Wow! Wow was the word of the evening from the judges at UGCY for the stunning array of gospel music performances from university choirs.
The University Gospel Choir of the Year 2025 Final saw over 350 choir members from the top 10 gospel choirs from universities across the UK compete for that coveted UGCY trophy. Hosted by Lady T, and judged by Russell Scott, Heavilyn, Marsha Morrison and Charlie Biggzz, the evening was one we’re not going to forget!
Opening the night was the Melodees from Heaven choir, with Suavo, and led by Heavilyn, who brought the fire and set the pace for the rest of the event.
So, on to the competing choirs:
Reigning champions BIMM Birmingham Gospel Choir took to the stage first delivering a real “wow moment” for the judges with incredible vocals and original songs.
The first soloist for Kings College Gospel Choir set the tone for the entire medley which was full of energy and stunning choreo.
Canterbury Christ Church Gospel Choir brought the heart to their beautiful medley, featuring makaton, which their university uses within their teaching.
New kids on the block BIMM London Gospel Choir demonstrated that being the smallest didn’t mean the weakest. With their strong vocals and joyful energy, the choir surprised the judges with their musical prowess.
Keele University Gospel Choir brought out all the stops in their medley, from using BSL for their South African opening song ‘Bawo’ (Father) to waving handkerchiefs in their final piece while soloist Amanda finished on an impressive high note. Marsha Morrison commented that though these soloists in this choir were amazing, “the energy of the choir didn’t rely on them, which is fantastic”. Russell Scott also noted that everyone was engaged in this performance, drawing the audience into their performance and allowing them to join in their worship of Adonai.
After the interval, the second half was kicked off by an energetic performance from Faith Child that got everyone out of their seats and dancing to the beat.
The next choir was University of Leicester Revival Choir, who, in the words of Marsha Morrison, brought “fantastic dynamics” and “gorgeous choreography”. Each section of this choir were extremely well unified, including a strong group of tenors/basses who brought a wonderful depth to their harmonies, epitomised at the end of the medley where they hit an impressive bottom C.
University of Birmingham brought the energy – and the tambourines – to their medley, with strong choreography and beautiful vocals, in gorgeous purple robes.
Also wearing purple, Portsmouth Gospel Choir gave a beautiful performance, but received tough-love feedback from alumni Heavilyn, who advised them not to overcomplicate their vocal arrangements.
Warwick University Gospel Choir gave a unique performance with their Latin-influenced gospel medley, though the judges wanted to see some more dynamics as their energy was at 100% throughout.
Last but certainly not least was 2023 winners Kent Gospel Choir, who knocked it out of the park with their phenomenal medley filled with unified choreography and beautiful harmonies had the entire audience up on their feet. Giving insane amounts of energy, attitude and confidence, their “busy and cohesive” performance had a “perfect balance of worship and entertainment,” said Marsha Morrison. Charlie Biggzz also highlighted the awesome work of the band who really took this choir to another level.
To finish the night, all 350+ members of the 10 gospel choirs came together for a spectacular mass choir performance, led by Heavilyn, and featuring soloists from Kent, Leicester, and Birmingham. Hundreds of voices joined as one to praise the Lord and declare that God is able to do just what he said he would do.
(Read on for the results)
And so for the winners…
In third place: University of Leicester Revival Choir
In second place: Keele University Gospel Choir
And the winner of the 2025 University Gospel Choir of the Year Final is: Kent Gospel Choir
In celebration, the unified mass choir embraced the Sister Act spirit of the event by bursting into an uplifting rendition of Joyful Joyful that had everyone in the room feeling the joy.
The night didn’t just end there though. As the event finished and people left, Keele University Gospel Choir had returned upstairs to the changing space they’d shared with Kent Gospel Choir. Full of excitement at coming second for the second year in a row, they cheered and worshipped the Lord, jumping, dancing and praising his name. When Kent Gospel Choir entered the room, a truly special moment happened. The two choirs – though rivals and competitors – joined together in excitement, praising God and celebrating their wins, both trophies in the air.
This beautiful moment, was, for me, the epitomy of what UGCY is about – coming together, unified by gospel music, to experience the joy of the Lord and celebrate each other’s wins.
