Oxford acappella group Out of the Blue leads workshop to choir classes
Traveling from the University of Oxford, a cappella group Out of the Blue performed and taught a collaborative workshop to the chamber and concert choirs.
April 4, 2023
On Monday, Mar. 27, University of Oxford acapella group Out of the Blue performed for the choir classes at Amador, singing a wide variety of pop songs. Coming to the West Coast during their spring break to perform for students, this group is composed of male college students who work together to create harmonies with their voices alone.
“I really thought that it was really eye opening, and I thought that they were so talented. It was just so amazing to see such an amazing group of people that were so dedicated to putting in the work to sing the way they did. It was eye opening to hear about how they balance being college student but also being an amazing singer and dedicating time to that,” said Gayathri Nair (‘23).
Some songs featured in the acapella concert included Locked out of Heaven by Bruno Mars, As It Was by Harry Styles, and Dancing on My Own by Calum Scott and Tiësto. Creating many layers in the music, Out of the Blue uses beatboxing in order to add their own unique spin on the music, and many times had a main singer singing the melody while the others sang backup.
“My favorite song was probably As It Was by Harry Styles. I really enjoyed it because first it sounded amazing, but all in all, the harmonies were really good,” said Aishwarya Anburaja(‘24).
After Josh Babu closed the show as the lead singer with Dancing On My Own, the group turned to the Amador choir and invited them to sing with the Oxford boys. They first broke everyone in the room up by their vocal arrangements and then conducted small group sessions where they taught them all how to sing the song As It Was.
“The workshop was very participatory, so not only did the kids get to watch a really cool show, but they also got to work with the group. One of the main [skills] they learned was definitely just like stage presence. Every single person from the group that was singing made it really obvious that they were into what they were doing and that they were happy to be singing,” said Choir Teacher Shelley Durbin.
Out of the Blue will visit the East Coast next spring break to visit schools and spread their love of music to other student choirs across the country.
