Seven critically acclaimed groups of performance artists will perform at Stanford University this January, including a dance company, a percussion ensemble and two a cappella, or unaccompanied, singing groups.

Gryphon Trio

The Gryphon Trio, consisting of a piano, a violin and a cello, will perform Jan. 10 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, at 8 p.m. The group will be performing works by Haydn and Schubert, as well as an original piece composed by Stanford faculty member Jonathan Berger. The Trio has been called the best chamber ensemble in their native Canada by the Ottawa Citizen and their rich, multifaceted sound has been praised by The Washington Post.

Anonymous 4, Long Time Traveling

Anonymous 4, an a cappella quartet, will be performing on Jan. 12 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, at 8 p.m. The group will be performing songs from their new album, Gloryland, which includes classic American ballads, folksongs, and gospel songs. Some of the songs will be performed a cappella, and others with accompaniment. They will also be performing songs from their album American Angel, which has spent over 80 weeks on Billboard’s Top 25 Classical Charts. The group has sold more than 1.5 million records worldwide.

Ute Lemper

Ute Lemper, a German cabaret singer, will be performing on Jan. 20 in Memorial Auditorium at 8 p.m. Lemper performs cabaret songs from around the world- from the Weimar Republic to Chicago. She has won an American Theatre Award for her performance of Chicago on Broadway, as well as many other international awards, according to her website. The New York Times praises her, saying, "she [Lemper] has developed impressively varied vocal colorings. She can dip into earthy chest tones, bend a lyrical phrase with plaintive beauty and send raspy top notes soaring." There is a pre-performance lecture at 7 p.m. on the rise and fall of cabaret in Hitler’s Germany.

So Percussion

So Percussion, a percussion quartet, will be performing on Jan. 24 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, at 8 p.m. So Percussion has been called "brilliant" and "consistently impressive" by the New York Times. The young group met each other at Yale graduate school and have been performing together ever since. They memorize music rather than reading it, and frequently switch drums during pieces, giving their performances dynamic energy, much like the traditional Japanese drumming, taiko. They play a variety of instruments, from the traditional to the unconventional, including xylophones, flower pots and drain pipes. The group has performed at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York. The Boston Globe describes the concert as, "one with both kinds of blue hair…elderly matron here, arty punk there."

Richard Alston Dance Company

Richard Alston Dance Company, which originates in Britain, will be performing Jan. 26 and 27 in the Memorial Auditorium, at 8 p.m. Twelve dancers perform to piano rags by Scott Joplin, 17th century viola music, and a thunderous organ piece. Richard Alston is called, "one of the few real dance makers in the world" by The London Times. The company has received a great deal of critical acclaim. "The dancing exuded an intoxicating spontaneity, a feeling that seemed to shout, ‘Join us!’ The audience did so with huge applause," The Seattle Times said. The Daily Telegraph said, "Alston is incapable of producing an ugly moment – the company is superb." A post-performance lecture follows the Jan. 26 performance.

Ladysmith Black Mambozo

Ladysmith Black Mambozo, an a cappella group from South Africa, will be performing Jan. 28 in the Memorial Auditorium at 2:30 p.m. They perform traditional South Africa songs, born during the apartheid. The songs were sung by the African mine workers who had been separated from their homes and families. They accompanied Nelson Mandela when he received his Nobel Peace Prize, and also sang at his inauguration as President of South Africa. The Ladysmith Black Mambozo has received 12 Grammy nominations and two Grammy awards.

Roby Lakatos Ensemble

Roby Lakatos, a violinist, will be performing with an ensemble on Jan. 31 in Dinkelspiel Auditorium, at 8 p.m. He plays music ranging from classical, to jazz improvisation, to the traditional Gypsy style. His ensemble contains a second violinist, a cimbalomist, a pianist, a guitarist and a double bassist. The Daily Telegraph(London) says of Lakatos, "as for his playing, his immense control and exuberant inventiveness defied belief. I doubt whether I’ve ever seen a musician of such calm strength and charisma."

Ticket information can be found online at http://livelyarts.stanford.edu/tickets/. Tickets range in price from $44 to $24.