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 →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Alberto Grau. Alberto Grau b. 1937 Alberto Grau is arguably one of the most influential contemporary Venezuelan choral composers and conductors of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. His books on choral conducting and composition, The… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer McNeil Robinson. McNeil Robinson 1943-2015 McNeil Robinson was an acclaimed American organist, composer, and teacher. As a teenager he studied piano at the conservatory there and performed as a soloist with the Birmingham Symphony, now… Read More →
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jennifer Weismann 612-716-0556 Jennifer@owl-marketing.com PHILIP BRUNELLE’S ‘MUSICAL MOMENTS’ REACHES 250 EPISODE MILESTONE (PLUS SPECIAL BONUS TRACK) VocalEssence pandemic programming about diverse choral composers concludes, takes on new life as worldwide choral educational tool MINNEAPOLIS—MAY 6, 2021—A web series conceived as a temporary pandemic response by a choral conductor unable to perform in public will conclude May 6 after 250 episodes (plus one), and will enter a new phase of reach and longevity, helping choral conductors around… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Edward Elgar. This episode features Mezzo-Soprano Clara Osowski. Edward Elgar 1857-1934 The British composer Edward Elgar was a composer and violinist whose compositional methods led to an ambitious output of works. His family was musical… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer César Franck. César Franck 1822-1890 César Franck, Belgian-French Romantic composer, organist, and music educator was one of the most powerful French composers in the second half of the 19th- century. Franck showed unmistakable musical gifts… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Claude Debussy. Claude Debussy 1862-1918 French composer and pianist, Claude Debussy, known for his operas, symphonic music and his works for the piano, remains one of the most commonly-performed composers of the late nineteenth century.… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Arthur Honegger. Arthur Honegger 1892-1955 Arthur Honegger was born to Swiss parents, but spent much of his life composing in Paris. As a child, he studied violin and harmony privately in Le Havre and spent… Read More →
By Terry Blain | Special to the Star Tribune Published: AUGUST 9, 2020 — 2:00PM https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-icon-philip-brunelle-shares-8-great-musical-moments-in-his-life/572044472/?refresh=true As Minnesota legend Philip Brunelle presents his 100th webcast Monday, he shares a few personal tales. When the coronavirus crisis hit, Philip Brunelle started talking, and he has been talking ever since. The result? A string of “Musical… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Hall Johnson. Hall Johnson 1888-1970 Hall Johnson was one of a number of African American composers and arrangers who elevated the spiritual to an art form. Johnson received an extensive education, including time at the… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Lili Boulanger. He is joined by mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski. Lili Boulanger 1893-1918 Although her life was short and fraught with illness, the gifted French composer Lili Boulanger contributed numerous stunning pieces for choir. She was… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Lennox Berkeley. He is joined by mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski. Lennox Berkeley 1903-1989 The skilled composer Sir Lennox Berkeley composed in many different genres, but especially found acclaim with his gorgeous choral pieces. He was born… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Hector Berlioz. Hector Berlioz 1803-1869 During his lifetime, the music of the innovative French conductor and composer Hector Berlioz was highly controversial. The son of a doctor, Berlioz defied his parents’ wishes for him to… Read More →
In this Musical Moment, VocalEssence artistic director and founder Philip Brunelle shares insider information and beautiful music by the composer Gabriel Fauré. Gabriel Fauré 1845-1924 As one of the leading French composers of the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-centuries, Gabriel Fauré played an integral role in the development of French music. Outside of his work… Read More →
FEATURING: VocalEssence Chorus VocalEssence Ensemble Singers VocalEssence Singers Of This Age VocalEssence Vintage Voices Brass and Percussion Ensemble Mary Jo Gothmann, piano and organ Philip Brunelle, conductor G . Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor
