Irish a cappella ensemble Ardú will appear on the new series (S14) of The Voice UK on Saturday, September 19th on Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Play, ITV1 and the ITVX player.
The six-piece vocal group, which is the largest act to ever compete on the UK version of the series to date, will feature in episode five – aiming for a chair turn from one or more of this season’s judges: Sir Tom Jones, will.i.am, Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones (sharing a double chair), or newcomer Kelly Rowland.
An internationally recognised ensemble, Ardú have represented Ireland in festivals and competitions across Europe, including Solala Festival Germany (Audience Award winners 2026), Tampere Vocal in Finland, the Edinburgh Fringe festival, vokal.total in Austria (Audience Award winners 2019) and mostly recently, Vocal Champs Germany, winning this year’s audience prize last Saturday, September 12th.
Their national accolades are equally as extensive: First prize at the RTÉ Lyric FM Choirs for Christmas competition in 2018, first place at the National Vocal Ensemble competition at the City of Derry International Choral Festival in 2015, and first place in the ‘Light, Jazz and Popular Music’ category at the Cork International Choral Festival in 2017.
Featured on the Ray Darcy Show (RTÉ RADIO 1), Classical Connections (BBC Radio Ulster), Marty in The Morning (RTÉ Lyric FM) and BBC Proms (2021), Ardú’s appearance on The Voice UK is not the ensemble’s first television appearance. A past lineup of the group competed in the a cappella-reality competition Sing: Ultimate A Cappella on Sky One in 2017.
The lineup that will be seen on The Voice UK is composed of ensemble co-director Filip Klubička, a Croatian native (and of The Three Tenors Ireland), co-director Victoria Warwick (of ANÚNA Collective), Judith Lyons (of Dulciana Vocal Ensemble, St. Patrick’s and Christ Church Cathedrals, Cantairí Óga Átha Cliath, The Lir and ANÚNA Collective), Sorcha Fenlon (of ANÚNA Collective), Andy Dempsey (of Billow Wood and ANÚNA Collective) and Ryan Garnham (of M’ANAM and ANÚNA).
As ambassadors of the contemporary a cappella genre in Ireland, in 2017 Ardú founded the Irish International A Cappella Festival, and have released three studio albums to date: Gravity (2018), LIVE (2020) and Songs from Here (2022). Their most recent album was nominated for a CARA (Contemporary Acappella Recording Award) and selected as runner-up in the category of ‘Best European Album’, while the music video for single ‘I Wouldn’t Be’ was nominated for an AVA (Acappella Video Award) as ‘Best Video by a Professional Group’. In 2019, their single ‘Homeward Bound’ was also nominated for ‘Best Classical/Folk Song’.
Watch Ardú perform on the new series of The Voice UK on Saturday, September 19th on Virgin Media One, Virgin Media Play, ITV1 or the ITVX player.
Ardú play The Whale Theatre, Co. Wicklow on October 30th and Púca Festival, Trim on October 31st. Tickets and more information available from ardumusic.com
Photo credit – press photo