[81alum]

Stanford has a plethora of really excellent a capella groups.  The Mendicants were the only group in my day.  Fleet Street became well known soon after I graduated.  Following the popularization of a capella by the movie Pitch Perfect (2012) numerous other groups grew up.  At present there are 10 groups at Stanford, all accomplished in different ways and all among the best in the nation.   Yes, this is a sports board, but I thought we might want to acknowledge and enjoy this other realm of outstanding Stanford accomplishment.

Here is a sampler.  The videos are sometimes a few years old, but all the groups are still going strong, as far as I can discern:

The Mendicants:

https://stanfordmendicants.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVOlNHsXaM&t=2s

Fleet Street:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMM3z3o6BAs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClkVr8_C_5s&t=37s

Talisman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8lilTTVsd8&t=9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifuZPVCK-Q&t=5s

The Harmonics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbnrvIiplFA&t=11s

Counterpoint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilsarLCn0U&t=10s

Mixed Company:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52rbwbvrbbE

[81alum]

Stanford has a plethora of really excellent a capella groups.  The Mendicants were the only group in my day.  Fleet Street became well known soon after I graduated.  Following the popularization of a capella by the movie Pitch Perfect (2012) numerous other groups grew up.  At present there are 10 groups at Stanford, all accomplished in different ways and all among the best in the nation.   Yes, this is a sports board, but I thought we might want to acknowledge and enjoy this other realm of outstanding Stanford accomplishment.

Here is a sampler.  The videos are sometimes a few years old, but all the groups are still going strong, as far as I can discern:

The Mendicants:

https://stanfordmendicants.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVOlNHsXaM&t=2s

Fleet Street:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMM3z3o6BAs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClkVr8_C_5s&t=37s

Talisman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8lilTTVsd8&t=9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifuZPVCK-Q&t=5s

The Harmonics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbnrvIiplFA&t=11s

Counterpoint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilsarLCn0U&t=10s

Mixed Company:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52rbwbvrbbE

[paloalto]

I liked the movie Pitch Perfect.  Normally not my style but I enjoyed the singing.   Here is one of my favorite videos.  It's not completely a capella (drum and a few instruments); a flash mob style performance in a college cafeteria in Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSgRApOXd9Q


Update: For some reason I just noticed that four of the posters on this thread joined Cardboard in 1969. Was this board started in 1969; 55 years ago?

[paloalto]

I liked the movie Pitch Perfect.  Normally not my style but I enjoyed the singing.   Here is one of my favorite videos.  It's not completely a capella (drum and a few instruments); a flash mob style performance in a college cafeteria in Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSgRApOXd9Q


Update: For some reason I just noticed that four of the posters on this thread joined Cardboard in 1969. Was this board started in 1969; 55 years ago?

[old spanish trail]

Stanford has a plethora of really excellent a capella groups.  The Mendicants were the only group in my day.  Fleet Street became well known soon after I graduated.  Following the popularization of a capella by the movie Pitch Perfect (2012) numerous other groups grew up.  At present there are 10 groups at Stanford, all accomplished in different ways and all among the best in the nation.   Yes, this is a sports board, but I thought we might want to acknowledge and enjoy this other realm of outstanding Stanford accomplishment.

Here is a sampler.  The videos are sometimes a few years old, but all the groups are still going strong, as far as I can discern:

The Mendicants:

https://stanfordmendicants.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVOlNHsXaM&t=2s

Fleet Street:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMM3z3o6BAs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClkVr8_C_5s&t=37s

Talisman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8lilTTVsd8&t=9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifuZPVCK-Q&t=5s

The Harmonics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbnrvIiplFA&t=11s

Counterpoint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilsarLCn0U&t=10s

Mixed Company:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52rbwbvrbbE

Thanks. It's been a while.

[old spanish trail]

Stanford has a plethora of really excellent a capella groups.  The Mendicants were the only group in my day.  Fleet Street became well known soon after I graduated.  Following the popularization of a capella by the movie Pitch Perfect (2012) numerous other groups grew up.  At present there are 10 groups at Stanford, all accomplished in different ways and all among the best in the nation.   Yes, this is a sports board, but I thought we might want to acknowledge and enjoy this other realm of outstanding Stanford accomplishment.

Here is a sampler.  The videos are sometimes a few years old, but all the groups are still going strong, as far as I can discern:

The Mendicants:

https://stanfordmendicants.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIVOlNHsXaM&t=2s

Fleet Street:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMM3z3o6BAs&t=1s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClkVr8_C_5s&t=37s

Talisman:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8lilTTVsd8&t=9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifuZPVCK-Q&t=5s

The Harmonics:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbnrvIiplFA&t=11s

Counterpoint:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilsarLCn0U&t=10s

Mixed Company:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52rbwbvrbbE

Thanks. It's been a while.

[Farm93]

Most of those groups were around in the late 1980s and early 1990s far before Pitch Perfect became popular.    In reality Pitch Perfect was inspired by a non-fiction book that covered the competitive a capella scene in the early 00s.  

No doubt a capella popularity got a boost from the Pitch Perfect series of films, but the Stanford a capella scene was well established prior to the movie.

[Farm93]

Most of those groups were around in the late 1980s and early 1990s far before Pitch Perfect became popular.    In reality Pitch Perfect was inspired by a non-fiction book that covered the competitive a capella scene in the early 00s.  

No doubt a capella popularity got a boost from the Pitch Perfect series of films, but the Stanford a capella scene was well established prior to the movie.

[81alum]

Most of those groups were around in the late 1980s and early 1990s far before Pitch Perfect became popular.    In reality Pitch Perfect was inspired by a non-fiction book that covered the competitive a capella scene in the early 00s.  

No doubt a capella popularity got a boost from the Pitch Perfect series of films, but the Stanford a capella scene was well established prior to the movie.

Yup, you are correct.  Although I can't find dates for 5 of the ten.  All but 2 after my time, though.

The Mendicants: 1963.
Counterpoint 1979
Fleet Street Singers: 1981.
Talisman: 1990.
Harmonics: 1995

[81alum]

Most of those groups were around in the late 1980s and early 1990s far before Pitch Perfect became popular.    In reality Pitch Perfect was inspired by a non-fiction book that covered the competitive a capella scene in the early 00s.  

No doubt a capella popularity got a boost from the Pitch Perfect series of films, but the Stanford a capella scene was well established prior to the movie.

Yup, you are correct.  Although I can't find dates for 5 of the ten.  All but 2 after my time, though.

The Mendicants: 1963.
Counterpoint 1979
Fleet Street Singers: 1981.
Talisman: 1990.
Harmonics: 1995

[CompSci87]

Fantastic, thanks for bringing this up and all the links. The Mendicants and the Fleet Street Singers were the only ones I'd heard of, and I don't think I'd heard any of the groups perform.

[CompSci87]

Fantastic, thanks for bringing this up and all the links. The Mendicants and the Fleet Street Singers were the only ones I'd heard of, and I don't think I'd heard any of the groups perform.

[Nan3cy]

The Mendicants were the one and only when I got to Stanford. Didn’t realize Talisman was as young as it was when I first heard them — they were quite wonderful.

[Nan3cy]

The Mendicants were the one and only when I got to Stanford. Didn’t realize Talisman was as young as it was when I first heard them — they were quite wonderful.

[Mayfield Card]

Mixed Company formed in 1985.

[Mayfield Card]

Mixed Company formed in 1985.

[81alum]

Here is something interesting about Talisman. 

Some of you may be familiar with Civilization IV, one of the most popular computer strategy games of all time.  Its opening theme song became so popular that it was separately released.  The song went on to win a Grammy.  That song was an arrangement of the Swahili prayer song that Christopher Tin wrote and recorded with Talisman when he was a Stanford student.  One of the links above is the version of Baba Yetu that Talisman currently sings.

Here is the Civ IV version that won the grammy, in this case recorded with the Soweto gospel choir, not with Talisman.

https://christophertin.com/projects/civilizationiv.html

[81alum]

Here is something interesting about Talisman. 

Some of you may be familiar with Civilization IV, one of the most popular computer strategy games of all time.  Its opening theme song became so popular that it was separately released.  The song went on to win a Grammy.  That song was an arrangement of the Swahili prayer song that Christopher Tin wrote and recorded with Talisman when he was a Stanford student.  One of the links above is the version of Baba Yetu that Talisman currently sings.

Here is the Civ IV version that won the grammy, in this case recorded with the Soweto gospel choir, not with Talisman.

https://christophertin.com/projects/civilizationiv.html

[old spanish trail]

Here is something interesting about Talisman. 

Some of you may be familiar with Civilization IV, one of the most popular computer strategy games of all time.  Its opening theme song became so popular that it was separately released.  The song went on to win a Grammy.  That song was an arrangement of the Swahili prayer song that Christopher Tin wrote and recorded with Talisman when he was a Stanford student.  One of the links above is the version of Baba Yetu that Talisman currently sings.

Here is the Civ IV version that won the grammy, in this case recorded with the Soweto gospel choir, not with Talisman.



https://christophertin.com/projects/civilizationiv.html

I hadn't seen this before. Very cool.  Thanks.

[old spanish trail]

Here is something interesting about Talisman. 

Some of you may be familiar with Civilization IV, one of the most popular computer strategy games of all time.  Its opening theme song became so popular that it was separately released.  The song went on to win a Grammy.  That song was an arrangement of the Swahili prayer song that Christopher Tin wrote and recorded with Talisman when he was a Stanford student.  One of the links above is the version of Baba Yetu that Talisman currently sings.

Here is the Civ IV version that won the grammy, in this case recorded with the Soweto gospel choir, not with Talisman.



https://christophertin.com/projects/civilizationiv.html

I hadn't seen this before. Very cool.  Thanks.

[81alum]

I liked the movie Pitch Perfect.  Normally not my style but I enjoyed the singing.   Here is one of my favorite videos.  It's not completely a capella (drum and a few instruments); a flash mob style performance in a college cafeteria in Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSgRApOXd9Q


Update:  For some reason I just noticed that four of the posters on this thread joined Cardboard in 1969.  Was this board started in 1969; 55 years ago?

Fabulous!

I love flash mobs.  There have been some famous ones, including the one at the beginning of Covid.  Here a symphony seemingly materializes in the town square.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W-hH1r7n5k&t=6s

Not particularly related to Stanford or even a capella, but what is Cardboard about if not thread drift?

[81alum]

I liked the movie Pitch Perfect.  Normally not my style but I enjoyed the singing.   Here is one of my favorite videos.  It's not completely a capella (drum and a few instruments); a flash mob style performance in a college cafeteria in Brazil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSgRApOXd9Q


Update:  For some reason I just noticed that four of the posters on this thread joined Cardboard in 1969.  Was this board started in 1969; 55 years ago?

Fabulous!

I love flash mobs.  There have been some famous ones, including the one at the beginning of Covid.  Here a symphony seemingly materializes in the town square.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W-hH1r7n5k&t=6s

Not particularly related to Stanford or even a capella, but what is Cardboard about if not thread drift?

[PVTree]

Mixed Company formed in 1985.

I just found out this past Homecoming that 2 friends of mine from my dorm are founders of Mixed Company. I knew the Fleet Street Singers and thought Mixed Company had been around for a while.

[PVTree]

Mixed Company formed in 1985.

I just found out this past Homecoming that 2 friends of mine from my dorm are founders of Mixed Company. I knew the Fleet Street Singers and thought Mixed Company had been around for a while.