Mosaic Whispers
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Mosaic Whispers | |
|---|---|
 The Mosaic Whispers' annual concert, Splash of Color | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as | The Whispers, Washington University in St. Louis Mosaic Whispers |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Genres | A Cappella |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Collegiate |
| Website | Official website |
Mosaic Whispers (also known as "The Whispers") is a Washington University all-gender a cappella group that performs music from a variety of genres. The group has performed on MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews as well as on local radio stations such as 93.7 The Bull. The group competed in the international finals of the 2016 & 2025 ICCA competition. They have progressed to the national level of multiple ICCA competitions and the final four of a national competition to sing with Andy Grammer.[1] They have toured nationally, opened for Ben Folds and Straight No Chaser, received a number of CARA nominations, and have been included on a number of national a cappella compilation albums.
The Mosaic Whispers was founded in 1991 by a group of students and first performed together at Washington University's Thurtene Carnival. It is the oldest mixed-gender group at the university. The original roster included P. Daniel Newman, Jason Coryell, Brian Stephenson, Liz Radford, Josh Einsohn, Devorah Rosner, and Lora Norback, with the group holding auditions in the fall of 1991. Many alumni return and join current students at the group's annual spring concert, known as Splash of Color.
The group's music has been selected for several compilation a cappella albums, including appearances on BOCA,[2] multiple Voices Only albums,[3][4] and the 2008 Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!.[5] The Whispers were selected after submitting a video of the group performing Folds' song "Still Fighting It" to Ben Folds' university a cappella competition.
One notable alumna is Eliotte Henderson ('10) who has toured internationally as a member of Taylor Swift's band.[6]
International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella
The group regularly competes in the Varsity Vocals International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) and have advanced to Finals at New York City's Beacon Theater on multiple occasions, most recently in 2025. Whispers advanced after placing 1st in the Midwest Semifinal, where they performed a set consisting of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Getaway," "THE GREATEST" by Billie Eilish, and "Masterpiece (Mona Lisa)" by Jazmine Sullivan. Natalie Feldstein was named Outstanding Soloist for "THE GREATEST" and Camron Kaiser and Sophie Lyman were awarded Outstanding Arrangement for the entire set. Whispers have won each of the competition's 4 awards (Outstanding Soloist, Outstanding Vocal Percussion, Outstanding Choreography, and Outstanding Arrangement) multiple times and have won their Midwest Quarterfinals to advance to the Semifinals every year they have competed.[7]
Ben Folds Presents: University A Cappella!
The Mosaic Whispers were selected to be featured on the album after submitting a video of the group performing Folds' song "Still Fighting It" to Ben Folds' university a cappella competition. Reviews for their rendition of "Still Fighting It" were positive,[8][9] with the Norwich Bulletin praising their performance.[10]
Andy Grammer Competition
In Spring 2012, The Whispers reached the final four in a competition to sing with Andy Grammer. The competition, which was 12 days long, consisted of submitting three performance videos, including two Andy Grammer songs. The Whispers arranged and learned the song Fine By Me in 8 hours for their final video submission. To gain votes, the Whispers got support of both the WashU newspaper Studlife[11] and the St. Louis Metro social media staff.[12][13] While they won the popular vote (consisting of Facebook Likes, Tweets, and user account votes) in their final round, they ultimately lost to the professional a cappella group Six Appeal, who garnered the votes of both TopBlip and Grammer himself.
