Season concert

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 Chorus & 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.

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" — you are invited to choose which Christmas carols VocalEssence will sing! Vote for your favorites at: www.vocalessence.org/carols. Voting is open until July 1, 2010.

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.
Subscribe to the 2010-2011 Season today!

 

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.  
 
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

A beloved Twin Cities holiday tradition, the annual VocalEssence Welcome Christmas concert celebrates the season this year with the glittering melodies of choral composer extraordinaire John Rutter. For more than three decades, Rutter’s festive carols, including “What Sweeter Music,” have provided the ideal soundtrack for the holiday season.

Singing with chamber orchestra, the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers will warm your hearts with traditional and brand new award-winning carols. Experience “the best show of the season by the best choral group around: VocalEssence.” (MPLS.ST.PAUL Magazine, December 2008). Philip Brunelle conducts.

Four performances:
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 (4 pm) - Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009 (7:30 pm) - Normandale Lutheran Church, Edina
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 (7:30 pm) - Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater
Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 (4 pm) - Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

 

Program

Premieres

• Welcome Christmas Carol Contest winning carols for chorus with viola
  Michael Glasgow, Welcome the King
  Robert Sieving, See, Amid the Winter’s Snow
• John Rutter, Carol of the Magi (United States premiere)

Additional Carols

• Bob Chilcott, The Heart-in-Waiting
• Felix Mendelssohn, Frohlocket, ihr Völker auf Erden
• Felix Mendelssohn, There Shall a Star Come Out of Jacob
• John Rutter, Brother Heinrich’s Christmas: A Fable with Music
• John Rutter, What Sweeter Music
• Arr. John Rutter, Away in a Manger
• Arr. John Rutter, Joy to the World
• Arr. John Rutter, Noel Nouvelet
• Arr. John Rutter, Past Three A-Clock
• Arr. John Rutter, The Holly and the Ivy

• Of Love & Angels
• British Invasion
• Star of Wonder
• Welcome Christmas
• Sing in the New Year
• WITNESS: Sweet Honey In The Rock
• Undiscovered Copland
• Mallets & Melodies

Remember that student tickets to VocalEssence concerts (ages 6-18 and college) are always half price and group discounts are available for groups of 10 or more! Ask about these discounts when you call for tickets.

Additional seating has been added! Tickets will be available at the on-site box office beginning an hour and a half before the concert.

A beloved Twin Cities holiday tradition, the annual VocalEssence Welcome Christmas concert celebrates the season this year with the glittering melodies of choral composer extraordinaire John Rutter. For more than three decades, Rutter’s festive carols, including “What Sweeter Music,” have provided the ideal soundtrack for the holiday season.

Singing with chamber orchestra, the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers will warm your hearts with traditional and brand new award-winning carols. Experience “the best show of the season by the best choral group around: VocalEssence.” (MPLS.ST.PAUL Magazine, December 2008). Philip Brunelle conducts.

Four performances:
Sunday, Dec. 6, 2009 (4 pm) - Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis
Friday, Dec. 11, 2009 (7:30 pm) - Normandale Lutheran Church, Edina
Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 (7:30 pm) - Trinity Lutheran Church, Stillwater
Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009 (4 pm) - Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis

 

Program

Premieres

• Welcome Christmas Carol Contest winning carols for chorus with viola
  Michael Glasgow, Welcome the King
  Robert Sieving, See, Amid the Winter’s Snow
• John Rutter, Carol of the Magi (United States premiere)

Additional Carols

• Bob Chilcott, The Heart-in-Waiting
• Felix Mendelssohn, Frohlocket, ihr Völker auf Erden
• Felix Mendelssohn, There Shall a Star Come Out of Jacob
• John Rutter, Brother Heinrich’s Christmas: A Fable with Music
• John Rutter, What Sweeter Music
• Arr. John Rutter, Away in a Manger
• Arr. John Rutter, Joy to the World
• Arr. John Rutter, Noel Nouvelet
• Arr. John Rutter, Past Three A-Clock
• Arr. John Rutter, The Holly and the Ivy