Stanford Mendicants

Infobox musical artist
Name = The Stanford Mendicants


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Background = group_or_band
Origin = Stanford, California, USA
Instruments =
Genre = A Cappella
Years_active = 1963—present
Label =
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.stanford.edu/group/mendicants/ www.stanford.edu/group/mendicants]
Current_members =
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The Stanford Mendicants is an all-male a cappella group at Stanford University. The group is Stanford University's oldest a cappella group, and has inspired a strong a cappella musical tradition on the Stanford campus. Because of their elder position in this tradition, membership in the group is very competitive and considered prestigious. New members are chosen by members of the previous year's group, although an alumni organization maintains close ties with the group. Since its founding, the group's size has varied from 6 to 18 members, although the average today has settled around 15. Although they are strictly an a cappella group today, they started out performing some music with instruments in their early years. [cite news | last = Weinstein | first = Dave | title = Stanford group celebrating 40 years of song | publisher = San Francisco Chronicle | date = 2003-10-17 | url = http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/10/17/PNGLO29V2O1.DTL | accessdate = 2007-04-09 ] [cite news | last = Wykes | first = S.L. | publisher = San Jose Mercury News |title = Mendicants Magic | date = 2003-10-17 | url = http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-119467191.html | accessdate = 2007-04-09 ]

History and Accolades

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 seat in the house". Having only rehearsed the one song, they quickly fled through an open window and went immediately back to rehearsal. cite web
title = The Mendicants Turn 40
newspaper = Stanford Magazine
Year = 2003
Date = Nov/Dec
url = http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2003/novdec/farm/news/music.html
accessdate = 2007-08-02|Stanford Magazine ]

Their 1998 album "Besides What You See" received a 4.2 rating cite web
title = Review of "Besides What You See"
url = http://www.rarb.org/reviews/89.html
accessdate = 2007-08-02|RARB ] , which is the group's highest album score to date.

The group was Runner-Up in three categories in the inaugural CARA Awards in 1992 and have been nominated for awards as recently as 2005. cite web
title = 1992 CARA Winners
url = http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Cinema/9339/caras_92.htm
accessdate = 2007-08-02|CARA 1992 ] cite web
title = 2005 CARA Nominees
url = http://forum.rarb.org:8080/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1301&view=previous&sid=ebf47371a4bc2d8e5f05844f491a7677
accessdate = 2007-08-02|CARA 2005 via RARB ]

Two Mendicant songs have been featured on the annual "Best of Collegiate A Cappella" Compilation. cite web
title = Official BOCA Track Lists
url = http://www.varsityvocals.com/boca/bocadisc.html
accessdate = 2007-08-02|BOCA ]

Alums

* Chris Ayer, Singer and Songwriter cite web
title= Review of "Best Laid Plans"
url=http://www.rarb.org/reviews/354.html
accessdate=2007-08-02|RARB ]

* Jordan Gelber, actor from the Broadway run of "Avenue Q" cite web
last = Shin
first = Laura
title= Where He Belongs
url=http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/novdec/show/gelber.html
accessdate=2007-08-02|STANFORD Magazine ]

* Founding Mendicant Dick Grant, Director of the Pacific Mozart Ensemblecite web
title= Pacific Mozart Ensemble: Director Profile
url=http://www.pacificmozart.org/about/artistic-director.html
accessdate=2007-08-02|PME ] cite web
last = Silvius van Löben Sels
first = Marilyn
title= Class Notes 1966
url=http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2004/mayjun/classnotes/1966.html
accessdate=2007-08-02|STANFORD Magazine ]

* Former Musical Director John Livingston, actor and brother of Ron Livingston cite web
title= John Livingston's Bio
url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0515260/bio
accessdate=2007-08-02|www.imdb.com ]

* Founding Mendicant John Frohnmayer, Politician and Oregon State University Professor

* Brandon Matthieus, actor with the "Jersey Boys" National Tour cite web
title= Dressing The Part
url=http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2007/mayjun/red/jersey.html
accessdate=2007-08-02|STANFORD Magazine ]

* Joseph Siravo, actor with the "Sopranos" and "Jersey Boys" National Tour Stanford Alumni Magazine, May/June 2007]

Discography

*"A Fellow Needs a Girl" (1965)
*"Untitled" (1966)
*"Untitled" (1967)
*"Untitled" (1968)
*"Untitled" (1969)
*"Untitled" (1973)
*"Untitled" (1975)
*"Untitled" (1977)
*"Untitled" (1979)
*"Clean Cut But 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)
*"Upcoming Untitled Album" (2008)

References

External links

* [http://www.stanford.edu/group/mendicants/ Stanford Mendicants Official Website]