Last Friday saw the launch of a new UK vocal event, 'The Voice Festival
UK'. The Festival has been created to celebrate contemporary UK a
cappella, and to provide a platform for singers to come together from a
variety of backgrounds to explore the power and versatility of the
human voice.

The festival kicked off in Cambridge last week, as three university
groups came together in Fitzwilliam Auditorium to compete to go through
to the final round. 'Fitz Barbershop', 'The Oxford Alternotives'
and 'Cadenza' battled it out, adjudicated by judges Suzi Digby, John
Rutter and Joanna Forbes, and the latter two groups were successful in
proceeding to the final round which will be held in London on March
14th - all welcome.

Upcoming events will be held in Oxford on Saturday 28th February, with
an afternoon workshop, focusing amongst other things on vocal
percussion and led by former Swingle Singer and Lead Tutor of the
Beatbox Academy, Jes Sadler. The evening competition will feature four
a cappella groups from Oxford University, two of whom will go through
to the final.

The other regional event will be in St Andrew's on Saturday 7th March
where, once again, four university groups will be competing for two
spots in the London final. Afternoon workshops will be led by two of
the current Swingle Singers, Tobias Hug and Kevin Fox.

The final will be held on Saturday March 14th in Wathen Hall, St Paul's
School, Barnes, London. All are welcome to the workshops during the
afternoon which will be led by Dominic Peckham, Artistic Director of
iSing UK and Associate Conductor of The National Youth Choirs of Great
Britain. Please then join us for the evening competition where the six
groups who have made it through to the final will sing once more, for
six celebrity judges, to win the title of a cappella Champions UK.

More information and tickets from www.thevoicefestival.co.uk