The Idea of North first formed in 1993. It’s members were a;; pursuing in a variety of professional musical endeavors, so for a number of years the group was much more a pastime that a “career”. An unexpectedly enthusiastic response to their 1997 debut CD, some professional gig requests and an invitation to an international jazz festival prompted the decision to commit to The Idea Of North on a full-time basis, which they did in 1998.

By the end of 2001, The Idea of North had appeared at some major Australian events, including the Sydney Olympics, The Melbourne Grand Prix and the AFL Grand Final. 2002 saw the group’s only member change with Naomi Crellin replacing Meg Corson as alto. Having produced two full length recordings their profile in the international a cappella community was growing steadily and the group was traveling more and more, both nationally and overseas.

Official recognition of their international appeal came in 2003 when they won The Harmony Sweepstakes – the largest international open a cappella competition in the world. The Idea of
North was the first non-US group to win this prestigious award in its twenty-year history. At
the same competition the also received the “audience favorite” and “best arrangement” awards.

The members of The Idea of North also had the opportunity to travel overseas several times throughout 2004 & 2005 for private tuition with some of their favorite artists across the globe, including The New York Voice (USA), The Real Group (Sweden), Gene Puerling (The Hi-Lo’s Singer’s Unlimited, USA), Tuck & Patti (USA) and Cheryl Bentyne (The Manhatten Transfer, USA).

The Idea of North’s international reputation has continued to grow, and has now seen the group perform by invitation at festivals in Germany (Munich, Berlin, Leipzig), Switzerland, Austria, Finland, USA, New Zealand, Korea, Taiwan, japan and Malaysia. The group tours for almost a third of each year, both internationally as well as embarking upon many trips to most of Australia’s capital cities.

Whilst they continue to produce many award winning recordings, this is a group that is best seen live to appreciate their passion for music and ability to connect with their audience. As James Morrison so aptly puts it : “A cappella is sometimes thought of as being minimalist, but when you can sing and entertain like The Idea of North, a band would just get in the way”.