Mosaic Whispers of Washington University in St. Louis

Splash of Color 2009

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Splash of Color, Mosaic Whispers’ annual a cappella invitational and concert, is always one of the biggest a cappella shows on campus, featuring not only amazing visiting groups from across the country, the best of Washington University a cappella, but also drama, comedy, a whole new set of whispers songs, and tons of our amazing alumni descending on Washington University for two amazing evenings of a cappella.

If you are interested in joining us in St. Louis for Splash this year (2009), would like to place an advertisement in the concert program, or have any questions, please contact our Splash Coordinator, Yael Warach.

Splash of Color 2009
Theme TBA
Fri. and Sat. February 27 and 28, 2009
Graham Chapel, 7:30 pm
Tickets $7. $5 for Students

Check out our Splash 2006 performance of "Fix You" (and make sure to check out our repertoire)

Welcome Back!

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Newbies!!

We have newbies!! Welcome to the 4 newest members of the Mosaic Whispers who are now a part of the growing whisper family (we are now up to 93 members)! Congratulations: Alan Pinkert '12, Cameron Hinkel '12, Jeff Marinshaw '12, and Molly Gair '12. Thank you to all our callbackees and auditionees - you were all fabulous.

2008 Fall and Spring Tour

Mosaic Whispers just returned from an amazing tour of Chicago, IL for our annual Fall Tour. Thank you to all of the groups with who we performed. If we sang at your high school and you are interested in more information, please email Ellen Miller and we would love to hear from you. We are thrilled to announce that we will be traveling to Seattle, WA for our annual Spring Tour (March 7-13). For more information for the group to perform while on tour, please email ellen@mosaicwhispers.com.

Whisper CDs for Sale

We are currently working on producing our ninth studio album but in the meantime, you can listen to our past eight CDs, including our most recent release, "Behind Bars." The albums can be purchased at the WashU Campus Store, at any Mosaic Whispers performance, online at shop.wustl.edu, or by emailing marin@mosaicwhispers.com. "Behind Bars" is $15 ($17 with shipping), and everything else is $10 ($12 with shipping).

Upcoming Performances

Come hear us sing!

Thursday, Oct. 30th: Rhythms for Rebulding Concert - 7:30 pm, Graham Chapel
Saturday, Nov. 1st: Bauhaus Concert - 12:00 pm, Friedman Lounge (inside Wohl Center - we'll even be dressed up!)
Sunday, Nov. 2nd: Bus Tour Concert - 8:00 pm, DUC Common Room
Saturday, Nov. 8th: Founders Day - 8:00 pm, TBA loc
Sunday, Nov. 9th: 5:00 pm, Centenary Church (downtown)
Friday, Nov. 14th: Green Eggs and Jam- 8:00 pm, Lab Sciences 300
Saturday, Nov. 15th: XFest - 8:00 pm, University of Illinois

Hire us!

Mosaic Whispers is always available for hire. We can do long or short sets, and perform in any setting - philanthropy events, business events, corporate parties, private parties, and everything in between. We'd love to come perform for your event or group. Email ellen@mosaicwhispers.com for more information.

Whispers on MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube!

2008-08-27T11:45:00.000-05:00

Check us out on MySpace here! You'll find more songs, our updated repertoire, and more. Don't miss our facebook group too - you can check out who's who in the group and see more photos. Also check out Whispers on our YouTube Channel for all our videos from Splash.

Fall 2008 Auditions

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SINGERS AND BEAT-BOXERS:

Interested in auditioning? Want to learn more? Our website is (partially) down right now, so please contact our current GC, Ellen Miller at emiller@artsci.wustl.edu! She would be happy to sign you up to audition, or to answer any questions you may have about the group!

Repertoire

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The following are the songs that we are generally able to sing should you hire us for a performance. We are always learning new songs, sometimes we pull out "retired" songs, and sometimes we even arrange songs on the spot. Really, the possibilities are endless. Do you have something you'd really like to hear us sing? Have a specific set list you’d like for your upcoming Whispers concert? Contact our Music Director, Ellen.

1234 /Feist
Breathe Your Name / Sixpence None the Richer
Desperado / the Eagles
You Are Loved / Josh Groban
Redeemed / Charlotte Martin
Suddenly I See / KT Tunstall
Love On The Rocks / Sara Bareilles
Too Little Too Late / Jojo
Who Knew / Pink
Under the Bridge / Red Hot Chili Peppers

All at Sea / Jamie Cullum
Chasing Cars / Snow Patrol
Fix You / Coldplay
Hide and Seek / Imogen Heap
Sailor's Prayer* / Rod McDonald
Still Fighting It / Ben Folds
They / Jem
Walk Away / Christina Aguilera
Happy Birthday / Traditional
Washington University Alma Mater / Traditional
The Star Spangled Banner / Francis Scott Key

* requires advance notice

About Us

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Mosaic Whispers is the oldest co-ed a cappella group at Washington University in St. Louis and has been bringing innovative co-ed a cappella to the St. Louis area since its founding in 1991. In the spring of 1991, P. Daniel Newman, Jason Coryell, Brian Stephenson, Liz Radford, Josh Einsohn, Devorah Rosner, and Lora Norback came together at Washington University’s famous Thurtene Carnival to perform for carnival attendees. They loved it so much that in fall 1991 the group returned to hold auditions and sing a cappella music under an official name – Mosaic Whispers, becoming Washington University’s first co-ed a cappella group.

2006 marked the 15th Anniversary of Mosaic Whispers, and in those fifteen years since Whispers formed, 89 unique individuals have been dubbed “Whispers,” including our very newest members.

Over the last few years, Whispers has gained national recognition with appearances on four national a cappella compilations, including

CAMO’s (Collegiate A Cappella Music Association) Top Shelf A Cappella: Volume 1 in 2005
BOCA 2002 (Best of College A Cappella)
Voices Only 2005
and the CARA Awards Compilation 2002 (Contempory A Cappella Recording Association)

Mosaic Whispers also has made a name at the ICCA (International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella), where the group advanced to the Regional Level last year for the third time. In October 2004, with Washington University hosting the Second Presidential Debate, Whispers was also honored to perform on two live broadcasts of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews for a national audience of millions, and we performed again this past October 2008 with two live broadcasts of MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews for the Vice Presidential Debate hosted at Washington University.

In addition to their live performances, Mosaic Whispers has produced eight studio albums to date, including a 10th Anniversary Album “Vested Interest” and the award-winning “Defrosted,” The groups’ eighth studio album, “Behind Bars” was released at Splash of Color 2007 and features an amazing collection of songs recorded over the last 3 years and has since garnered rave reviews, had songs featured on national compilations, and one multiple awards.

All of the Whispers’ studio releases can be purchased all at live performances in the Washington University Campus Store, or on our website .

The group performs regularly on campus and around St. Louis throughout the year and also tours extensively. Most recently the group has traveled to Philadelphia, PA, Texas, Grand Rapids, MI, Washington, DC, Memphis, TN, Denver, CO, Madison, WI, Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, and New York, NY, representing Washington University and performing for audiences of all ages. In 2008-2009 Mosaic Whispers will travel to Chicago, IL for fall tour in October and Seattle, WA for our annual spring break tour in March. Whispers also hosts an annual concert in March, Splash of Color , bringing in guest groups from Washington University and campuses across the country as well as many of our alumni.

This year, Splash will be February 27^th and 28th in Graham Chapel, at 7:30pm. For more information on tours, Splash, and hiring information, check out the repertoire , splash , and contact sections of the website. ?Please check out our albums and we hope to see you soon at a live show!

A Cappella Links

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ACAC (All A Cappella Auditions Commiteee) (governing body)

Aristocats (co-ed Disney themed)

After Dark (co-ed contemporary)

Amateurs (co-ed contemporary)

Greenleafs (all-female contemporary)

More Fools Than Wise (co-ed madrigal)

Pikers (all-male contemporary)

Staam (co-ed jewish)

Stereotypes (all-male contemporary)

Sur Awaaz (co-ed hindi)

Mosaic Whispers is a member of ACAC.
As per ACAC regulations, only links to ACAC affiliated WashU groups are shown.

Contemporary A Cappella Society of America

The Recorded A Cappella Review Board (RARB)

International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA)

Collegiate A Cappela Music Organization (CAMO)

A-Cappella.com

Primarily A Cappella

Smith Lee Productions (our recording studio)

Collegiate A Cappella Directory

< Washington University in St. Louis

Washington University in St. Louis

Student Union

Department of Music

Our Alumni

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As any alum will attest, Mosaic Whispers leaves an indelible mark on anyone associated with it, and the Whispers family is truly incredible! If you've ever been to Splash of Color, these are the people that crowd the front rows and come on stage for Standin' by the Bedside," the Whispers’ alumni song. They're tons of fun, and the very existence of the group today is completely a result of the efforts of all these fine individuals. 2006 marked the 15th Anniversary of Mosaic Whispers, and nearly 50 of our alumni came to Splash 2006 for a special Alumni Jam, performing the greatest hits from the last 15 years. This new Whispers tradition will repeat every five years, so watch for the next one in 2011!

For more alumni information please contact our Secretary.

Past Repertoire

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Over the years, Mosaic Whispers has sung a staggering variety of songs, covering almost any genre you can think of. Over the years, we have amassed a large library of original Whisper arrangements. Many of these songs appear on Whisper albums. If you are interested in singing an old Whisper arrangement in your own group, please contact our Secretary, Ariel.

SONGS ARE LISTED IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY SONG NAME FOLLOWED BY ARTIST NAME.

3AM - Matchbox 20
500 Miles - The Proclaimers
Africa - Toto
Ain't She Sweet -
Airbag - Radiohead
Amen -
American Music - Violent Femmes
Angel - Sarah McLaughlin
Angry Young Man - Billy Joel
As I Lay Me Down - Sophie B. Hawkins
Bachelorette - Bjork
Be Careful (Cuidado Con Mi Corazon) – Ricky Martin and Madonna
Be Here – Raphael Sa’adiq ft. D’Angelo
Believe It Or Not - Theme of "The Greatest American Hero"
Big Yellow Taxi (Got ‘til it’s Gone) – Janet Jackson ft. Joni Mitchell and Q. Tipp
Black Gold – Soul Asylum
Bring It On Home - The Dixie Chicks
Bring Me to Life - Evanescence
By the Way – Red Hot Chili Peppers
Cannonball – The Breeders
Cashout - Fugazi
Chains Of Love - Erasure
Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
Condemnation – Depeche Mode
December '63 – Four Seasons
Disney Medley – “Disney”
Do You Sleep - Lisa Loeb
Drive - REM
Eep Opp Ork Ah-Ah – “The Jetsons”
Einstein on the Beach – Counting Crows
Eleanor Rigby - The Beatles
Epitaph To War - "Glory"
Every Little Thing She Does is Magic - Sting
Fantasy - George Michael
Foolish Games - Jewel
Fugitive - Indigo Girls
Ghost - Indigo Girls
Golden Eye - Tina Turner
Good ‘ol A Cappella - Traditional
Head Like A Hole - Nine Inch Nails
Heart Of Glass - Blondie
Heaven Forbid - The Fray
Holdin' Out for a Hero – Bonnie Riatt
Hope Of Deliverance - Paul McCartney
Hunter - Bjork
Hush - Phish
I Belive in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Raitt
I Hope That Something Better Comes Along - From the Muppet Movie
If I Ever Lose My Faith - Sting
If You Could Only See the Light - Tonic
I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred
It's So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday - Boys II Men
Just For You - Dan Newman (Original)
Just My Imagination - The Temptations
Kayaking - Domestic Science Club
Kiss The Girl - Menken/Ashman ("The Little Mermaid")
Landslide – Dixie Chicks (originally Fleetwood Mac)
Lean On You - Kareah Garrison (Original)
Leave It - Yes
Lime and the Coconut - Traditional
Little Bird - Annie Lennox
Logical Song - Supertramp
Looking Through The Window – The Jackson 5
Love Is All Around - Wet, Wet, Wet
Love Shack – The B52s
Madonna Medley - Madonna
Manic Monday – The Bangles
Meaning – Gavin DeGraw
Mr. Roboto - Styx
Neverending Story – “Neverending Story”
No Such Thing – John Mayer
Not the Doctor - Alanis Morrisette
Obstacle 1 - Interpol
One Sweet Day - Mariah Carey & Boys II Men
Only in Dreams - Weezer
Ordinary World - Duran Duran
Paranoid Android - Radiohead
Please - The Nylons
Pure Imagination - "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"
Put Your Records On - Corinne Bailey Rae
Rhythm Nation - Janet Jackson
Run – Collective Soul
Sailor's Prayer - Rod McDonald
Seven Days - Sting
Share A Load - The Bobs
She's Every Woman - Garth Brooks
Shower The People - James Taylor
Somebody To Love - Queen
Special - Garbage
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Spin the Bottle – Juliana Hatfield
St. Teresa – Joan Osborne
Standin' By The Bedside - The Dixie Chicks
Standing Outside the Fire - Garth Brooks
Stay - Lisa Loeb
Steal My Kisses – Ben Harper
Strawberry Fields Forever - The Beatles
Strong Enough - Sheryl Crow
Stuck – Stacie Orrico
Suddenly Seymour - "Little Shop Of Horrors"
Sunday Morning - No Doubt
Take it Easy – The Eagles
Take Me To The River – The Talking Heads (originally Al Green)
Tenderness Place - Domestic Science Club
Thank You – Boyz II Men
That Voice Again - Peter Gabriel
They - Jem
The Rose - Bette Midler
Time And Tide - Basia
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - J.S. Bach
Today – Smashing Pumpkins
Tomorrow Wendy – Concrete Monday
Torn - Natalie Imbruglia
Uninvited - Alanis Morrisette
Viva La Mour -
Walk Away – Christina Aguilera
Walk Like An Egyptian – The Bangles
Walking On Sunshine
We Built This City – Jefferson Starship
We Can Work It Out - The Beatles
What More Can I Say – The Falsettos
When I'm 64 - The Beatles
Whenever, Wherever - Shakira
Where's the Love - Hanson
Whistling In The Dark - They Might Be Giants
White Rabbit – Jefferson Airplane
Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses - U2
Wildest Dreams - The Moody Blues
Will You Be There - Michael Jackson
Windmills – Toad the Wet Sprocket
Winter - Tori Amos
Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One) – Alabama 3
Y-Control – The Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Contact Information: 2008-2009

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Ellen Miller, Group Coordinator, Webmaster

All questions regarding general group operations, including bookings, auditions, advertising, history, etc. should be directed toward the Group Coordinator. Questions, comments, or rude social remarks regarding this website that require attention should also be directed here. You can reach her at: ellen@mosaicwhispers.com

Tudor Foot, Music Director

All music-specific questions including those regarding arrangements should be directed towards the Musical Director. You can reach him at: tudor@mosaicwhispers.com

Marin Tollefson, Business Manager and Secretary

If you would like to purchase CDs or have any questions concerning the finances of the Mosaic Whisper corporation; or if you have any questions regarding the group archives, whispernews email list, or would like information regarding alumni, please contact our secretary/business manager at: marin@mosaicwhispers.com

Yael Warach, Splash Coordinator

If you have any questions about or are interested in performing at Splash of Color, our annual concert and a cappella invitational this February 27^th and 28^th, please contact our Splash Coordinator: yael@mosaicwhispers.com

Katie Sullivan

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Matt Nelson

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Jennifer Gross

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Aaron Burr

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Reynolds Whalen

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Ariel Wentworth

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Julia Mancini

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Jonathan Kleiman

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Emma Cardelli

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UPCOMING APPEARANCES

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AUDITIONS SCHEDULE COMING SOON

HIRE US (email ilana@mosaicwhispers.com)

LATEST NEWS

2007-08-19T01:28:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Website Issues
We've been having some website difficulties as of late, so please excuse the outdatedness of much of the site. For current contact information regarding the group, please contact Ilana at ilana@mosaicwhispers.com! Thanks, and please excuse our dust!

Newbie Whispers!
We have newbies! Congratulations to our 5 newest members, who join the 88 whispers who came before them in the whisper family: Rachel Metter '11, Ellen Miller '11, Marin Tollefson '11, Dylan Tucker '11, and Yael Warach '11! Thank you to all our callbackees and auditionees, you were all great!

2007 Fall and Spring Tour
Mosaic Whispers is thrilled to announce that we will be traveling to Milwaukee, Wisconsin for our annual Fall Tour (October 19-21) and to Washington, DC for our annual Spring Tour (March 8-16). For more information or to arrange for the group to perform while on either tour, please email Katie Sullivan (katie.s@mosaicwhispers.com) for Fall Tour, or Ariel Wentworth (ariel@mosaicwhispers.com) for Spring Tour!

Mosaic Whispers to Appear on “Voices Only 2007!”
Whispers is honored to have “Be Here” off our new album, “Behind Bars” selected to appear on the Voices Only 2007 compilation! This is our second appearance on a Voices Only compilation, and marks our 5th appearance on a national compilation CD since 2002!

Whispers on MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube!
Check us out on MySpace here! You’ll find more songs, our updated repertoire, and more! Don’t miss our facebook group too at, where you can check out who’s who in the group and see more photos! See below for links to our videos or visit our YouTube Channel for all our videos!

Whispers Albums Available at WashU Campus Store!
Mosaic Whispers is happy to announce an exciting partnership with Washington University’s campus store, located in Mallinckrodt Center! All 8 studio albums, including the brand new album, and our in stock national compilations are available in the Mosaic Whispers display, so check it out! WashU students can even purchase albums with their campus card!

"BEHIND BARS" IS NOW AVAILABLE!

Mosaic Whispers is proud to announce the release of our 8th studio album, Behind Bars! The 12 track album is our best yet, featuring recent favorites like Coldplay's Fix You, Stacie Orrico's Stuck, and Raphael Saadiq's Be Here, among others. It's doing great too..."Be Here" has been selected for the "Voices Only 2007" compilation, and the album has been garnering loads of critical praise! The album can be purchased for only $15 ($17 w/Shipping) at any Mosaic Whispers performance, at the WashU Campus Store, or by emailing sales@mosaicwhispers.com. The CD will also soon be available for online purchase at shop.wustl.edu and other online vendors.

RARB’s Praise for Behind Bars:
Elie Landau writes that “there is a great deal to enjoy. The opener is the first a cappella version I've heard of Be Here and it's a terrific job all around by soloist and arranger Darius Bates, who turns in another solid solo on Gavin DeGraw's Meaning.” Bring Me to Life is “an energetic, engaging track, made all the more impressive by the knowledge that the group was singing it back in 2002, before most everyone else was. Thank You doesn't show much inventiveness but, despite the resemblance to the original, grooves nonetheless.” Guang Ming Whitley loved the “lush and interesting Eleanor Rigby.” Ryan Joyce writes that “Behind Bars is forty-three minutes of high energy, well executed, and generally pleasurable a cappella boasts a track list of both a cappella favorites and uncommon, riskier tracks. Obstacle 1 and Bachelorette are great examples of how production can work to a track's benefit. […] Meaning succeeds with its smart, creative arrangement, and rousing but not overly complicated sound. The result is a standout track.” He applauds “Meryl Zimmerman’s near flawless solo on Thank You (whose scatting was reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald's live recording of Mack The Knife)” and comments that “the soloists are consistently strong, but Darius Bates and Elysa Kahan stand out on Meaning and Bachelorette, respectively. But above all, Mosaic Whispers knows how to end an album right. Fix You is five minutes of near perfection, with its simplicity and superior solo outclassing, in my opinion, the recent Off the Beat recording. John Michael Rotello and group fire on all cylinders for the first four and a half minutes, but as good as the rest of the song is, the last thirty seconds are even better. It's a perfect end to very good album.

Check out the full RARB review here!

Nick Pizzoferrato

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Aaron Lewis

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Riley Haemer

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Splash of Color 2007

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This song was performed with the lights down in the venue so as to heighten the ethereal effect of the music. Being there was quite an experience.