Stanford Counterpoint
OriginStanford, California, USA
GenreA cappella
Years active1979–present
Websitewww.stanfordcounterpoint.com

Stanford Counterpoint (also known simply as Counterpoint) is an all-femme a cappella group from Stanford University. It is the second-oldest a cappella group from Stanford.[1][2]

Counterpoint is a student-led group,[2] and typically comprises 15–17 singers, selected by audition each September.[1][2] As of 2020, Counterpoint has released fourteen studio albums. The group has been nominated for a dozen national a cappella awards, and has been featured three times on Varsity Vocals' annual Best Of College A Cappella album.[3][better source needed]

History

The group was founded in 1979 by sophomores Linda Chin and Joyce Rogers, to provide a female-oriented alternative to the Stanford Mendicants, an all-male group and the only a cappella group on campus at the time.[2][4] The group was named "Counterpoint" because Rogers played the Harpsichord in high school and the concept of musical counterpoint is essential to the Baroque music she enjoyed playing.[5] At first, the women of Counterpoint performed with an upright bass and occasional other instruments.[citation needed] The group's first performed song ("Java Jive") featured an upright bass and received a standing ovation at their first performance in the spring of 1979.[2]

That first year, the group won the Stanford Alumni Association's award for the "most innovative student project" of the year.[4]

In 1980, Counterpoint took The Mendicants on a tour to perform for Stanford alumni in Southern California; as of 2019, that tradition continues—as does the lasting relationship between the groups.[5] In 1982, Counterpoint released a self-titled vinyl record, recorded in Stanford's Memorial Church.

In the 1990s, the group ceased using instruments and became all-vocal. Counterpoint recorded a studio album every other year, touring the United States during the years they didn't record.[1] In 2019, the women of Counterpoint went on their first international tour to Paris, France.[6] Also in 2019, Stanford Counterpoint celebrated their 40th anniversary with a reunion concert featuring generations of alumnae.[7]

In 2019, Stanford Counterpoint released their 14th studio album (Close to Home) and an accompanying music video for the track "God is a Woman". Both works are entirely performed/recorded/produced by women. The track "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" was selected for the Recorded A Cappella Review Board's 2019 "Picks of the Year"[8] and their music video for has been nominated for an A Cappella Video Award.[9]

As of 2020, Counterpoint has been nominated for 14 a cappella recording-related awards and honors including Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA)[9] award nominations and Best Of College A Cappella (BOCA) compilation album features. Many of these nominations were thanks to the work of Counterpoint's long-time audio engineer Bill Hare.[citation needed]

Discography

As of 2020, Counterpoint has released fourteen studio albums:

  • Counterpoint (1981)
  • Run With It (1989)
  • Sing It, Baby! (1992)
  • Nomansland (1996)[1]
  • Counterculture (1998)[1]
  • Ticket to Anywhere (2000)[10]
  • Cover Charge (2002)
  • Studio Confessions (2004)
  • Lights in the Rearview (2006)
  • Belladonna (2008)[11]
  • Dancing Til Dawn (2010)
  • No Turning Back (2015)
  • A Woman Like That (2016) - EP
  • Close to Home (2019)[12]

Awards and nominations

|- | 1997 | rowspan="10" | Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards | Best Female Collegiate Album | Nomansland | | [1][13] |- | rowspan="4" | 1999 | Best Female Collegiate Album | Counterculture | | rowspan="4" | [14][15] |- | Best Female Collegiate Song | "Don't Speak" | |- | Best Female Collegiate Arrangement | Katy Chow | |- | Best Female Collegiate Soloist | Sasha Polonsky | |- | rowspan="3" | 2001 | Best Female Collegiate Album | Ticket to Anywhere | | rowspan="3" | [16] |- | Best Female Collegiate Song | "Good Enough" | |- | best Female Collegiate Arrangement | Katy Chow for "Crush" | |- | 2005 | Best Female Collegiate Song | "Clocks" from Studio Confessions | | [17] |- | 2009 | Best Female Collegiate Album | Belladona | style="background: #FADEDE" |

Shortlisted

| [18] |- | 2019 | rowspan="2" | A Cappella Video Awards | Best Female Collegiate Video | "Don't Wake Me Up" | style="background: #F4F2B0" |

Runner Up

| [19] |- | rowspan="2" | 2020 | Best Female Collegiate Video | "God Is a Woman" | | [20] |- | Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards | Best Country Song | "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" from Close to Home | | [21]

Best of College A Cappella appearances

Three songs released by Counterpoint have been selected for Varsity Vocals’ annual Best of College A Cappella album.

YearSong titleOriginally performed byReference
1999“Don't Speak”Bonnie Raitt
[22]
2001“Good Enough”Sarah McLachlan
[23]
2007“Breathe (2 AM)”Anna Nalick
[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ Chopra, Nitin (24 September 1998). "A cappella nation: A Stanford tradition" (Print). The Stanford Daily. Vol. 214, no. 5. pp. 5–7. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  2. ^ Dumas, Alexandra (28 November 1989). "Musical Counterpoint is ready to dispel good-girl image". The Stanford Daily. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  3. ^ "Stanford Counterpoint: About". Archived from the original on February 3, 2016. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  4. ^ Duderstadt, Hank (25 May 1979). "The new Counterpoint". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 175, no. 69. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  5. ^ Stanford Counterpoint 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert. 2019.
  6. ^ "Stanford's Counterpoint Showcases Glorious Vocals In Scenic "God Is A Woman" Music Video". College A Cappella. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  7. ^ "Stanford Counterpoint 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert". Stanford University Reunion Homecoming. 26 October 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  8. ^ "RARB Picks of 2019". www.rarb.org. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  9. ^ "Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards". carawards.org. Retrieved 2020-02-09.
  10. ^ Skolnick, Deena (16 May 2000). "Counterpoint celebrates 21st birthday in concert". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 217, no. 60. pp. 1–6. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  11. ^ Landau, Elie; Whitley, Guang Ming; Colton, John (10 October 2008). "Reviews: Belladonna (2008)". The Recorded A Cappella Review Board. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  12. ^ Lewis, Catherine; Alexander, Brian; Foster, Leigh Holmes (25 December 2019). "Reviews: Close to Home (2019)". The Recorded A Cappella Review Board. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  13. ^ "1997 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  14. ^ "1999 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on 15 June 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  15. ^ Yang, Virginia (2 February 1999). "A cappella up for awards: Campus groups win 14 nominations" (Print). The Stanford Daily. Vol. 215, no. 2. p. 1. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  16. ^ "2001 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  17. ^ "2005 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  18. ^ Hoffman, Julia. "2009 Collegiate A Cappella Shortlists". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Archived from the original on 29 September 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  19. ^ Ardell, Shane (10 February 2019). "2019 A Cappella Video Award Results". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  20. ^ "2020 A Cappella Video Awards Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  21. ^ Chen, Jessica (17 February 2020). "2020 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Nominees". The Contemporary A Cappella Society. Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
  22. ^ "Best of College A Cappella 1999". Varsity Vocals. 1999. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  23. ^ "Best of College A Cappella 2001". Varsity Vocals. 2001. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  24. ^ "Best of College A Cappella 2007". Varsity Vocals. 2007. Retrieved 8 February 2020.