The Uptone Girls are an all-female identifying, competitive a cappella group at the University of Birmingham. We are a close-knit, musical community where passion, creativity and friendship thrive. Not only do we compete in the annual ICCAs, but we have performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and gigged all around the UK.
This academic year will be the sixteenth generation of The Uptone Girls and we are holding both online and in person auditions to recruit our next set of singers and vocal percussionists! Our online auditions are currently open until the 26th September at 12pm (noon). Dates for in person auditions will be announced in due time, but will most likely be on or around the weekend of the week beginning the 21st of September (so provisionally 25th and 26th). Please see our Instagram (@uptonegirls) for more information, where you can also find our linktree containing our Auditions Pack (also accessible through this link - The-Uptone-Girls-Audition-Pack) and our TikTok!
Regardless of if you are auditioning in person or online, you must be available on the 27th of September 2026 for an in person callback (once again, this date is provisional, and we will release more details when we can). . It will last for approximately two hours and we will send out any material for you to familiarise yourself with in advance; you do not need to know any of it inside out just ensure that you know the content well enough. During the callbacks we will ask you to perform in smaller groups, perform a short section of choreography and we will go through some of the basics of beatboxing and vocal percussion. We may also undergo range testing to determine which voice part (soprano, mezzo or alto) you are best suited to. It’s a very relaxed experience and allows both us and you to get a greater impression of what is to come and how you would act in a group setting.
Generation 15 at the ICCA quarter final in Birmingham!
As a group we have been referred to as “the real life Barden Bellas”, and if you’ve seen the film Pitch Perfect then you might therefore have a greater understanding of what we do. The Uptone Girls are an all female a cappella group, meaning that we sing without a backing track and create melodies, harmonies and rhythms using just our voices. Additionally, we are a competitive group, which means that every year we enter for a chance to participate in the International Championship of Collegiate A Capella or the ICCAs (also featured in Pitch Perfect). This year we made it through to the quarter finals where we competed in our home city of Birmingham, eventually coming fourth overall in our heat and being given the award for Outstanding Choreography for our entire set!
We compete in the ICCAs every year, but we also have many other performances throughout the year. We participated in the Guild of Students' very own Guild Awards (giving us all an excuse to dress up)!
We also had the opportunity to perform at UOB Xtra at the end of last year, performing in front of the incredible UOB Library. We showcased a short set, performing Uptones classics alongside some brand new arrangements! This year we hope to have many more opportunities to perform, such as performing in regional showcases and more!
Our 2026/27 committee:
President: Gracie
Treasurer: Erin
Secretary: Maddie
Musical Director: Kiara
Publicity and Press Officer: Louisa
Social Secretary: Lucy
Welfare Officer: Elise
Our committee are on hand to help the group run smoothly and to aid our members in any way that they can. They work tirelessly behind the scenes and their care and dedication are evident in the outcomes of the group! The Uptone Girls are not just about singing and performing; we champion each other and help one another to thrive both through music and in our personal lives.
We are also very active on social media, and have had a few videos go viral including our cover of '500 Miles' which got over 3.1 million likes on TikTok! The Uptones can often be found in a stairwell in the Guild, singing out harmonies and rhythms that echo around the building.
We hope to see many of you in September and keep an eye out for more details about in-person auditions!!