Amazin' Blue

Amazin' Blue is the oldest existing inclusive mixed-voice a cappella ensemble affiliated with The University of Michigan. The school colors of The University of Michigan are maize and blue; "Amazin' Blue" is a pun on these colors. Amazin' Blue numbers one hundred fifty-seven total members, past and present. [http://euclid.nmu.edu/~apoe/acappella/AmazinBlue/index.html] The group is a committee of the University Activities Center and a member of the Michigan A Cappella Council.

Origins

Amazin' Blue was founded by graduate student Mike Wang at The University of Michigan. Wang had been a member of the Yale Mixed Company as an undergraduate and wanted to organize a mixed-voice a cappella ensemble at U-M. Wang graduated at the end of the Winter 1987 semester, making him an active member of the group for only a single semester.

Discography

Amazin' Blue has recorded ten albums. Several of these albums have won awards in the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards. These awards are listed beneath the corresponding album. [http://www.casa.org]

*Amazin' Blue—Little Black Box (1989)
*Amazin' Blue—Coed Naked A Cappella (1991)
**CARA Awards: Mixed Collegiate Best Album, Mixed Collegiate Best Song (Found Your Home), Mixed Collegiate Best Arrangement Runner Up (Taco Bell Canon)
*Amazin' Blue's Compact Disc (1992)
**CARA Awards: Mixed Collegiate Best Song Runner Up (Englishman in New York). This album was disqualified from the Best Album category due to it being a compilation album.
*Amazin' Blue is A Little Crazy ... (1994)
**CARA Awards: Best Album Runner Up, Best Arrangement (Kyrie)
*Amazin' Blue—Earidescence (1996)
*Amazin' Blue—Allnighter (1998)
*Amazin' Blue—Raising the Bar (2000)
**CARA Awards: Best Song Runner Up (Millennium)
*Amazin' Blue—South U. and State (2002)
*Amazin' Blue (self-titled, 2004)
*Amazin' Blue—Shades of Blue (2006)

Best of Collegiate A Cappella

Amazin' Blue has been a featured artist on almost all of the albums in the BOCA series (tracks on these albums are chosen from hundreds of submissions each year) [http://varsityvocals.com/boca] :

*BOCA 1995: Englishman in New York
*BOCA 1996: Kyrie
*BOCA 1997: Drive
*BOCA 1998: Precious Things
*BOCA 1999: Crazy Love
*BOCA HUMOR: Taco Bell Canon
*BOCA 2001: Millennium
*BOCA 2002: She
*BOCA 2004: China
*BOCA 2005: Angel

Only one collegiate a cappella group has tracks on more albums in this series than Amazin' Blue: Off the Beat from The University of Pennsylvania.Fact|date=February 2008

International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella

Amazin' Blue has been involved in this live performance competition since its inception in 1996. [http://www.varsityvocals.com] Here is the list of awards Amazin' Blue has won.

*1998 MidWest Quarter-Final: Champion, Best Soloist (Jim Daly, Time After Time)
*1998 MidWest Semi-Final: Champion, Best Soloist (Jim Daly), Best Arrangement Runner Up (Jeremy Fisher, Time After Time)
*2000 MidWest Quarter-Final: 1st. Place, Best Soloist (Darryl Semira)
*2000 MidWest Semi-Final: 3rd. Place, Best Solo (Maddy Wyatt)
*2001 MidWest Quarter-Final: 2nd. Place, Best Arrangement (Anna Gleichauf, Forgiveness)
*2001 MidWest Semi-Final: 3rd. Place, Best Solo Runner Up (Marie Cheng)
*2002 MidWest Quarter-Final: 3rd. Place, Best Soloist (Mike Hondorp), Best Arrangement Runner Up (David Reiser, America Medley)
*2003 MidWest Quarter-Final: 2nd. Place, Best Soloist (Noah Miller)
*2003 MidWest Semi-Final: 2nd. Place, Best Soloist Runner Up (Alexis Sims)
*2004 MidWest Quarter-Final: 2nd. Place, Outstanding Choreography (Harder to Breathe)
*2004 MidWest Semi-Final: Outstanding Arrangement (Jeff Blim, The Pink Panther Theme)
*2005 MidWest Division: 3rd. Place, Outstanding Soloist (Tanya Komblevitz)