Season concert

Revered for his world-class settings of exhilarating spirituals and gospels, distinguished composer, educator, and conductor André Thomas is inspired by the incredible legacy of music created by his ancestors.

Joined by special guests The St. Olaf Choir and three distinguished Minnesota high school choirs, the VocalEssence Chorus will perform some of André Thomas’s most uplifting music—conducted by the composer himself.

Featuring special guests:

The St. Olaf Choir

The select choirs of:

• Central High School, Saint Paul
• Hastings High School 
• Washburn High School, Minneapolis

The young and young at heart are welcome at Star of Wonder, our annual one-hour family holiday concert. Youngsters are invited to sit up close as members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and the Mississippi Stars dance troupe perform festive and familiar holiday music, including a rousing “Twelve Days of Christmas” holiday sing-along. Bring the whole family!

Maria Jette, soprano
Lisa Drew, alto
James Taylor, tenor
Aaron Larson, bass
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
The Lyra Baroque Orchestra
Philip Brunelle, conductor

Savor the majestic beauty of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Mass in B minor, as you have never experienced it before—with a simultaneous screening of German director Bastian Clevé’s film The Sound of Eternity.

A lavish visual interpretation of Bach’s magnum opus, Clevé’s film is constructed of 27 short dialogue-free films that correspond to the 27-part musical structure of the Mass. Let the brilliance of the music and the dazzling imagery inspire you!

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Douglas Riva, piano
Gerardo Rábago, guest conductor

Discovered again nearly 100 years after its 1911 Barcelona premiere, Enrique Granados’s Cant de les estrelles (Song of the Stars) is truly a masterpiece. Written as a virtuoso piano concerto for the composer himself, accompanied by chorus and organ, this work gloriously combines modern romantic poetry and luxurious harmonies.

Never published, the score was recovered in 2004, in part through the efforts of American pianist Douglas Riva, who has been called “one of the principal apostles of Granados’ music” by El País Madrid. Guest conductor Gerardo Rábago leads this program, which also commemorates the 200th anniversary of Mexican independence.

Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 7:30 pm
   Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, Apple Valley
Sunday, December 5, 2010 at 4 pm
   Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis
Friday, December 10, 2010 at 7:30 pm
   Normandale Lutheran Church, Edina
Saturday, December 11, 2010 at 7:30 pm
   Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater
Sunday, December 12, 2010 at 4 pm
   Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

Welcome Christmas this season with songs of Christmas past, Christmas present, and Christmas yet to come!

Revel in "Christmas past" as Philip Brunelle and the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers revisit treasured holiday favorites from past years plus our traditional audience sing-along.

Unwrap a "Christmas present" with the world premieres of this year's Welcome Christmas Carol Contest winners. The acclaimed Twin Cities Bronze handbell choir will help us unveil these brand new carols.

As for "Christmas yet to come" —  this year, we invited our audience to vote for the Christmas carols VocalEssence will sing on the 2010 Welcome Christmas concerts. Voting closed on July 1, and we are pleased to announce the Philip Brunelle and Sigrid Johnson have programmed the top six carols to be sung this December. Here are the survey-winning carols:

      1. In the Bleak Midwinter
      2. Lo, How a Rose
      3. Still, Still, Still
      4. O Holy Night
      5. Angels We Have Heard on High
      6. Ding Dong Merrily on High

SPECIAL EVENT Presented by VocalEssence and Minnesota Public Radio

Gather your family and friends together for a festive celebration of timeless Thanksgiving traditions! Garrison Keillor joins VocalEssence with special guests vocalist Jearlyn Steele and pianist Rich Dworsky for this spirited holiday event. We’ll provide the perfect mixture of ingredients — music, memories, and a monologue — but leave the cooking to you!

What will you discover in 2010-2011?

From a comic opera to a celebration of gratitude with Garrison Keillor...
 
From timeless holiday traditions to spirituals steeped in history...

From romantic piano and luxurious harmonies to a contemporary film paired with the choral masterpiece that inspired its creation...
 
Our commitment to innovation and collaboration has resulted in award-winning programming for 41 seasons.  Discover something new with VocalEssence.

Subscriptions are now on sale for the 2010-2011 VocalEssence Season. Call 612-371-5642 for assistance or place your order online.

Download a copy of the brand new 2010-2011 Season Brochure
(5 MB)

Subscriber Benefits

PREMIUM SAVINGS WITH PREFERRED SEATING
Take advantage of the best deal of the season—subscribers SAVE UP TO 28% on tickets and receive the BEST SEATS in the house!

Subscribers can also ADD ADDITIONAL TICKETS to their subscription and pay NO PROCESSING FEES on single ticket purchases all season long!
 
MAXIMUM FLEXIBILITY & CONVENIENCE
Only subscribers receive FREE TICKET EXCHANGES for any performance during the season! (Day of concert exchanges are subject to a $4.75 exchange fee.) Subscribers also receive FREE LOST TICKET REPLACEMENT.
 
PAY IN INSTALLMENTS
Pay only 50% today to secure your subscription (credit card only). The balance will be automatically charged to the same credit card on July 1, 2010.
 
STAY UPDATED
Provide us with your email address and we’ll send you exclusive ADVANCE PROGRAM E-NOTES by email about a week before each season concert, including links to directions, parking, and dining information!

Is he the leader of his country…or the leader of the rebel opposition…or both? Accompany the adventures of the cavalier and conniving “Don Medigua” in John Philip Sousa’s classic piece of American musical theater, written in the style of Gilbert & Sullivan. All’s well that ends well with tangled tales of love, politics, and a happily ever after.  

To add to the celebration, collegiate marching bands will perform Sousa marches outside Ted Mann from 7:15-7:45 pm as patrons arrive. On Friday, October 8 the St. Thomas University Marching Band (Matthew George, director) will appear; on Saturday, October 9 the University of Minnesota Marching Band (Jerry Luckhardt, director) will perform. Prior to the Saturday evening performance director Vern Sutton will be our guest for a Concert Conversation at 7 pm.
 
Featuring Bradley Greenwald as Don Medigua and El Capitan
with
Lauren Asheim – Isabel
Christina Baldwin – Estrelda
Deric Craig – Cazarro
Dan Dressen – Verrada
Janis Hardy – Princess
James Ramlet – Scaramba
Vern Sutton – Pozzo
VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers with orchestra
Conducted by Philip Brunelle
Semi-staged and directed by Vern Sutton

Celebrate Mexican music traditions of past and present at the second ¡Cantaré! Community Concert. New choral works written by Mexican composers Jesús López, Diana Syrse, and Jorge Córdoba will be performed by Twin Cities area school and community choirs along with the VocalEssence Chorus under the direction of Philip Brunelle.

Performers:
Andover High School, Andover
Washburn High School, Minneapolis
Como Park High School, Saint Paul
Burroughs Community School, Minneapolis
Adams Spanish Immersion, Saint Paul
Latino Children’s Choir, hosted/organized by Church of the Ascension, Minneapolis
VocalEssence Chorus with Philip Brunelle, conductor