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