Mixed Company of Yale
Encyclopedia
Mixed Company of Yale is an a cappella
singing group at Yale University
. Founded in 1981, Mixed Company was originally formed as a group specializing in both sketch comedy
and a cappella. Today, the group focuses primarily on singing, though the group often performs skits and other comedy at its performances. The group has toured throughout the world, most recently in Greece
and Rome
, and regularly performs for world leaders visiting Yale's campus. Mixed Company has also released 13 studio albums; their most recent recording, 7/10 Split, was released in 2011.
, Ben Folds
, and Aretha Franklin
, among others. Hodja
, the group's traditional opening song, has been performed at nearly every concert since the group's founding. Some of the most recent arrangements include songs performed by Marc Broussard
, Beyoncé, Mika
, Celine Dion
, Jennifer Hudson
, and Sister Hazel
.
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
singing group at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. Founded in 1981, Mixed Company was originally formed as a group specializing in both sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
and a cappella. Today, the group focuses primarily on singing, though the group often performs skits and other comedy at its performances. The group has toured throughout the world, most recently in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and regularly performs for world leaders visiting Yale's campus. Mixed Company has also released 13 studio albums; their most recent recording, 7/10 Split, was released in 2011.
Music
Mixed Company is known for its diverse repertoire, which covers a wide range of musical styles, including rock, pop, musical theater, jazz, and rhythm & blues. Each piece in the repertoire was arranged, written, or transcribed by a Mixed Company member, and includes songs originally performed by Marc CohnMarc Cohn
Marc Craig Cohn is an American folk rock singer-songwriter and musician.- Personal life :Cohn was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He graduated from Beachwood High School in Beachwood, a Cleveland suburb. He then attended Oberlin College....
, Ben Folds
Ben Folds
Benjamin Scott "Ben" Folds is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and television personality. From 1995-2000, Folds was the frontman and pianist of the alternative rock band Ben Folds Five. Since the group disbanded, Folds has performed as a solo artist and has toured all over the world...
, and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
, among others. Hodja
Hodja
Hodža, also spelled as Khawaja, Hoca, Hodžić, or Hoxha, is a title of respect in some Central Asian, Middle Eastern and European cultures, used for people who have performed the Hajj a difficult and often dangerous feat in the Middle Ages, especially for those living far away from Arabia...
, the group's traditional opening song, has been performed at nearly every concert since the group's founding. Some of the most recent arrangements include songs performed by Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard
Marc Broussard is an American singer/songwriter. His style is best described as "Bayou Soul," a mix of funk, blues, R&B, rock, and pop, matched with distinct Southern roots...
, Beyoncé, Mika
Mika (singer)
Mika is a British singer-songwriter.After recording his first extended play, Dodgy Holiday EP, Mika released his first full-length studio album, Life in Cartoon Motion, on Island Records in 2007. Life in Cartoon Motion sold more than 5.6 million copies worldwide and helped Mika win a Brit...
, Celine Dion
Celine Dion
Céline Marie Claudette Dion, , , is a Canadian singer. Born to a large family from Charlemagne, Quebec, Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record...
, Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
, and Sister Hazel
Sister Hazel
Sister Hazel are an alternative rock band from Gainesville, Florida, whose style also blends elements of folk rock, pop, classic rock 'n' roll and southern rock. Their music is characterized by highly melodic tunes and generally optimistic lyrics. The band's instrumentation often features abrupt...
.
Notable alumni
- James-Allen Ford '93, writer of In Transit, an Off-BroadwayOff-BroadwayOff-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
musical. In Transit was nominated for 5 Drama Desk awards, winning the award for Outstanding Ensemble Performance. - Ari ShapiroAri ShapiroAri Shapiro is an American radio journalist who grew up in Portland, Oregon. He currently is White House correspondent for National Public Radio . He is also a frequent guest host of Morning Edition and other NPR programs.- Family and education :Ari Shapiro is the son of database researcher Dr....
'00, reporter for National Public Radio - Ben Eakeley '00, appeared in the BroadwayBroadway theatreBroadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and National Tour productions of Sweeney ToddSweeney ToddSweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation... - Felicia Ricci '08, Standby to Eden EspinosaEden EspinosaEden Erica Espinosa is an American singer and stage actress, who is best known for her performances as Elphaba for the Broadway, Los Angeles and San Francisco productions of the musical Wicked....
and Marcie Dodd in the San Francisco production of WickedWicked (musical)Wicked is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Winnie Holzman. It is based on the Gregory Maguire novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West , a parallel novel of the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and L. Frank Baum's classic story The Wonderful Wizard...
and author of 2011 book "Unnaturally Green"
Discography
Mixed Company has recorded 13 studio albums:| Album Title | Year | Recording Type |
|---|---|---|
| Where's the Stage? | 1987 | Vinyl Record |
| Doing Justice | 1989 | Cassette Tape |
| Vertical Hold | 1991 | Cassette Tape |
| Unplugged | 1993 | Cassette Tape |
| Sleeping In The Kitchen | 1995 | CD |
| Flow Chart | 1997 | CD |
| Change of Plans | 1999 | CD |
| Molly Pitcher | 2001 | CD |
| Trespassing | 2003 | CD |
| Two Steps | 2005 | CD |
| Dashboard Buddha | 2007 | CD |
| The Purple Album | 2009 | CD |
| 7/10 Split | 2011 | CD |