A cappella refers to the style of singing without instrumental accompaniment. In Italian, “a cappella” literally means “in the style of the chapel”, as many church choirs and religious services traditionally involve such performances. However, modern a cappella takes this a step further--using voices to emulate the missing instrumental music in the background. Many modern a cappella groups also feature vocal percussion, or the use of voices to imitate drums, cymbals and other percussive noises. Today, “a cappella” usually refers to an all-vocal performance of any musical style, and Mixed Company is proud to sing them all!
Can I join Mixed Co if I don't have much singing experience?
Of course! The musical backgrounds of the members of Mixed Company are extremely diverse. We get singers with experience in choral groups, garage rock bands, musical theatre productions, and more, and we value the different musicality of all of our members. Our singers have varying levels of experience--we have members who have spent years in various singing groups, members who have never had any formal musical training at all, and members everywhere in between--so if you enjoy singing and want to try something new, sign up for an audition! We don't judge based on a resume, so give it a shot. We are always looking for singers in every voice part (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone, Bass, and then some), as well as vocal percussionists.
What if I don't know my voice part?
Don’t worry! During your audition we will test your range to see what voice part fits you best, and we will organize callbacks according to voice part.
How much of a time "co"-mmitment is Mixed Co? Mixed Company is a solid but immensely rewarding time commitment. We rehearse six to seven hours per week, but it varies throughout the year depending on the natural cycle of concerts, group trips, and the academic calendar. Outside of rehearsal, Mixed Company becomes an extremely close family of friends who spend tons of time together in their day-to-day lives. Expect to hang out with fellow singers over meals, on midnight trips to In-N-Out, doing classwork and studying for finals, or during our group retreats (including a Tour in a far-off destination during spring break)!
Where and when does Mixed Co perform?
Mixed Company keeps a busy schedule. We hold two major concerts every year: our anti-Valentine’s Day show Love Sucks in February, and our Spring Show in May. Additionally, we are a part of tons of other concerts and performances through the year: We put on joint shows with on-campus groups and visiting groups from around the world, perform paid and volunteer gigs on campus and throughout the Bay Area, perform in two a cappella concerts (O-Show after NSO and A-Show during Admit Weekend) with the rest of the Stanford a cappella scene, participate in the annual Big Sing against our rival school in the East Bay, compete in the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs) most years, and sing for our friends, parents, and alumni at informal get-togethers. Moreover, Mixed Company often goes on a tour during spring break. On this tour, the group travels to a fun location (in the past: Boston, Los Angeles, Puerto Vallarta, Hawaii, etc.) and performs volunteer concerts for schools, orphanages, hospitals, and more.