Hot on the heels of their success at the Open A Cappella Competition last month, our premier student vocal ensemble Northern Lights A Cappella has pulled off a spectacular win in the UK finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella.
This latest achievement represents the third time in a row that the group has earned the crown of UK Champions in the prestigious International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (the ICCA). Alongside this, Northern Lights becomes the first UK A Cappella group ever to achieve a UK ICCA hat-trick. It is also the fifth time they have claimed the title overall.
On Saturday 15 March the group performed a vibrant set including arrangements of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ by Harold Arlen, ‘Dream On’ by Aerosmith, ‘Golden Slumbers’ by the Beatles, and an electric closer in ‘Night Fever’ by the Bee Gees. They were placed first with 392 points, with The Leamingtones (University of Warwick) in second, and The Other Guys (University of St Andrews) in third.
Northern Lights has had, and continues to have a tremendous impact on British A Cappella. That the group has continued to grow in musical and choreographical stature over the years is testament to the talent of its members and passion for their craft, individually as well as an ensemble. I couldn’t be prouder of how they represent Durham University, the North East of England, and the UK.
As well as topping the leaderboards at national and international competition, Northern Lights has also featured in a live Vocal Room episode, headlined at sell-out shows at Durham’s Gala Theatre, and are regular highlights at the annual Durham Fringe Festival, and the world-famous Edinburgh Fringe. They recorded their debut album, ‘Meet Me in the Sky’ in 2023, have shot professional videos, and have launched on to global streaming service, Spotify.
The ICCA and The Varsity Vocals International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) are the only global tournaments that showcase the art of student A Cappella.
The ICCA is the competition that the ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies are based around. It was founded in a college dorm room in 1996 and has since grown to include 450 groups competing in nine regions in the US and Europe.
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Northern Lights progresses to the ICCA global finals in New York on Saturday 26 April where they will be up against nine other A Cappella groups from around the world. We will be cheering them on from the other side of the Atlantic!
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