Music: Mixed Company of Yale University

WHO WE ARE…

In the fabled autumn of 1981, during an era when America’s main sources of entertainment were Michael Jackson, Pac-Man, and the Cold War, a spunky group of Yalies dreamed of something more. Torn between music and sketch comedy, Broadway and Second City, the old Yale Songbook and rock ‘n’ roll, they decided to form an exciting new group that drew from the best aspects of these elements and mixed them up. Naturally, they called themselves “Mixed Company.”

The group started small and humble. Yale tradition mandated that any singing group worth its salt ceremoniously induct new members by sipping from engraved silver cups, but with nothing so luxurious on hand, Mixed Co’s first members gathered around a plastic punch bowl which had been spray-painted gray.

Since then, however, we’ve blazed a new trail in college a cappella. We’ve toured all over the world, performing for the likes of British Prime Minister Tony Blair and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. In 2012, we appeared on national television in China, drawing an audience of millions.

We’ve come a long way from plastic punch bowls. With finely honed musicality, eight-part harmony, and offbeat comedy, Mixed Company now performs for schools, country clubs, private parties, corporate events, reunions, fundraisers, nursing homes, and festivals. We’ve garnered rave reviews from teachers, executives, world leaders, and even sometimes our parents, who wonder where they went wrong as they watch us while away our bright college years singing our hearts out instead of, you know, studying.