Stanford Counterpoint

Stanford Counterpoint
Stanford Counterpoint 45th Reunion Show in 2024
Stanford Counterpoint 45th Reunion Show in 2024
Background information
OriginStanford, California, USA
GenresA 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

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
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
[22]
2001 “Good Enough” Sarah McLachlan
[23]
2007 “Breathe (2 AM)” Anna Nalick
[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f 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. ^ a b c d e 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. ^ a b Duderstadt, Hank (25 May 1979). "The new Counterpoint". The Stanford Daily. Vol. 175, no. 69. p. 3. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  5. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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". 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.
  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.