Urban Vocal Group

The Urban Vocal Group

The Urban Vocal Group logo, used since 2008
Abbreviation UVG
Formation 2007 (2007)
As a non-profit organisation
2008 (2008)[1]
As a registered charity
Founders
  • Charlie Fletcher
  • Amba Tremain
Type Charitable organisation
(HMRC exemption status)
Purpose Musical education
Headquarters Portsmouth Guildhall, United Kingdom
Area served
City of Portsmouth
Key people
 Gary Dickens
Chairman
Charlie Fletcher
co-founder, co-chair & administrative director
Amba Tremain
co-founder & musical teacher/director[2][3]
Website theuvg.co.uk

The Urban Vocal Group (/ˈʊrbɑːn voʊkəl ɡruːp/, abbreviated to the UVG) is a musical charity headquartered in Portsmouth, Hampshire that specialise in contemporary music performance and education.

The charity has been active in Havant since 2008 and within Portsmouth City since 2014, providing access to music training in the form of group vocals, songwriting, music composition and recording, rehearsals and live performances as well as public music workshops.[4] The charity mainly accommodate for 11 to 18 year olds, but also provide a senior group for older attendees. They also began extensive artist development projects in 2015 for younger musicians, which had progressed further in 2016.[5][6]

History

The Urban Vocal Group was originally established in December 2007 by legacy programmer and musician Charlie Fletcher with the assistance of fellow singer-songwriter Amba Tremain.[7] Initially, the charity was created in the effort to form a diverse community of young people from the City of Portsmouth area, by teaching them the musical abilities they would find in a like-minded environment, which would potentially be beneficial toward young people should they decide to pursue the music industry as a profession.[8][9][10]

In 2014, the group received a £53,000 grant by The Department for Culture Media & Sport through their representative division, The National Foundation for Youth Music,[11] allowing the charity to expand their quota, including the area served from their initial Havant-based 30-seat venue to larger venues at Portsmouth Guildhall from September 2014, which helped to accommodate for higher attendance rates.[12] The grant also enabled the charity to increase their artists development activities in 2015, with an additional grant of £14,600 from the Arts Council England in 2016.[13]

In 2014, the UVG formed the Adult Urban Vocal Group (or AUVG for short) to serve as a transition group for singers who previously attended the younger groups, and to allow adults to experience the UVG sound for themselves whilst also generating income for the charity.[14]

Performances

The Urban Vocal Group have performed at venues such as The House of Commons, New Theatre Royal, BBC Radio Solent and notably at the Kings Theatre, guesting with BRIT Award-winning vocal group BLAKE,[15] as well as with singer-songwriter Chesney Hawkes at Portsmouth Guildhall in July 2016.[16] The UVG also sold-out the 500-seat venue Portsmouth Pyramids Centre, for their annual show on 4 December 2016,[17] accompanied by local singer-songwriter Marley Blandford and youth streetdance group, Most Wanted.[18] The group have also performed at events such as at Britain's Got Talent auditions in Churchill Square, Brighton[19] as well as the one-off Portsmouth Summer Show in 2016 and Southsea Bandstand in 2016 and 2017.[20][21]

Other venues include the following:

Awards

In early 2017, the UVG received the Cultural Partnership Award at the annual Shaping Portsmouth Conference.[24]

Year Nominee/work Award Result
2017 The Urban Vocal Group Cultural Partnership Award Won

References

  1. ↑ "The UVG in Portsmouth, England". Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  2. ↑ "Amba Tremain, musical director at the UVG". zoominfo.com. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  3. ↑ "The Urban Vocal Group, charity details". beta.charitycommission.gov.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-16., accessed 16-07-2017
  4. ↑ "The UVG use music making to enhance the life chances of young people". theuvg.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-25.
  5. ↑ "Wealthy stars should donate back to the arts, Lady Lloyd Webber says". Telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  6. ↑ "The Urban Vocal Group". portsmouthmusichub.org. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  7. ↑ "CARLY-ANN PURCELL: Amba and the UVG Are Phenomenal!". 2016-12-02.
  8. ↑ Farmer, Matt. "Amba Tremain: Musical Director of the Urban Vocal Group [Interview]". Shaping Portsmouth. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  9. ↑ "‘It’s meant that I’ve grown up fast’". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  10. ↑ "The Urban Vocal Group has a passion worth singing about". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  11. ↑ "Department for Culture Media and Sport". www.lottery.culture.gov.uk. 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  12. ↑ "Urban Vocal Group". Portsmouth Guildhall. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  13. ↑ Farmer, Matt. "The Urban Vocal Group secures new Artist Development funding". Shaping Portsmouth. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  14. ↑ "#GirlBoss Amba Tremain talks Urban Vocal Group, Boy George, and Eva Cassidy". Love Southsea. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  15. ↑ "The Urban Vocal Group | Youth Music Network". network.youthmusic.org.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  16. ↑ "Chesney Hawkes celebrates 25 years of The One And Only at Portsmouth Guildhall". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  17. ↑ Group, UVG - The Urban Vocal. "The UVG (plus special guests) LIVE at The Pyramids - 4 December 2016". Evensi. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  18. ↑ "CARLY-ANN PURCELL: Amba and The UVG are phenomenal!". www.portsmouth.co.uk. Retrieved 2017-06-17.
  19. ↑ "PICTURES: Auditions great and small for shot at fame on Britain's Got Talent". The Argus. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  20. ↑ uknip. "Exclusive Live at the Bandstand Dates Revealed". UK News In Pictures News. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
  21. ↑ "Urban Vocal Group Live at the Bandstand". allevents.in. Retrieved 2017-07-16.
  22. ↑ "The Complete Victorious Festival Schedule". 2016-08-19.
  23. ↑ "UVG (Urban Vocal Group) Plus special guests Live at The Pyramids - Sunday 4th December". Book.Events. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  24. ↑ Farmer, Matt. "Shaping Awards". Shaping Portsmouth. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
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