The Oxford Belles are an all-female a cappella group from The University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. The Belles are Oxford University's original all-female a cappella group. Established in 1995 to combat Oxford's male dominated music scene, the Belles are known for their 'sassy attitude' and 'kickass arrangements' of girl power anthems. Since 1995, the Belles have enjoyed success on both a national and international level, having been on tours to New York City and Los Angeles as well as completing annual runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The group performs on a regular basis in and around Oxford and London, primarily at balls and charity events, occasionally with other Oxford University a cappella groups such as The Oxford Gargoyles and Out of the Blue.
History
The Belles were formed in 1995 by Helen Whiteley, a year-long visiting student from the University of Virginia, who had previously sung with The Virginia Belles. Helen was eager to continue the a cappella tradition, hugely popular in the US, on the east side of the Atlantic. In the 2008 quarterfinals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, the Belles were awarded prizes for Best Choreography, and Lauren Bensted was awarded the prize for Best Arrangement. In the semi-finals, Joanna Langilie's solo in "One Way Or Another" was highly commended. In 2009, the Belles reached the final of The Voice Festival UK, which established them for that year as the most successful all-female a cappella group in the UK. In 2009, the group travelled to New York. There, they were offered the opportunity to sing the American national anthem at Madison Square Gardens, and also performed at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital. In 2010, they returned to the US, this time travelling to the West Coast and exploring the a cappella scene in California. As well as performing at the L.A. Orthopaedic Hospital and with the groups Ready Willing and Mabel and the L.A. South Towns Show Chorus, they recorded a sketch for the radio show Cactus County Round Up with Will Ryan, a voice actor known for his roles in Disney's long-running series Welcome to Pooh Corner, The Little Mermaid, Spielberg's An American Tail, and The Land Before Time. In 2010, the Belles returned to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the first time in 10 years and performed daily for a month in C Venues's theatre C −1. The show, combining brand new arrangements with Belles classics, received critical acclaim for 'flawless harmonies', Fringe Guru asserting that 'they've got the voices, the looks and, most importantly for any a cappella group, a decent human beatbox' and Scotsgay calling them 'charming and talented.' The Belles were asked to perform at the opening night for C Venues, at the C Cabaret Bar, as well as on the Nicholas Parsons Happy Hour, alongside comedian Reginald D. Hunter.
