cappella group They won the award for Outstanding Soloist at the international semi finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ICCAs in 2015 and competed in Voice Festival UK in March 2012 and 2014 27 The Scopes edit The Scopes is a mixed group formed in 2011 They have since competed in Voice Festival UK in 2013 and 2014 They were ICCA semi finalists in 2015 and 2016 Harmaphrodite edit Harmaphrodite were formed in 2006 by Jessica Gillingwater The group is no longer in existence but performed at Exhibition Road Music Day in 2006 and 2007 57 58 They competed in the Voice Festival 2011 in the London Regional Round King s College London editAll The King s Men edit All The King s Men is the first and only all male a cappella group from King s College London They were formed by freshers in September 2009 59 and went on to have a sell out run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 In 2011 they entered the Voice Festival UK and won their regional round also claiming the award for Outstanding Musicality In the final they won the award for Outstanding Performance with their mashup of Boogie Nights and I Don t Feel Like Dancin 12 In the summer of that year they returned to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 60 On 11 February 2012 they won the London Regional round of Voice Festival UK for the second year running They were also awarded the prize for Outstanding Choreography 12 In February 2012 the group toured the West Coast of America performing at many universities including Claremont USC UC Stanford and UC Berkeley 61 On 10 March 2012 All the King s Men won the Final of Voice Festival UK They also won the award for Outstanding Musicality in their arrangement of Hallelujah 62 full citation needed The group dissolved in 2020 The Rolling Tones edit The Rolling Tones is an all female a cappella group from King s College London Formed in 2007 by Alice Whiteley the group has since been invited to perform at a number of significant events including the opening and closing ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympics and the RBS International Women s Day Event 2014 The Tones have performed several successful sets at the Brandenburg Choral Festival and continue to sing at various events across London In 2014 the group reached the semi finals of The Voice Festival UK and in 2015 they reached the finals becoming the first all female a cappella group to reach the deciding stage of the competition since 2009 The group was awarded the prize for Outstanding Arrangement at both the semi finals and finals for Zara Tso s arrangement of Awake My Soul originally performed by Mumford amp Sons University of Leeds editThe Songsmiths edit The Songsmiths are a mixed a cappella group from the University of Leeds They have performed at the British Heart Foundation Ball various University Union events and at the Riley and JCR Awards They have been very successful in the Voice Festival UK competitions in 2012 winning Best Arrangement and in 2013 winning Best Soloist and Best Musicality They reached the quarter finals of the ICCAs in 2017 their first year in the competition and the semi finals in 2018 In 2019 the group progressed to the UK Final of the ICCAs and came 3rd overall Following on from this success the group took their first show 10 Things I Hate About A Cappella to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and sold out their entire run UK Taking A Cappella to unreachable levels of intimacy The Songsmiths 2013 63 The Cosmopolitones edit The Cosmopolitones are an all female a cappella group from the University of Leeds Formed in 2014 they have grown in a short time reaching the ICCA Quarterfinals in 2017 and 2018 winning awards for Best Arrangement In 2018 they also made their debut at Voice Festival UK They are currently on a break combining their members with The Songsmiths ahead of their competition bid this year and debut Edinburgh Fringe Festival run in August 2019University of Manchester editAlvarium edit Alvarium is a mixed voice A Cappella group representing the University of Manchester at national and international competitions Founded in 2016 as Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them by Jamie Davis Alvarium is the only auditioned group and the only competition group of the University of Manchester s A Cappella and Beatboxing Society UMACABS After winning Battle of The Societies in 2017 a competition organised by the University of Manchester Students Union and reaching the finals of The Voice Festival UK in 2018 they started to compete internationally in competitions such as the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella They changed their name from Fantastic Beats and Where to Find them to Alvarium in 2019 Alvarium denoting beehive a reference to the worker bee symbol of Manchester In March 2021 Alvarium released their first music video titled Be My Strange Addiction Besides competing Alvarium have performed in charity fundraisers philanthropy events society showcases and other events They are currently in the progress of making their first EP Although existing for nearly five years the group has only had three musical directors Courtney Levy former MD Maurits Bekkers former MD and Elena Strachan current MD University of Manchester s A Cappella and Beatboxing Society edit The University of Manchester s A Cappella and Beatboxing Society UMACABS was founded in 2015 and has since grown to over 100 members across different groups Alvarium formerly known as Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them Amplify Tone Deft Real Hymn Shady s Duly Noted and Licence to Trill UMACABS hosts an a cappella showcase every December and May in which all groups perform covers of popular songs Performances from the showcase are recorded and uploaded to the society s YouTube channel 64 Aside from the showcase individual groups organise and perform at external concerts such as university events corporate functions and charity fundraisers Manchester University Barbershop Singers edit The Manchester University Barbershop Singers MUBS originally started in 2010 as a men s chorus and became a full University of Manchester Students Union society in 2013 with the addition of a ladies chorus The names of the two choruses are Mantunian Way and Ultraviolet respectively Since 2014 Mantunian Way has competed in the yearly British Association of Barbershop Singers Chorus competition obtaining third place overall in 2014 Mantunian Way obtained seventh overall place in the 2016 Harrogate BABS Chorus competition as well as the Jim Carter trophy for best small chorus Members of Ultraviolet have competed in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers chorus competition as part of Chrystal Chords in 2015 Sing It Society edit Sing It are a mixed A capella chorus set up by University of Manchester students in 2016 The chorus is open to non university members is non auditioned and has a diverse mix of people They perform a range of music including jazz folk and barbershop Their first competition outing was in the 2017 British Association of Barbershop Singers Mixed Chorus competition in Bournemouth where they achieved a very respectable score for a chorus only eight months in existence University of Nottingham editThe University of Nottingham s A Cappella Society was formed in September 2014 as an umbrella society for a range of auditioned non auditioned mixed gender and single gender groups across a wide variety of musical styles 65 RadioOctave edit RadioOctave is a mixed a cappella group from the University of Nottingham Formed in 2014 it was the first a cappella group from the university 66 In 2016 RadioOctave competed at The Voice Festival UK for the first time reaching the semi finals In 2016 RadioOctave appeared on Gareth Malone s The Choir Best in Britain competing in the Midlands and Wales category 67 68 The group also performed at the Women s Cricket World Cup Semi Final in Derby in 2017In 2021 RadioOctave became the first a cappella group from Nottingham to qualify for the ICCA UK finals with their rendition of Boogie Wonderland earning a place in the top 8 UK a cappella groups 69 Furthermore in 2021 RadioOctave were awarded 2nd place in the National University Choir Competition RadioOctave continued their successful streak by again qualifying for the ICCA UK finals in 2022 and 2023 70 71 In 2022 they also featured on a BBC East Midlands News programme publicising their Edinburgh Fringe show Ages of Icons and then in 2022 they performed at Splendour Festival an annual music festival in Nottingham Aca pocalypse edit Aca pocalypse is a mixed auditioned a cappella group from the University of Nottingham 66 Having formed in October 2015 Aca pocalypse reached the semi finals of The Voice Festival UK in 2017 72 In 2022 Aca pocalypse won the ICCA UK Quarterfinal 2 with 401 points receiving the Outstanding Soloist award and advancing to the UK ICCA Semifinal 70 73 They had similar success in 2023 getting second place in their quarterfinal and once again reaching the UK Semifinal 74 71 The group s repertoire includes a wide range of genres from pop and rock to jazz and classical Aca Pocalypse has performed at a variety of venues including the Nottingham Playhouse Splendour Festival and the Cambridge Junction The group has also won several awards including the 2017 Voice Festival UK Semi Finalist Award and the 2022 ICCA UK Quarterfinal 2 Winner Award Unplugged edit Unplugged is a mixed auditioned A Cappella group from the University of Nottingham formed in 2018 The group began with an aim to perform cheesy guilty pleasure arrangements and started competing nationally in 2019 They have since competed annually in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella and were awarded third place in the National University Choir Competition 2021 75 University of Oxford editThe Men of Magdalen edit The Men of Magdalen are an acappella group composed of the Academical Clerks of The Choir of Magdalen College Oxford They perform at a variety of events and concerts most notably at their yearly Carol performance at the Angel and Greyhound pub The clerks perform a variety of music from Gaudete to Postman Pat to the highest standard The New Men edit The New Men is an A capella group made up of the choral scholars of The Choir of New College Oxford They sing a range of genres of music from renaissance polyphony to Disney barbershop and pop They perform over Christmas and in the Summer Out of the Blue edit Main article Out of the Blue Oxford University Out of the Blue was formed in 2000 by postgraduate Derek Smith who having arrived in Oxford after an undergraduate degree at Harvard University noticed the distinct lack of an all male a cappella group at the university Since their inception they have become one of the most successful university groups in the UK having toured the UK citation needed Ireland citation needed the United States 76 77 78 Japan Sri Lanka and Scandinavia citation needed and acquiring consecutive Fringe Sell Out Awards at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2006 citation needed The group took part in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella ICCAs in 2009 progressing to the grand final in New York City coming second That year they also won the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition the final of which they would go on to reach every year that they entered winning again in 2014 12 79 In 2011 they took part in Britain s Got Talent and progressed to the live semifinals They finished fourth in the fourth semifinal and therefore did not progress to the final 80 In 2014 the group released a medley of Shakira songs most notably Hips Don t Lie as a charity single on YouTube The video was retweeted by Shakira 81 and has since reached over seven million views The group performs at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year 2022 was their 18th year performing at the festival 82 The Oxford Gargoyles edit The Oxford Gargoyles is a mixed voice jazz a cappella group formed in 1998 by Divya Seshamani and Hannah Harper They have toured the United States several times 83 appearing at Disneyland citation needed in Los Angeles and on NBC 84 In 2007 the group won the Western European semifinal of the ICCAs and progressed to the final in New York 79 They won the Voice Festival UK in 2010 12 In 2012 they won the Open Category of the Choir of the Year competition and performed at the finals which were broadcast on BBC In 2014 the Gargoyles toured Hong Kong and Macau performing at the first Oxford Asia Alumni Weekend Cathay Pacific HSBC Rugby Sevens Weekend Hong Kong City Hall Teatro Dom Pedro V and more than a dozen other venues They have appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe every year since 2006 83 85 and had a sell out show in 2008 citation needed The Oxford Belles edit Main article The Oxford Belles The Oxford Belles is one of the two all female a cappella groups from the University of Oxford They 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 In 2009 the group reached the London final of the Voice Festival UK and were confirmed as the best female group that year 12 Following this success they travelled to New York City 86 later that year and returned to America in 2010 this time to the West Coast and California In 2010 they took a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the first time since 2000 and received critical acclaim for their performances 87 88 In 2012 2013 the Belles recorded and released a single and a music video They competed in Voice Festival UK 2013 and received the award for Outstanding Musicality In 2023 the Belles participated in Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 5 sold out shows winning the Best A Capella award in the Derek Awards The Oxford Alternotives edit nbsp The Oxford Alternotives at the Voice Festival UK Finals 2009 held at the Wathen Hall St Paul s School LondonThe Oxford Alternotives is a mixed voice a cappella group and the oldest a cappella group from the University of Oxford having formed in 1993 They were founded as the Oxford University Alternative Singing Society by three students seeking an alternative to the chapel choirs dominating the university music scene at the time They have toured the US a number of times including a performance at the 9 11 memorial service for British victims in New York in 2005 89 The group also appears every year at the Edinburgh Fringe having received 5 stars in 2013 90 In 2009 the group came second in the Voice Festival UK winning awards for Outstanding Arrangement and Outstanding Soloist and again qualified for the national final as Oxford regional champions in 2013 12 In The Pink edit In The Pink is one of the two all female a cappella groups from the University of Oxford They were formed in 2003 In 2006 the group participated in the ICCAs in Western European semifinal in Oxford They finished third with Alexandra Godfree winning the award for Outstanding Arrangement on Rainy Days and Mondays In 2007 they entered again and despite not placing in the top three Rebecca Dale won the award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion In 2008 the group participated again this time in the first of two quarterfinals This time Suzannah Merchant claimed the award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion 79 They have appeared at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe since 2005 and are set to do so again in 2013 As a result of their performance in 2010 they appeared on the Richard Bacon show on Radio 4 citation needed The group have recorded five studio albums Naked 2005 Tickled Pink 2006 All Mouth No Trousers 2007 By Any Other Name 2008 Pinkredible 2010 and their latest effort She Who Dares 2012 91 They competed in the Oxford round of the Voice Festival UK 2013 and received awards for Outstanding Performance and Outstanding Soloist 92 In 2019 the group released 3 music videos Color Song Fallingwater Havana X New Rules and My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark The Ultrasounds edit The Ultrasounds are an all male a cappella group from the medical school of the University of Oxford They formed in 2010 and made their competitive debut at The Voice Festival UK 2012 in the Oxford Regional Round 93 where they won Outstanding Overall Performance and Best Vocal Percussionist The Beatroots edit The Beatroots are an 8 strong mixed a cappella group of postgraduate students from the University of Oxford formed in 2012 They were awarded Judges Favourite Song at the Voice Festival UK Community Showcase in 2014 The Aneurhythms edit The Aneurhythms are a relatively new arrival established 2014 to Oxford s roaring a cappella scene However since their conception they have taken the scene by storm having been praised as the best all female medical student A capella Oxford has to offer The group have performed at a variety of student and charity events across Oxford singing a variety of self arranged repertoire from old classics to new pop mash ups The Oxford Commas edit The Oxford Commas are an all male a cappella group Formed in November 2014 the group regularly performs a variety of gigs in and around Oxford including at colleges weddings and balls The group initiated their first international tour to the east coast of the US in March 2017 In November 2017 the group reached further heights when they appeared on Sing Ultimate A Cappella Sky TV s a cappella competition They won their initial heat and progressed to the finals eventually finishing in fifth place overall Royal Holloway University of London editAbsolute Harmony edit Absolute Harmony is a mixed voice a cappella group formed in 1997 at Royal Holloway University of London as Alternative Harmony by Regina Yau who did not feel there was much opportunity for the average student to sing in an informal unauditioned choir After the group disintegrated somewhat due to Yau taking a year abroad she returned influenced by several American collegiate a cappella groups and decided to convert the group into an a cappella group with a smaller group of members meeting more often to form Absolute Harmony The group was instrumental in the inauguration of the first ever British Inter collegiate Contemporary Championship of A Cappella BICCAs Eventually the name of the entire group changed to Absolute Harmony with a smaller group Hardcore Harmony meeting more regularly to work towards competitions 94 University of Sheffield editSteelworks edit Steelworks is the competition group of the University of Sheffield A Cappella and Beatbox Society established by Sergio Filipe in 2014 The group took part in the Sky One competition Sing Ultimate A Cappella hosted by Cat Deeley in 2017 Under Kaan Harwood the group reached the quarter finals of the ICCAs in 2019 their first year in the competition In 2020 the group won their ICCA quarter final led by Johanna Stroud to reach the UK finals in London The group also boasts a barbershop quartet Low Key who were formed in 2018 In 2023 Steelworks performed for the first time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with their show Vocal Vengeance A Murder on the Stage Floor In 2023 the group performed for the first time at SNAC hosted at Leeds under the direction of Alessandro Maruca University of St Andrews editThe Other Guys edit Main article The Other Guys University of St Andrews The Other Guys was formed in 2004 and are the only all male a cappella group from the University of St Andrews They are perhaps best known for their YouTube hit Royal Romance a tribute to the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton which gained recognition in the rest of the United Kingdom 95 the United States 96 97 Australia 98 and India 99 within a week and the video also appeared on Webtastic on The Today Show 100 The group entered the ICCAs for the first time in 2007 when St Andrews hosted the Western European quarterfinal and progressed to the semifinal in London 79 They repeated this success in the following year 79 In 2009 they progressed to the London final of the inaugural Voice Festival UK competition 12 The Alleycats edit Main article The Alleycats University of St Andrews The Alleycats is a mixed voice a cappella group formed in 2001 Having originally been an all male group in 2007 girls were allowed to audition for the first time and now the group consists of roughly half and half citation needed In 2008 the group appeared on the BBC s Last Choir Standing making it to the final fifteen 101 The group also took a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2010 and plan to do so in August 2011 citation needed In 2009 and 2010 the group progressed to the final of the Voice Festival UK in London In 2009 Lizzy Weintz won the award for Outstanding Arrangement in the final In 2010 the group received the Outstanding Performance award 12 The Accidentals edit The Accidentals is an all female a cappella group In 2010 they progressed from the St Andrews semifinal of the Voice Festival UK to the London final having won the award for Outstanding Performance In 2011 they achieved this success again with Anna McDonald winning the award for Outstanding Soloist for her performance of Adele s Rolling in the Deep and Ellie Mason winning the award for Outstanding Vocal Percussion at the semifinal In the final the group were highly commended for their arrangement of Price Tag as well as their Vocal Percussion 12 Scottish A Cappella Championships 2014 Ellie Mason awarded Outstanding Arrangement Scottish A Cappella Championships 2015 Awarded first place became Scottish Champions Scottish A Cappella Championships 2016 Awarded third placeScottish A Cappella Championships 2016 Stephanie Boyle awarded Outstanding Soloist Scottish A Cappella Championships 2017 Niamh Kidd awarded Outstanding ChoreographyICCA Semi Finals London 2015 Awarded third PlaceICCA Quarter Finals Edinburgh 2017 Awarded second PlaceICCA Quarter Finals Edinburgh 2018 Awarded third Place The Hummingbirds edit The Hummingbirds is an all female a cappella group They have competed in the Voice Festival UK since its inception in 2008 The group won the Outstanding Choreography award during the Scottish A Cappella Championship in 2015 The Hummingbirds made their debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2016 St Andrews Madrigal Group edit Formed in 1946 by student Evelyn Webb 102 The auditioned choir of sixteen sings madrigals as well as contemporary choral A Capella by the likes of Eric Whitacre Paul Mealor etc In addition the group has for many decades sung choral arrangements of popular music long before this style underwent something of a renaissance in the mid to late 1990s The Vocal Bandits edit The Vocal Bandits are St Andrews only non auditioned a cappella group made up of both males and females citation needed University of Warwick editThe Leamingtones edit The Leamingtones are a mixed competition group from the University of Warwick and perform a music from a range of genres They released their debut album Pheonix in 2023 ICCA Quarter Finals Exeter 2023 Awarded first place 103 ICCA Quarter Finals Exeter 2023 Georgie Lagden awarded Outstanding SoloistICCA Quarter Finals Nottingham 2024 Awarded first place 104 ICCA Quarter Finals Nottingham 2024 Georgie Lagden awarded Outstanding SoloistICCA Quarter Finals Notthingham 2024 George Collier awarded Outstanding ArrangementOpen A Cappella Compeition 2024 Awarded second placeOpen A Cappella Competition 2024 George Collier awarded Outstanding ArrangementReferences edit https www facebook com events 734294416970506 permalink 760295254370422 user generated source Voice Festival UK 2012 Preview Part 2 St Andrews The UK University A Cappella Blog 30 December 2012 Archived from the original on 26 April 2012 Retrieved 21 January 2012 Chordiac Arrest Recruitment Poster Archived from the original on 23 December 2012 Retrieved 25 March 2012 Aberdeenshire Music Festival Winners Archived from the original on 15 August 2013 Retrieved 13 August 2013 GCS3 performance YouTube Retrieved 13 August 2013 Alley Barbers Retrieved 20 January 2015 About TUBBS Retrieved 20 January 2015 a b UBAN A Cappella The Singers Archived from the original on 27 September 2011 Retrieved 11 July 2011 a b UBAN A Cappella The Artists Archived from the original on 27 September 2011 Retrieved 11 July 2011 Luke Beardsworth Birmingham choir The Sons of Pitches to appear on Gareth Malone s BBC 2 series The Naked Choir Birmingham Mail 22 September 2015 Retrieved 21 October 2015 Voice Festival UK Birmingham regional round UoB Blogfest 16 March 2012 Retrieved 1 November 2015 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Voice Festival UK Results Retrieved 21 October 2015 varsityvocals 11 February 2018 ICCA United Kingdom Quarterfinal 2 The University of Exeter RESULTS Tweet via Twitter Voice Festival Weekend 2018 groups announced 18 March 2018 Academy A Cappella www facebook com Retrieved 21 December 2018 2021 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Nominees casa org 27 February 2021 Retrieved 6 April 2021 Chen Jessica 2 May 2021 2021 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Results The Contemporary A Cappella Society HotTUBBS TUBBS A Cappella Retrieved 14 April 2013 Voice Festival UK 2012 Preview Part 4 Bristol The UK University A Cappella Blog 21 January 2012 Archived from the original on 2 February 2016 Retrieved 21 January 2012 full citation needed All Sharps on Facebook Facebook Archived from the original on 30 April 2022 user generated source Poole Andrew 13 April 2021 2021 ICCA ICHSA and Open Finalists Announced Varsity Vocals a b About TUBBS A Cappella Retrieved 14 April 2013 BABS National Mixed Chorus Contest Summary PDF British Association of Barbershop Singers 28 May 2023 Archived from the original on 30 May 2023 Retrieved 13 August 2023 HOME Park Street Quartet Archived from the original on 5 April 2015 Retrieved 3 April 2015 Anon 12 August 2015 Results Varsity Vocals Varsity Vocals http www varsityvocals com acappella results html Archived 9 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine ICCA 2011 results Retrieved 11 July 2011 a b Voice Festival UK 2012 Preview Part 3 London The UK University A Cappella Blog 16 January 2012 Archived from the original on 2 February 2016 Retrieved 21 January 2012 http www fitzbarbershop co uk Fitz Barbershop Official Website Retrieved 11 July 2011 http www fitzbarbershop co uk events Fitz Barbershop Official Website Events Page Fitz Barbershop turns 20 TONIGHT 20 30 Auditorium Fitzwilliam College JCR Archived from the original on 5 June 2014 Retrieved 2 June 2014 A Cappella Society varsityvocals 3 February 2019 ICCA United Kingdom Quarterfinal 2 the University of Exeter RESULTS Tweet via Twitter 2020 ICCA United Kingdom Semifinal at the New Wimbledon Theatre Retrieved 30 May 2023 CU Vox Facebook page Facebook Results 2022 ICCA United Kingdom Semifinal Retrieved 30 May 2023 a b c Exciting Expansion at Exeter Exclusive Interview The UK University A Cappella Blog 22 December 2011 Retrieved 22 December 2011 The Voice Festival UK Archived from the original on 5 February 2011 Retrieved 23 September 2010 Retrieved 11 August 2012 a b c d Exeter University A Cappella Society Exeter University Retrieved 21 September 2011 Broadway Baby reviews Archived from the original on 5 November 2013 Retrieved 3 November 2013 a b University Results Semi Toned Toned Up 5 star review by Charlotte Ivers Results Varsity Vocals a b Harmonics Students Guild www exeterguild org Retrieved 5 September 2020 Harmonics A Cappella Spotify Retrieved 20 February 2021 Results 12 August 2015 University of Exeter Home exeterilluminations com Choral Stimulation Makes History in St Andrews The UK University A Cappella Blog 24 February 2013 Archived from the original on 4 September 2014 Retrieved 26 February 2013 Glasgow University Students sing naked in national TV show Evening News Glasgow 28 September 2015 Retrieved 21 October 2015 Results 2020 ICCA United Kingdom Semifinal Retrieved 30 May 2023 Results 2022 ICCA United Kingdom Semifinal Retrieved 30 May 2023 a b c The Techtonics Imperial College London Retrieved 11 July 2011 The Techtonics Breaking Ground in Croatia The UK University A Cappella Blog 29 August 2011 Retrieved 5 September 2011 Vocal Marathon Review Vocal Marathon 6 September 2011 Archived from the original on 2 April 2012 Retrieved 21 September 2011 Results 12 August 2015 Results Varsity Vocals 12 August 2015 Retrieved 12 June 2021 Exhibition Road comes alive with the sound of music Imperial College Official Website 25 June 2007 Retrieved 26 October 2011 Exhibition Road music day Imperial College Official Website Retrieved 26 October 2011 All The King s Men Meet Us Retrieved 11 July 2011 All the King s Men return to Edinburgh King s College London Retrieved 13 August 2011 http atkmlondon wordpress com All The King s Men US Tour Blog All The King s Men Reign in VF UK Final The UK University A Cappella Blog 10 March 2012 Archived from the original on 7 January 2014 Retrieved 12 March 2012 full citation needed tella Singers Leeds University Union Retrieved 21 September 2011 permanent dead link UoM a Cappella and Beatboxing Society UMACABS YouTube YouTube About The University of Nottingham s A Cappella Society Retrieved 30 May 2022 a b The University of Nottingham a Cappella Society The Choir Gareth s Best in Britain The Midlands and Wales BBC2 website Retrieved 21 November 2016 Nottingham choir to appear on new Gareth Malone BBC TV series Nottingham Post 1 November 2016 Retrieved 21 November 2016 Results 12 August 2015 a b Results 2022 ICCA United Kingdom Quarterfinal 2 Retrieved 30 May 2023 a b 2023 ICCA United Kingdom Semifinal at the New Wimbledon Theatre Retrieved 30 May 2023 http uonacappella wixsite com uonacappellasociety single post 2017 05 05 Voice Festival 2017 University of Nottingham A Cappella blog post Retrieved 14 June 2017 2022 ICCA United Kingdom Semifinal at The Hackney Empire Retrieved 30 May 2023 Results 2023 ICCA United Kingdom Quarterfinal 2 Retrieved 30 May 2023 The National University Choir Competition 2021 winners Facebook post Facebook Retrieved 30 May 2023 US Tour 2009 ootb org uk Retrieved 11 July 2011 US Tour 2010 ootb org uk Retrieved 11 July 2011 Out of the Blue stranded in US ootb org uk Retrieved 11 July 2011 a b c d e ICCA Past Results Archived 14 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 3 July 2011 Britain s Got Talent fourth semi final review The Daily Telegraph 2 June 2011 Retrieved 11 July 2011 OOTB retweeted by Shakira Retrieved 30 July 2019 Pat Silver s a Cappella shows to see in the last week at Edfringe 2022 FringeReview Retrieved 30 May 2022 a b The Oxford Gargoyles History Oxford Gargoyles Official Website Archived from the original on 16 May 2011 Retrieved 11 July 2011 History of the Oxford Gargoyles The Oxford Gargoyles Edinburgh Festival Fringe Retrieved 30 May 2023 The Oxford Belles busking in Times Square World News Retrieved 10 July 2011 The Oxford Belles All Female A Cappella at its Finest FringeGuru 15 August 2010 Retrieved 11 July 2011 Oxford a cappella groups Belles and Gargoyles freshair org uk 30 August 2010 Archived from the original on 18 July 2011 Retrieved 11 July 2011 Soprano sings at 9 11 memorial BBC News Wales 12 September 2005 Retrieved 11 July 2011 Alternotive a Capella 5 star review by Brett Herriot Buy our CDs inthepinkacappella co uk Retrieved 11 July 2011 http universityacappellauk com 2013 04 15 event review vf uk 2013 oxford regional round Archived 10 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 20 May 2013 Voice Festival UK 2012 Preview part 1 Oxford The UK University A Cappella Blog 27 December 2011 Retrieved 27 December 2011 History of Absolute Harmony Archived from the original on 3 August 2012 Retrieved 11 July 2011 Royal Romance St Andrews students tribute to Kate and William STV News 14 April 2011 Retrieved 3 July 2011 The Other Guys Royal Romance on Youtube Gaga for Kate and William TNT Magazine 15 April 2011 Retrieved 3 July 2011 St Andrews choir parodies royal courtship with Lady GaGa cover NBC17 com 15 April 2011 Archived from the original on 13 March 2012 Retrieved 3 July 2011 Singing group has royal Bad Romance Sky News Australia 16 April 2011 Retrieved 3 July 2011 Royal Romance The Other Guys Sing of Their Unrequited Love for Kate Middleton The Times of India 16 April 2011 Retrieved 3 July 2011 Viral Vid goes Gaga for Royal Romance NBC News Retrieved 9 July 2011 The Final 15 Choirs BBC Retrieved 11 July 2011 History The St Andrews Madrigal Group Retrieved 1 November 2015 Results Varsity Vocals Retrieved 12 March 2024 Results Varsity Vocals Retrieved 12 March 2024 External links editThe Voice Festival Official Website The UK University A Cappella Blog Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title List of university a cappella groups in the United Kingdom amp 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