Stanford Counterpoint
OriginStanford, California, USA
GenresA cappella
Years active1979–present
Websitewww.counterpointacappella.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]

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. 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.

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

Year Award CategoryNominee(s) ResultRef.
1997 Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Best Female Collegiate Album Nomansland Nominated [1][13]
1999 Best Female Collegiate Album Counterculture Nominated [14][15]
Best Female Collegiate Song "Don't Speak" Nominated
Best Female Collegiate Arrangement Katy Chow Nominated
Best Female Collegiate Soloist Sasha Polonsky Nominated
2001 Best Female Collegiate Album Ticket to Anywhere Nominated [16]
Best Female Collegiate Song "Good Enough" Nominated
best Female Collegiate Arrangement Katy Chow for "Crush" Nominated
2005 Best Female Collegiate Song "Clocks" from Studio Confessions Nominated [17]
2009 Best Female Collegiate Album Belladona
Shortlisted
 [18]
2019 A Cappella Video Awards Best Female Collegiate Video "Don't Wake Me Up"
Runner Up
 [19]
2020 Best Female Collegiate Video "God Is a Woman" Nominated [20]
Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards Best Country Song "Light of a Clear Blue Morning" from Close to Home Nominated [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.

Year Song title Originally performed by Reference
1999 “Don't Speak” Bonnie Raitt
2001 “Good Enough” Sarah McLachlan
2007 “Breathe (2 AM)” Anna Nalick

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Chopra, Nitin (24 September 1998). "A cappella nation: A Stanford tradition". The Stanford Daily (Print). Vol. 214, no. 5. pp. 5–7. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 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". Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  4. 1 2 Duderstadt, Hank (25 May 1979). "The new Counterpoint". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 175, no. 69. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  5. 1 2 Stanford Counterpoint 40th Anniversary Reunion Concert (PDF). 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. 1 2 "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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ↑ Yang, Virginia (2 February 1999). "A cappella up for awards: Campus groups win 14 nominations". The Stanford Daily (Print). 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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  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.
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