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.

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.

Their 1998 album Besides What You See received a 4.2 rating , 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.

Two Mendicant songs have been featured on the annual "Best of Collegiate A Cappella" Compilation.

Alums

• Chris Ayer, Singer and Songwriter

• Jordan Gelber, actor from the Broadway run of Avenue Q

• Founding Mendicant Dick Grant, Director of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble

• Former Musical Director John Livingston, actor and brother of Ron Livingston

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

• Brandon Matthieus, actor with the Jersey Boys National Tour

• Joseph Siravo, actor with The Sopranos and Jersey Boys National Tour

Discography

• A Fellow Needs a Girl (1965)
• Untitled (1966)
• Untitled (1967)
• Untitled (1968)
• Untitled (1969)
• Untitled (1973)
• Untitled (1976)
• 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)
• Roses In My Hand (2008)

References

1. Stanford Alumni Magazine, May/June 2007

External links

• Stanford Mendicants Official Website