The chorus formed in November, 2003 as the Wellington Regional Youth Chorus, to give young people an avenue to continue singing beyond school. The first manager of the chorus was Les Nation, who was the founder of youth barbershop in New Zealand. The chorus was a progression of his vision to have young people singing barbershop in this country. The group started off as an affiliate to the established Harbour Capital Chorus (HCC), at the time the only men's barbershop chorus in Wellington. After rehearsals in its first year the group would join HCC for the remainder of their rehearsal. 

The first major barbershop convention the group attended was the Pan-Pacific Convention in 2004 in Christchurch, which doubled as the New Zealand Convention. The chorus was only singing for evaluation, but to everyone's surprise scored an average of 73.3 (out of 100), which if they were actually competing would have won them the contest. Not bad for 12 young singers who had only been together less than a year.

With this outcome the chorus had the credentials to be a stand-alone chorus. Although still affiliated to HCC, the chorus looked after its own operations, began to grow in numbers and took on the name "Vocal FX" as their new identity. In 2005 Vocal FX finished 3rd in the NZ National Chorus Contest, and in 2006 in Auckland won the NZ National Chorus Contest; a gold medal at a national level in less than 3 years of existence. During this time four members of the chorus, as part of the Musical Island Boys Quartet, won the International Under-25 Gold medal at the International Contest in July 2006. The quartet is still closely associated to the chorus to this day.

 One of the judges from the 2006 Contest enquired if we had considered going to the International Contest in the USA, something which was possible now that we had won the NZ competition. The chorus had not even considered this but after some contemplating decided to go ahead with this challenge; to showcase our talents on the biggest stage in barbershop singing with some of the best barbershop choruses in the world. The chorus raised $90,000 in 9 months and in June 2007 had the experience of a lifetime as they represented NZ at the International Barbershop Convention in Denver, Colorado. And in the contest itself Vocal FX didn't disappoint, delivering a high-energy performance to come a respectable 11th in the world.

Upon their return they won the NZ National Convention in Dunedin in September 2007, and without a National Convention in 2008 had an extended buildup towards their next venture to Internationals in 2009. During this time the chorus spent a lot of time building up their singing technique, under the guidance of Coach Gary Bolles, to create a more unified and resonant sound. The chorus also grew steadily to 40 members, and in June 2009 headed to firstly St Louis, and then to Anaheim, California for the International Contest. In a high-scoring competition Vocal FX was placed 10th with a score of 88.2, the highest score a NZ chorus (from the southern hemisphere) has achieved. This was followed by another gold medal in the NZ National Convention for 2009 in their hometown of Wellington. 

During this time however the chorus's first manager and dear friend Les Nation passed away in August 2009. This was a big loss for the chorus as he was a huge influence in the establishment of the chorus and was such an inspiration for the group. The chorus is forever indebted to the service and leadership he provided for us in the early stages, and we carry his vision to include young people in singing as we continue our journey. 

2010 saw the chorus further develop its performance ability, including more regular coaching with Coach Gary Bolles. Highlights for the year included being the headline act for an outdoor concert at Zealandia, which was well received, and another gold-medal performance at the NZ National Convention in Hamilton, which was in the process of booking the chorus's place at the 2011 International Contest in Kansas City. After a concentrated effort towards Nationals, the window from September-December provided the chorus with the ideal opportunity to record their first CD, to further share their music with those interested in listening to it.

For the first half of 2011, the chorus worked towards the International Contest in Kansas City. Working with Gary Bolles, the chorus looked to further improve on their set from Nationals. In June, the chorus left for Los Angeles, California, where they stayed with members of the Masters of Harmony, and then journeyed to St Louis, Missouri, where they stayed with members of the Ambassadors of Harmony. The chorus then reached Kansas City for the Convention, and after a week of hard work and dedication, gained 7th place, with a score of 86.4. 

The chorus is currently working on refreshing its repetoire, hoping to extend the already wide range of styles of music they sing.