Stanford Counterpoint facts for kids

Stanford Counterpoint, often called Counterpoint, is an all-female singing group from Stanford University. They sing a cappella, which means they sing without any musical instruments.

This group is the second-oldest a cappella group at Stanford. It is also the oldest all-female a cappella group on the West Coast of the United States. Counterpoint is led by students and usually has 15 to 17 singers. New members join after auditions each September.

As of 2020, Counterpoint has released fourteen studio albums. They have been nominated for many national a cappella awards. Their songs have also been featured three times on the Best Of College A Cappella album.

How Counterpoint Started

The group began in 1979. Two students, Linda Chin and Joyce Rogers, wanted to create a singing group just for women. At that time, the only a cappella group on campus was the Stanford Mendicants, which was all-male.

Joyce Rogers named the group "Counterpoint." She loved Baroque music, which uses a musical idea called counterpoint. This idea involves different melodies playing at the same time.

When they first started, the women of Counterpoint sometimes used an upright bass or other instruments. Their very first song was "Java Jive". They performed it in the spring of 1979 and got a standing ovation!

In their first year, the group won an award from the Stanford Alumni Association. It was for the "most innovative student project" of the year.

Growing and Touring

In 1980, Counterpoint and The Mendicants went on a tour together. They performed for Stanford alumni in Southern California. This tradition of touring together still continues today. The two groups have a strong friendship.

In 1982, Counterpoint released their first vinyl record. It was recorded in Stanford's beautiful Memorial Church.

In the 1990s, the group stopped using instruments. They became a true a cappella group, singing only with their voices. Counterpoint started recording a new album every two years. In the years they didn't record, they toured around the United States.

In 2019, the women of Counterpoint went on their first international tour! They traveled all the way to Paris, France. Also in 2019, Stanford Counterpoint celebrated their 40th anniversary. Many former members came back for a special reunion concert.

In 2019, Stanford Counterpoint released their 14th album, called Close to Home. They also made a music video for their song "God is a Woman". Both the album and the video were created entirely by women. One song from the album, "Light of a Clear Blue Morning", was chosen as one of the "Picks of the Year" by a group called the Recorded A Cappella Review Board. Their music video was also nominated for an A Cappella Video Award.

As of 2020, Counterpoint has been nominated for 14 awards for their recordings. These include nominations for the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA). Many of these awards were possible thanks to their audio engineer, Bill Hare.

Music Albums

As of 2020, Counterpoint has released fourteen studio albums:

• Counterpoint (1981)
• Run With It (1989)
• Sing It, Baby! (1992)
• Nomansland (1996)
• Counterculture (1998)
• Ticket to Anywhere (2000)
• Cover Charge (2002)
• Studio Confessions (2004)
• Lights in the Rearview (2006)
• Belladonna (2008)
• Dancing Til Dawn (2010)
• No Turning Back (2015)
• A Woman Like That (2016) - EP
• Close to Home (2019)

Awards and Special Mentions

Counterpoint has been recognized with many awards and honors for their music.

Featured on Best of College A Cappella

Three songs by Counterpoint have been chosen for Varsity Vocals’ yearly Best of College A Cappella album. This album features the top college a cappella songs.