Stanford Mendicants

The Stanford Mendicants are an all-male a cappella group at Stanford University. The group is Stanford University's first a cappella group. Since its founding in 1963, the group's size has varied from 6 to 19 members. Although they are strictly an a cappella group today, they have performed with instruments in previous generations.^[1][2] The group prides itself on singing a wide range of songs, from gospel to barbershop to pop tunes and original compositions. The Mendicants are known around Stanford's campus for their red blazers and romantic serenades.^{[citation needed]}

The Stanford Mendicants
Stanford Mendicants performing in 2024
Background information
Origin	Stanford, California, USA
Genres	A Cappella
Years active	1963—present
Website	www.StanfordMendicants.com

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 eye in the house". Having only rehearsed the one song, they quickly fled through an open window and went immediately back to rehearsal.^{[3][editorializing]}

Their 1998 album Besides What You See received a 4.2 rating^[4] from the Recorded A Cappella Review Board (rarb.org), which is the group's highest album score to date.

The group was Runner-Up in three categories in the inaugural Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARAs) in 1992.^[5] As of 2020, they have been nominated for six more recording awards since then: in 1999, 2001, 2005, and 2019.^[6][7][8][9]

Mendicant songs were selected for Varsity Vocals' "Best of Collegiate A Cappella" compilation album in both 2001 and 2005.^[10]

On February 2, 2019, The Stanford Mendicants finished in first place in the ICCA Northern California Quarter-Finals in Redwood City, CA.^[11] The Mendicants also took home two individual awards, including Outstanding Soloist, for Austin Zambito-Valente, and Outstanding Choreography, for Khoi Le and Gabe Wieder.^[11]

Notable alumni

• Chris Ayer, Singer and Songwriter ^[12]
• Jordan Gelber, actor from the Broadway run of Avenue Q ^[13]
• Founding Mendicant Dick Grant, Director of the Pacific Mozart Ensemble^[14][15]
• Founding Mendicant John Frohnmayer, Politician and Professor at Oregon State University^{[citation needed]}
• Joseph Siravo, actor with The Sopranos and Jersey Boys National Tour]]^[16]

Discography

2011 Musical Director De Wei Koh editing a track for Sh-Boom

• Untitled (1964)
• Untitled (1965)
• A Fellow Needs a Girl (1966)
• Untitled (1967)
• Untitled (1969)
• Untitled (1973)
• Untitled (1975)
• Untitled (1977)
• Untitled (1979)
• Clean-Cut and 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)
• Sh-Boom (2012)
• Just a Group of Guys (2013)
• Mendicants At Large (2015)
• For the Long Haul (2018)
• Trailblazer (2019)
• Detour (2021)
• Horizon (2023)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1992	Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards[a]	Best Male Collegiate Album	Just Like That	Runner-up (tie)	[5]
		Best Male Collegiate Song	"Long Train Runnin'"	Runner-up (tie)
		Best Male Collegiate Arrangement	"Brown Eyed Girl"	Runner-up
1999	Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards	Best Male Collegiate Album	Besides What You See	Runner-up	[17][18]
		Best Male Collegiate Song	"Drive"	Nominated	[6]
		Best Male Collegiate Soloist	Brandon Singleton	Nominated
2001	Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards	Best Male Collegiate Song	"Happy Together"	Nominated	[7]
2005	Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards	Best Male Collegiate Song	"Wake Me Up Before You Go Go" from Mendication	Nominated	[8]
2019	Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards	Best Male Collegiate Song	"Control" from For the Long Haul	Nominated	[9]
	A Cappella Video Awards	Best Male Collegiate Video	"Kiss the Sky"	Runner-up	[19]

1. Prior to 1992, there were no awards organizations related to a cappella. The Contemporary A Cappella Society announced Recording Awards for the first time in 1992. The ICCAs introduced live a cappella performance competitions in 1996.

ICCA results

The International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) first judged live a cappella performance competitions in 1996.

Year	Level	Category	Recipient(s)	Result	Points	Citation
1998	West Region Quarterfinal #2	Best Solo	Brandon Singleton for "Reach Out"	Runner‑up	—	[20]
2002	West Region Quarterfinal #3	Best Soloist	Eric Tanner	Won	—	[21]
2017	Northwest Quarterfinal #4	Best Group	Mendicants	2nd	399	[22]
	Northwest Semifinal	Best Group	Mendicants	3rd	361	[23]
2018	West Quarterfinal #4	Best Group	Mendicants	3rd	334	[24]
2019	West Quarterfinal #3	Best Group	Mendicants	1st	389	[25]
		Outstanding Soloist	Austin Zambito-Valente for "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood/How Long"	Won	—
		Outstanding Choreography	Gabe Wieder and Khoi Le for the entire set	Won	—
2020	West Quarterfinal #5	Best Group	Mendicants	2nd	343	[26]
		Outstanding Soloist	Austin Zambito-Valente for "Dig Down"	Won	—
		Outstanding Arrangement	Chris Kaya for the entire set	Won	—

See also

• List of Stanford University a cappella groups