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Critics’ picks: The 11 best things to do and see in the Twin Cities this week

By Star Tribune Staff Star Tribune | February 23, 2023 startribune.com/muse-chapel-hart-vocalessence-dona-peron-bob-weir-resurgence-kahlil-robert-irving-evanescence/600253755/?refresh=true Critics’ picks for entertainment in the week ahead. Muse & Evanescence Minneapolis is the second stop on a tour that kicks off Saturday in Chicago, so it’s impossible to say what the arty, Rush-channeling British rockers in Muse will have up their sleeves. Their…  Read More

VocalEssence Strategic Plan 2022-2025

VocalEssence celebrates singing as an essential human expression. Artistic quality, passion for singing together, and reputation for engaging people are hallmarks of our impact. As our community changes, we have developed this strategic plan to address our future in three key areas, keeping singing together at the center of our work.

Joe Davis with an orange background, Photo Credit: Ryan Stopera

WITNESS: Reawakening Love Digital Concert Program

FEATURING: Joe Davis and The Poetic Diaspora VocalEssence Chorus VocalEssence Ensemble Singers VocalEssence Singers Of This Age VocalEssence Vintage Voices Kristianna Marks, soprano soloist Mary Jo Gothmann, piano Philip Brunelle, conductor G . Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Planned Giving Options

Make Beautiful Music Last Forever Thank you for considering a gift to support VocalEssence to draw upon the power of singing together to nurture community, inspire creativity, affirm the value of all persons, and expand the influence of choral music. We know you support our work because you believe in what we do and because…

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and WCCO anchors pose for a photo in front of Christmas trees at WCCO, photo credit Jennifer Weismann

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age Perform at WCCO Holiday Tree Lighting

Members of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age were honored to be invited—for the second year in a row—to sing for the annual WCCO Home for the Holidays Community Tree lighting ceremony on Wednesday, November 30. They performed holiday favorites to set the mood! Click the button below to watch their performance. WATCH NOW Each…

VOCALESSENCE, ARTIST JOE DAVIS AND THE NEW RENAISSANCE TO BEAR WITNESS IN SHOW HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com   VOCALESSENCE, ARTIST JOE DAVIS AND THE NEW RENAISSANCE  TO BEAR WITNESS IN SHOW HONORING BLACK HISTORY MONTH  WITNESS: Reawakening Love Will Fuse Musical Styles into a Joyous Celebration  at Orchestra Hall on Feb. 26  MINNEAPOLIS—December 8, 2022—Stories of struggle, resilience and celebration come to musical life through an…  Read More

Behind the Music—Felix and Fanny Mendelssohn

Across the history of Western classical music, rarely do we find two major composers whose journeys toward artistic maturity were as closely intertwined as Fanny and Felix Mendelssohn’s. Born just over three years apart (Fanny on November 14, 1805, Felix on February 3, 1809), they were the oldest of four children born to Abraham and…

Stewart Copeland

Stewart Copeland: interview with Jill Riley

by Jill Riley The Current | May 6, 2022 https://www.thecurrent.org/feature/2022/05/06/stewart-copeland-police-composer-vocalessence-interview-with-jill-riley Stewart Copeland rose to international renown for his work as a drummer for the innovative rock band, the Police. Beyond his work as a rock drummer, Copeland has also forged a successful career as a composer, creating music for films, television and the stage. He…  Read More

Stewart Copeland

VocalEssence Perform Choir Composition by The Police’s Stewart Copeland

by Steve Marsh Mpls.St.Paul Magazine | May 7, 2022 https://mspmag.com/arts-and-culture/police-drummer-stewart-copeland-vocalessence/  The Police drummer Stewart Copeland is in St. Paul this weekend for the regional premiere of his new chorale piece inspired by Paradise Lost. Courtesy of Shayne Gray Stewart Copeland is in St. Paul this weekend to debut his new chorale piece Satan’s Fall, sung by the vaunted VocalEssence…  Read More

Satan falling with clouds and beams of light

Satan’s Fall Biographies

Jamie Chamberlain, soprano Praised for her “shimmering tones” and “star­ struck vulnerability” by Opera News, Greek-­American Soprano Jamie Chamberlin is recognized for her versatility as both a singer and as an actress. ArtsInLA hailed her role debut as Cunegonde in Long Beach Operaʼs Candide as “jaw­dropping”. Most recently at LBO, Ms. Chamberlin earned rave reviews for her…

In loving memory of Sigrid Johnson (1952—2022)

So many thoughts fill my mind thinking of dear Sigrid, affectionately known to all singers as “Ears Johnson” for she truly had the most amazing way of discerning the sound of each individual voice. For 24 years at VocalEssence she was my colleague, my musical conscience, a joyful supporter for a great realm of music,…

The big gigs: 10 concerts to see in the Twin Cities this week

By Chris Riemenschneider, Jon Bream and Rob Hubbard  Star Tribune | March 2, 2022 https://www.startribune.com/the-big-gigs-10-concerts-to-see-in-the-twin-cities-dua-lipa-connie-han-kiss-the-tiger-rick-wakeman/600152050/ Live music highlights for March 4-9 include Dua Lipa, First Ave’s Best New Bands, the Beths, VocalEssence and more. Friday, March 4 First Avenue’s Best New Bands: Don’t worry, the two-month postponement of this annual roundup of Minnesota buzzmakers didn’t take away any of…  Read More

Georg Philip Telemann | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer George Philip Telemann. Georg Philip Telemann 1681-1767 Georg Philip Telemann was a German Baroque composer and multi-instrumentalist. Almost completely self-taught in music, he became a composer against his family’s wishes. After studying in Magdeburg, Zellerfeld,…  Read More

John Joubert | Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle

In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer John Joubert. John Joubert 1927-2019 Born in Cape Town in 1927, John Joubert’s compositional career stretched over 70 years. His schooling took place at an Anglican foundation run on the lines of an English public…  Read More

Music review: VocalEssence, Bach Society deliver healthy dose of rejoicing in ‘Christmas Oratorio’

By SHEILA REGAN Pioneer Press | December 4, 2021  https://www.twincities.com/2021/12/04/music-review-vocalessence-bach-society-deliver-healthy-dose-of-rejoicing-in-christmas-oratorio/  Decked out with birch trees and wreaths, the Basilica of Saint Mary in downtown Minneapolis brought in the Christmas season when the combined forces of VocalEssence and the Bach Society of Minnesota presented four of the six Cantatas that make up Johann Sebastian Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio.” Situated…  Read More