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Stanford Mendicants

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The Stanford Mendicants
Stanford Mendicants performing in 2024
Stanford Mendicants performing in 2024
Background information
OriginStanford, California, USA
GenresA Cappella
Years active1963—present
Websitewww.StanfordMendicants.com

The Stanford Mendicants are an all-male a cappella group at Stanford University. The group is Stanford University's first a cappella group. Since its founding in 1963, the group's size has varied from 6 to 19 members. Although they are strictly an a cappella group today, they have performed with instruments in previous generations.[1][2] The group prides itself on singing a wide range of songs, from gospel to barbershop to pop tunes and original compositions. The Mendicants are known around Stanford's campus for their red blazers and romantic serenades.[citation needed]

History and Accolades

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The Stanford Mendicants was founded in 1963 by Hank Adams, a transfer student from Yale University, with a group of 5 undergraduate men. The group originally rehearsed only a single song before breaking into the dining commons of Branner Hall, an all-women's dormitory at the time, and performing their song during lunch. Adams often recalled, himself tearing up, that during their performance, the women wept, and there was literally "not a dry eye in the house". Having only rehearsed the one song, they quickly fled through an open window and went immediately back to rehearsal.[3][editorializing]

Their 1998 album Besides What You See received a 4.2 rating[4] from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (rarb.org), which is the group's highest album score to date.

The group was Runner-Up in three categories in the inaugural Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) in 1992.[5] As of 2020, they have been nominated for six more recording awards since then: in 1999, 2001, 2005, and 2019.[6][7][8][9]

Mendicant songs were selected for Varsity Vocals' "Best of Collegiate A Cappella" compilation album in both 2001 and 2005.[10]

On February 2, 2019, The Stanford Mendicants finished in first place in the ICCA Northern California Quarter-Finals in Redwood City, CA.[11] The Mendicants also took home two individual awards, including Outstanding Soloist, for Austin Zambito-Valente, and Outstanding Choreography, for Khoi Le and Gabe Wieder.[11]

Notable alumni

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Discography

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2011 Musical Director De Wei Koh editing a track for Sh-Boom
  • Untitled (1964)
  • Untitled (1965)
  • A Fellow Needs a Girl (1966)
  • Untitled (1967)
  • Untitled (1969)
  • Untitled (1973)
  • Untitled (1975)
  • Untitled (1977)
  • Untitled (1979)
  • Clean-Cut and Slightly Frayed (1981)
  • Somewhere in Hawaii (1982)
  • Take You Back (1986)
  • Pretending to Care (1987)
  • Aquapella (1989)
  • Just Like That (1991)
  • Feline Casanova (1992)
  • Back For Seconds (1994)
  • Beggars Can't Be Choosers (1996)
  • Besides What You See (1998)
  • Room to Grow (2000)
  • Best Laid Plans (2002)
  • Mendication (2004)
  • Beggar's Dozen (2006)
  • Roses In My Hand (2008)
  • Sh-Boom (2012)
  • Just a Group of Guys (2013)
  • Mendicants At Large (2015)
  • For the Long Haul (2018)
  • Trailblazer (2019)
  • Detour (2021)
  • Horizon (2023)

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
1992 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards[a] Best Male Collegiate Album Just Like That
Runner-up (tie)
 [5]
Best Male Collegiate Song "Long Train Runnin'"
Runner-up (tie)
Best Male Collegiate Arrangement "Brown Eyed Girl"
Runner-up
1999 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Best Male Collegiate Album Besides What You See
Runner-up
 [17][18]
Best Male Collegiate Song "Drive" Nominated [6]
Best Male Collegiate Soloist Brandon Singleton Nominated
2001 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Best Male Collegiate Song "Happy Together" Nominated [7]
2005 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Best Male Collegiate Song "Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" from Mendication Nominated [8]
2019 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Best Male Collegiate Song "Control" from For the Long Haul Nominated [9]
A Cappella Video Awards Best Male Collegiate Video "Kiss the Sky"
Runner-up
 [19]
  1. ^ Prior to 1992, there were no awards organizations related to a cappella. The Contemporary A Cappella Society announced Recording Awards for the first time in 1992. The ICCAs introduced live a cappella performance competitions in 1996.

ICCA results

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The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) first judged live a cappella performance competitions in 1996.

Year Level Category Recipient(s) Result Points Citation
1998 West Region Quarterfinal #2 Best Solo Brandon Singleton for "Reach Out"
Runner‑up
—
[20]
2002 West Region Quarterfinal #3 Best Soloist Eric Tanner Won
—
[21]
2017 Northwest Quarterfinal #4 Best Group Mendicants
2nd
399
[22]
Northwest Semifinal Best Group Mendicants
3rd
361
[23]
2018 West Quarterfinal #4 Best Group Mendicants
3rd
334
[24]
2019 West Quarterfinal #3 Best Group Mendicants
1st
389
[25]
Outstanding Soloist Austin Zambito-Valente for "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood/How Long" Won
—
Outstanding Choreography Gabe Wieder and Khoi Le for the entire set Won
—
2020 West Quarterfinal #5 Best Group Mendicants
2nd
343
[26]
Outstanding Soloist Austin Zambito-Valente for "Dig Down" Won
—
Outstanding Arrangement Chris Kaya for the entire set Won
—

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Weinstein, Dave (October 17, 2003). "Stanford group celebrating 40 years of song". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  2. ^ Wykes, S.L. (October 17, 2003). "Mendicants Magic". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved April 9, 2007.
  3. ^ "The Mendicants Turn 40". Stanford Magazine. November–December 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  4. ^ "Review of Besides What You See". RARB. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  5. ^ a b "1992 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Winners". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on June 9, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "1999 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on June 15, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  7. ^ a b "2001 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on August 9, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  8. ^ a b "2005 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "2019 Contemporary A Cappella Awards Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. February 15, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  10. ^ "BOCA & BOHSA Albums". Varsity Vocals. August 11, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  11. ^ a b "Results". Varsity Vocals. August 12, 2015. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Review of Best Laid Plans". RARB. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  13. ^ Shin, Laura. "Where He Belongs". STANFORD Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  14. ^ "Pacific Mozart Ensemble: Director Profile". PME. Archived from the original on May 31, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  15. ^ Silvius van Löben Sels, Marilyn. "Class Notes 1966". STANFORD Magazine. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  16. ^ "Dressing The Part". STANFORD Magazine. May 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2007.
  17. ^ "1999 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Winners". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
  18. ^ Daly, Bobby (April 8, 1999). "Unaccompanied recognition: Stanford groups win national a cappella prizes". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 215, no. 34. p. 1.
  19. ^ Ardell, Shane (February 10, 2019). "2019 A Cappella Video Award Results". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Retrieved February 9, 2020.
  20. ^ "Results: Official Results for the ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open (1998)". University of California, Berkeley: Varsity Vocals. 1998. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  21. ^ "Results: Official Results for the ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open (2002)". University of California, Berkeley: Varsity Vocals. 2002. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  22. ^ "Results: Official Results for the ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open (2017)". Fox Theatre (CA): Varsity Vocals. February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  23. ^ "Results: Official Results for the ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open (2017)". The Elsinore Theatre: Varsity Vocals. March 25, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  24. ^ "Results: Official Results for the ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open (2018)". Fox Theatre (CA): Varsity Vocals. February 24, 2018. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  25. ^ "Results: Official Results for the ICCA, ICHSA, and The Open (2019)". The Fox Theatre (CA): Varsity Vocals. February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  26. ^ "Official Results for the ICCA (2020)". The Fox Theatre (CA): Varsity Vocals. February 22, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
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