What a difference eight years can make–in 2018 he was John Rutter, now he is SIR John Rutter! It is a delight to welcome back my friend–our friend–as we celebrate his music under his baton.

Rutter’s music for Christmas and Epiphany has touched millions of hearts over the years and I am delighted that today’s concert will include some of these wonderful settings in his infectious style. Of course, all the VocalEssence singers are thrilled to perform this music–under the composer’s direction!

It is also a great honor that we can sing the United States premiere of Sir John’s recent composition, “I’ll Make Me A World,” and do so on the weekend recognizing the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The text is by James Weldon Johnson, a national organizer for the NAACP and an important figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Johnson’s parents immigrated from the Bahamas to Florida, where he was born, and he worked as an educator, journalist, and lawyer. He is possibly best known for writing the song “Lift Every Voice and Sing” on the occasion of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday in 1900.

Welcome back to VocalEssence: Sir John Rutter!

—Phillip Brunelle
Artistic Director and Founder, VocalEssence

All selections composed and conducted by John Rutter

VOCALESSENCE CHORUS

All Bells in Paradise (2012)

Look at the World (1996)

VOCALESSENCE ENSEMBLE SINGERS

New Year (2007)

When Music Sounds (2018)

Carol of the Magi (2010)

VOCALESSENCE CHORUS AND ENSEMBLE SINGERS

Here We Come A-Wassailing (1969)

What Is This Lovely Fragrance? (1980)

For the Beauty of the Earth (1980)

All Things Bright and Beautiful (1988)

I Saw Three Ships (1967)

I’ll Make Me a World (2025)
Audrey Lane-Getaz and G. Phillip Shoultz, III, soloists
United States Premiere

ALL BELLS IN PARADISE
John Rutter (2012)

Deep in the cold of winter,
Darkness and silence were everywhere;
Softly and clearly, there came through the stillness
A wonderful sound to hear:

Refrain: All bells in paradise I heard them ring,
Sounding in majesty the news that they bring;
All bells in paradise I heard them ring,
Welcoming our Savior, born on earth a heavenly King.
All bells in paradise I heard them ring:
‘Glory to God on high’ the angel voices sing.

Lost in awe and wonder,
Doubting, I asked what this sign might be:
Christ our Messiah revealed in a stable,
A marvellous sight to see. Refrain:

He comes down in peace, a child in humility,
The keys to His kingdom belong to the poor;
Before Him shall kneel the kings with their treasures,
Gold, incense and myrrh. Refrain:
—John Rutter

LOOK AT THE WORLD
John Rutter (1996)

Look at the world, everything all around us:
Look at the world, and marvel everyday.
Look at the world: so many joys and wonders,
So many miracles along our way.

Refrain: Praise to thee, O Lord, for all creation,
Give us thankful hearts, that we may see:
All the gifts we share, and every blessing,
All things come of thee.

Look at the earth bringing forth fruit and flower;
Look at the sky, the sunshine and the rain;
Look at the hills, look at the trees and mountains,
Valley and flowing river, field and plain. Refrain:

Think of the spring, think of the warmth of summer
Bringing the harvest before the winter’s cold.
Everything grows, everything has a season,
Till it is gathered to the Father’s fold. Refrain:

Every good gift, all that we need and cherish
Comes from the Lord in token of his love;
We are his hands, stewards of all his bounty;
His is the earth, and his the heavens above. Refrain:
—John Rutter

NEW YEAR
John Rutter (2007)

Turn your eyes to the light;
Cast away the works of darkness, let them go:
Turn your eyes to the light.

Turn your face to the sun;
Feel the warmth, the hope of new beginnings
With each new year.

The light was always there, if we could but see it;
And warmth was in the air, if we’d known how to feel.

Turn your eyes to the light,
Turn your face to the sun:
New light, new hope, new year.

Turn your ears to the sound;
Somewhere near, a voice is calling:
Hear the news, turn your ears to the sound.

Turn your heart to the love;
Christ is come to bring the world new life.

The voice is always there, if the world will hear it;
And love is always there, if you search in your heart.

Turn your ears to the sound,
Turn your heart to the love:
New life, new love, new year.

New life, and love, and light, and hope,
This good New Year.
—John Rutter

WHEN MUSIC SOUNDS
John Rutter (2018)

When music sounds, gone is the earth I know,
And all her lovely things even lovelier grow,
Her flowers in vision flame, her forest trees
Lift burdened branches, stilled with ecstasies.

When music sounds, out of the water rise
Naiads whose beauty dims my waking eyes,
Rapt in strange dreams burns each enchanted face,
With solemn echoing stirs their dwelling-place.

When music sounds, all that I was I am
Ere to this haunt of brooding dust I came;
While from Time’s woods break into distant song
The swift-winged hours, as I hasten along.
—Walter de la Mare

CAROL OF THE MAGI
John Rutter (2010)

We rode all night through fields of darkness,
Our guiding light the Eastern star;
We came to Bethlehem, we all were weary;
We’d travelled far that night, we’d travelled far.

We heard that here we’d find Messiah,
Foretold by seers from days of old;
We looked for palaces and found a stable,
Could it be here, so bare and cold?

We entered in and there we saw him;
It seemed we’d known him from long before:
A child like any child, yet somehow different:
The face of every child in him we saw.

We’d brought him gifts, and now we offered them;
We knelt down low in silent prayer.
With eyes that seemed to know both joy and sadness
The child looked down as we knelt there.

So long ago, yet I remember
That child who lay at Mary’s knee;
How strange that every child seems so much like him:
His is the face I seem to see.
—John Rutter

HERE WE COME A-WASSAILING
arr. John Rutter (1969)

Here we come a-wassailing among the leaves so green;
Here we come a-wandering so fair to be seen.

Refrain: Love and joy come to you, and to you your wassail too,
And God bless you, and send you a Happy New Year.

Our wassail cup is made of the rosemary tree,
And so is your beer of the best barley. Refrain:

We are not daily beggars that beg from door to door,
But we are neighbors’ children whom you have seen before. Refrain:

Call up the butler of this house; put on his golden ring;
Let him bring us up a glass of beer, and better we shall sing. Refrain:

We have got a little purse of stretching leather skin;
We want a little of your money to line it well within. Refrain:

Bring us out a table, and spread it with a cloth;
Bring us out a moldy cheese, and some Christmas loaf. Refrain:

God bless the master of this house, likewise the mistress too;
And all the little children that round the table go. Refrain:

Good master and good mistress, while you’re sitting by the fire,
Pray think of us poor children who are wandering in the mire. Refrain:
—Traditional English carol

WHAT IS THIS LOVELY FRAGRANCE?
arr. John Rutter (1980)

What is this lovely fragrance flowing,
Stealing our senses all away?
Never the like did come a-blowing,
Shepherds, in flowery fields in May.

What is that light so brilliant, breaking
Here in the night across our eyes?
Never so bright, the day-star waking,
Started to climb the morning skies!

Bethlehem! there in manger lying,
Find your Redeemer haste away!
Run ye with eager footsteps hieing!
Worship the Saviour born today!
—Old French carol, English translation by A.B. Ramsay

FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH
arr. John Rutter (1980)

For the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Refrain: Love of all, to thee we raise
This our joyful hymn of praise.

For the beauty of the hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light. Refrain:

For the joy of human love,
Brother, sister, parent, child,
Friends on earth and friends above,
For all gentle thoughts and mild. Refrain:

For each perfect gift of thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces human and divine,
Flowers of earth and buds of heaven. Refrain:
—Folliott Sandford Pierpoint

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL
John Rutter (1988)

Refrain: All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colors,
He made their tiny wings. Refrain:

The purple-headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;

The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,
He made them every one; Refrain:

He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well. Refrain:
—Cecil Frances Alexander

I SAW THREE SHIPS
arr. John Rutter (1967)

I saw three ships come sailing in,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

And what was in those ships all three?
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

Our Saviour Christ and his lady.
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

Pray, whither sailed those ships all three?
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

O, they sailed into Bethlehem.
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

And all the bells on earth shall ring,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

And all the angels in heaven shall sing,
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.

And all the souls on earth shall sing.
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day

Then let us all rejoice a-main!
On Christmas Day, on Christmas Day.
—English traditional carol

I’LL MAKE ME A WORLD
John Rutter (2025)

And God stepped out on space,
And He looked around and said:
“I’m lonely–
I’ll make me a world.”

As far as the eye of God could see
Darkness covered everything,
Blacker than a hundred midnights
Down in a cypress swamp.

Then God smiled,
And the light broke,
And the darkness rolled up on one side,
And the light stood shining on the other,
And God said: “That’s good!”

Then God reached out and took the light in His hands,
And God rolled the light around in His hands
Until He made the sun;
And He set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered it up in a shining ball
And flung it against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world;
And God said: “That’s good!”

Then God Himself stepped down–
And the sun was on His right hand,
And the moon was on His left;
The stars were clustered about His head,
And the earth was under His feet.
And God walked, and where He trod
His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
And bulged the mountains up.

Then He stopped and looked and saw
That the earth was hot and barren.
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas–
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed–
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled–
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.

Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared
And curled itself around His shoulder.

Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said: Bring forth! Bring forth!
And quicker than God could drop His hand,
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said: “That’s good!”

Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that He had mad.
He looked at his sun,
And He looked at his moon,
And He looked at his little stars;
He looked on His world
With all its living things,
And God said: “I’m lonely still.”

Then God sat down
On the side of a hill where He could think;
By a deep, wide river He sat down;
With His head in His hands,
God thought and thought,
Till He thought, “I’ll make me a man!”

Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand;
This great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
—The Creation Story retold by James Weldon Johnson

SIR JOHN RUTTER
Guest conductor, Composer

John Rutter was born in London and studied music at Clare College, Cambridge. He first came to notice as a composer during his student years; much of his early work consisted of church music and other choral pieces including Christmas carols. From 1975–79 he was Director of Music at his alma mater, Clare College, and directed the college chapel choir in various recordings and broadcasts. Since 1979 he has divided his time between composition and conducting. Today his compositions, including such concert-length works as Requiem, Magnificat, Mass of the Children, The Gift of Life, and Visions are performed around the world. His music has featured in a number of British royal occasions, including the two most recent royal weddings. He edits the Oxford Choral Classics series, and, with Sir David Willcocks, co-edited four volumes of Carols for Choirs. In 1983 he formed his own choir the Cambridge Singers, with whom he has made numerous recordings, and he appears regularly in several countries as guest conductor and choral ambassador. He holds a Lambeth Doctorate in Music, and in 2007 was awarded a CBE for services to music. In September 2023, he received the Ivors Academy Fellowship, and was knighted in the 2024 King’s Birthday Honours.

ORCHESTRA

FLUTE
Bethany Summersgill

CLARINET/BASS CLARINET
Paul Schulz

TRUMPET
Jonathan Brandt

HORN
Allison Akins

TROMBONE
Phil Ostrander

PERCUSSION
Will Kemperman

VIOLIN
Kseniya Khvashchynskaya
Stephanie Skor

VIOLA
Anne Ainomae

CELLO
Rebecca Arons

BASS
Charles Block

HARP
Anna Koopmann

ORGAN
Christopher Ganza

PIANO
Philip Brunelle

FEATURED SOLOISTS

AUDREY LANE-GETAZ
Soloist

Audrey Lane-Getaz is a graduate of St. Olaf College, where she earned a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. During her time at St. Olaf, she cultivated a strong foundation in choral and solo singing while engaging deeply with the college’s rich musical tradition. Since graduating, Audrey has been working as a paraprofessional at a public charter school just outside of Northfield, where she supports students in their academic and personal growth. She finds meaningful connections between her work in education and her passion for music. Audrey has been a member of VocalEssence for three years and is grateful for the opportunity to continue making music in a collaborative and inspiring choral community.

G. PHILLIP SHOULTZ, III
Soloist

G. Phillip Shoultz, III is highly regarded for his ability to interpret and perform in a variety of vocal genres and styles. Equally comfortable on the recital stage and the at the piano bench, Phillip is often called to lead worship and music liturgy for national conferences and serves as resident guest musician for Luther Seminary. A former winner of NATS state and regional competitions, Phillip has sung professionally in a number of American ensembles including Atlanta-based, Coro Vocati and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Chorale. He has appeared abroad as a soloist in Estonia, Finland, Germany, and Russia with American choirs, and has been selected to sing with project-based choirs in Germany (Weimar Bach Academy) and England (CS Lewis Institute).

For 57 years, VocalEssence has provided opportunities for singers from the Twin Cities area to create incredible music together and build connections as part of the vibrant arts community in Minnesota.

VocalEssence is known for introducing audiences to music and artists who are not yet known, often welcoming guest artists, composers, and conductors who are emerging, have unknown works, or represent a variety of cultures. Welcoming all members of the greater community, VocalEssence embodies the motto: Together We Sing.

VOCALESSENCE MISSION
VocalEssence draws upon the power of singing together to nurture community, inspire creativity, affirm the value of all persons, and expand the influence of choral music.

PHILIP BRUNELLE
Artistic Director and Founder
Philip Brunelle, artistic director and founder of VocalEssence 57 years ago, is an internationally-renowned conductor, choral scholar, and visionary. Philip has conducted symphonies, choral festivals, and operas on six continents. He holds five honorary degrees, served 9 years as Vice President of IFCM (International Federation for Choral Music), and has been recognized for his commitment to choral music by the governments of Norway, Hungary, Sweden, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. In 2019, he was awarded the American Prize in Choral Conducting and, in 2020, was given the Honorary Member Award by the Society for American Music. Last fall Philip was appointed a National Arts Associate of the Sigma Alpha Iota Music Fraternity. Philip is also Organist-Choirmaster at Plymouth Congregational Church, Minneapolis. During the pandemic Philip recorded 300 “Musical Moments” which can be accessed at vocalessence.org/category/musical-moments and his thoughts on music are at RenaissanceManpodcast.com. Philip and his wife Carolyn, a studio artist, have 3 children (Tim, Christopher, and Elise) and 7 grandchildren.

G. PHILLIP SHOULTZ, III
Associate Artistic Director
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, associate artistic director, inspires action and fosters community among people of all ages and abilities through song and spoken word. He is Artistic Director of Sing Democracy 250, a national initiative of the Together In Hope Project, and the University of Minnesota Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Concert. Phillip is Cantor for Worship, Music, and the Arts at Westwood Lutheran Church and serves on the faculty of the University of St. Thomas, where he leads the Graduate Choral Conducting program. Phillip gives voice to the Songs of Freedom series on Minnesota Public Radio and hosts concerts for the Minnesota Orchestra. He creates content for SonoVoice (the Fitbit for voice) and is founder of “Table for More”, a platform addressing issues of innovation, equity, racial justice, and belonging in the arts. Phillip is engaged across the U.S. and beyond as a conductor, clinician, and worship curator/leader. He is published with Galaxy Music and is the winner of numerous honors, including the ACDA Graduate Conducting Competition and multiple Teacher of the Year awards. Phillip lives in St. Louis Park with his wife, Michelle, and their two children (Malachi and Lydia Grace).

ROBERT GRAHAM
Learning and Engagement Manager
Conductor, Vintage Voices
Robert Graham is the Learning and Engagement Manager at VocalEssence where he serves as the conductor for the VocalEssence Vintage Voices choirs, and oversees the renowned VocalEssence WITNESS School Program. Robert has a Master of Music degree in both vocal performance and choral conducting from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, and a B.A. in vocal performance from Xavier University of Louisiana. Robert currently serves as a section leader of the adult choir at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Minneapolis, sings second tenor in the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, and also
performs around the Twin Cities as a solo and chamber musician.

CASEY RAFN
Accompanist
Pianist Casey Rafn enjoys a varied career as a collaborative pianist both in the United States and abroad, in Europe and Latin America. He is a member of ‘Trés’, whose saxophone-piano trio was just nominated for a Latin Grammy for Best Instrumental Album for their new album “Romance al Campesino Porteño.” Casey often collaborates in concert or recordings with members of the Minnesota Orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and University of Minnesota School of Music faculty. As a piano soloist he took top prizes at the International Liszt-Garrison Competition in Baltimore, has appeared with the Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra, and has taught at both the University of Minnesota School of Music and the St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Arts.

JOHN JENSEN
Accompanist, VocalEssence Vintage Voices
John Jensen received his music degrees in Southern California, where he attended Occidental College and University of Southern California. While there he free-lanced as a studio musician, playing on the Andy Williams show and touring the country with prominent singers through Columbia Artists Management. He moved to Iowa and taught for 15 years at Grinnell College as an artist-in-residence. In 1990, John moved to St. Paul and has played with VocalEssence, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He plays jazz and classical piano around the area, including performances with the Bloomingtones, a traveling senior choir based in Bloomington, MN. In 2023, John recorded a piano concerto by the late Paul Reale with the Yale Symphony Orchestra at Yale University which was released by Naxos records.

VOCALESSENCE CHORUS

The VocalEssence Chorus is a group of talented and enthusiastic singers from many different walks of life, united by their love of singing and community. Performing a wide variety of musical styles, premiering new works, and sharing the stage with a diverse array of guest artists, the Chorus is a welcome home for singers who wish to continue making music throughout their adult lives.

SOPRANO
Ann Ambach
AnnaLisa Anderson
Madison Asher
Jessica Belt
Christine Boone
Ashley Brandt
Kate Brinkert
Corey Cellurale
Lorinda Chagnon
Marie Colangelo
Amanda Connolly
Emily Dyrdahl
Katie Eilers
Eva Gibney-Jones
Lillian Gray
Kristina M. Guiffre
Rebecca Hovsepian
Claire Huber
Sally Jaffray
Elinor Jones
Maggie Koebele
Laura Langan
Clara Lindwood
Christina Pederson
Venessa Rockwell
Alexa Rosenbaum
Mary Salveson
Emma Schlabach
Emily D. Seifers
Ashley Slattery
Leah Sovick
Abbie Sulik
Dana Terres
Amanda Troolin
Kat True
Jen Vickerman Akaolisa
Soliyana Woldu
Dannika Wright

ALTO
Akosua Obuo Addo
Azure Anderson
Johanna Beaupre
Jo Michelle Beld
Katelyn Belden
Maria Coughlan
Mary Depew
Maggie Driemeyer
Nancy Jo Goettl
Autumn Gurgel Valentini
Meg Hanna
Dee Hein
Grace Herbertz
Brianna Hill
Grace Hjort
Tori Hornby
Emma Jirele Sandhurst
Katie Kovacovich
Ruby Lindholm Kramer
Annie Krishnan
Jessica Laven Johnson
Jeenee Lee
Carly Lunden
Danica McDonald
Kristi Mueller
Elizabeth Neuenfeldt
Jillian Paulson
Liz Raimann
Marty Raymond
Miriam Sahouani
Erin Sandsmark
Lisa K. Schalla
Sydney Schoeberle
Sarah Taft
Allie Wigley

TENOR
Erik Adolphson
Steve Aggergaard
Brett Bacon
Larry J Brandts
Bjorn Christ
Dante Colmenares
Ryan Coopergard
Alexander Cox
Mary Kay Delvo
Ben Demaree
Tim Emery
James Feltes II
Kurtis Parlin
Thomas Sasdi
Peter Carlson Schattauer
Barry John Tikalsky

BASS
Robert Atendido
Seth R. Bresky
David Castro
Garret Fettig
Ja’wan Footman
Adam Hecker
Russ Kaplan
Evan Clay Kelly
Jordan Kiffmeyer
Devin Knopf
Jeff League
Philip Lowry
Nicholas Marcouiller
Thomas Mondry
Nicholas Mroczek
Milo Oien-Rochat
David Olson
Ron Pearson
Brian D. Ruhl
Grant Spickelmier
Trent Stenoien
Jacob Weindling

VOCALESSENCE ENSEMBLE SINGERS

The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers have established an international reputation because of their extensive catalog of recordings and broad range of unique repertoire. This chamber choir, whose members hail from a wide variety of professions, is bound together by their skilled artistry to create what The Times of London has described as a “flawless” sound.

SOPRANO
Jennifer Bevington
Katie Boardman
Elsa Buck
Chloe Johnson
JoAnna Johnson
Kathryn Rupp
Mari Scott
Carey Shunskis

ALTO
Robin Joy Helgen
Patty Kramer
Audrey Lane-Getaz
Anna George Meek
Judith McClain Melander
Carolyn Nuelle
Kristina Rodel Sorum
Catherine Terres

TENOR
Will Berendsen
Ben Brunnette
Eli Gatlin-Baumgartner
Robert J. Graham
Jonah Herzog
Andy McCullough
Phil Reilly

BASS
Dakota Andersen
Joseph Ellickson
David Gindra
Joe Kastner
Erik Krohg
Dr. Michael P. Schmidt
Benjamin Shermock
Ian Witry

VOCALESSENCE SINGERS OF THIS AGE

The VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (SOTA) is a community of Twin Cities teenagers engaged in expanding what it means to be a choir and, encouraging a wider circle of participation in the artform. Presenting music ranging from classical to hip-hop, they use creativity and collaboration to build an accepting community, equipped with the skills to lead social change in our society.

VOCALESSENCE VINTAGE VOICES

VocalEssence Vintage Voices is an exciting choral program that integrates the arts into the everyday lives of older adults. Guided by a desire to create a welcoming atmosphere and remove barriers for participation, these choirs sing to build community, combat loneliness and isolation, and improve physical and emotional wellbeing.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Daniel Fernelius
President

Valton Henderson
Vice President, Board Affairs Committee Chair

Dan Dressen
Secretary

Kristen Hoeschler O’Brien
Treasurer

Carolina Maranon-Cobos
Past President

Timothy C. Takach
Learning & Engagement Committee Chair

Torrie Allen
Philip Brunelle
Ben Brunnette
Ryan French
Cassandra Garnett
Brianna Hill
Novelli Jurado
Daniel Kantor
Laurie Ledoux
Lisa Merklin Lewis
Rhoda Mhiripiri-Reed
Dr. Kristin Morris
Kristine Oberg
Anna Ostroushko
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Eve Schulte
Jeff Smith
Bob Thacker
Mary Tjosvold
Elizabeth Truesdell Smith
Amy Jaine Wielunski

LIFETIME DIRECTORS
Ann Barkelew
Ann Buran
Art Kaemmer*
Nikki Lewis
Mike McCarthy*
Dave Mona
Fred Moore
Don Shelby
Dorene Wernke

HONORARY DIRECTORS
Dominick Argento*
William Bolcom
Dave Brubeck*
Stewart Copeland
Aaron Copland*
Håkan Hagegård
Louise Heffelfinger*
Eskil Hemberg*
Betty Hulings*
Sigrid Johnson*
James Earl Jones*
Garrison Keillor
Sir James MacMillan
Donald Mitchell*
Helmuth Rilling
John Rutter
Peter Schickele
Dr. André J. Thomas
Eric Whitacre
Roderick Williams OBE
*In remembrance

VOCALESSENCE STAFF

ARTISTIC STAFF
Philip Brunelle
Artistic Director and Founder

G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Associate Artistic Director

Robert Graham
Learning and Engagement Manager | Conductor, Vintage Voices

Casey Rafn
Accompanist

John Jensen
Accompanist, Vintage Voices

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
Azure Anderson
Events and Operations Manager

Jeff Bina
Director of Finance and Operations

Rhiannon Fiskradatz
Learning and Engagement Manager

Laura Holst
Development and Marketing Associate

Emma Jirele Sandhurst
Engagement and Communications Manager 

Ethan Kellum Johnson
Director of Artistic Operations

Amanda Timmer
Director of Marketing and Communications

Amy Jaine Wielunski
Executive Director

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Anonymous
Annette Atkins
Mary Ann Aufderheide
Carol Brandenburg
Larry J. Brandts
Dan Dressen and Elisabeth Comeaux
Ryan and Jenny French
Wayne and Meg Gisslen
Lucy R. Jones and Jim Johnson
Novelli Jurado and Michelle Eng
John and Lisa Lewis
Nikki Lewis
John and Mary Anne Mauriel
Alfred P. and Ann M. Moore
Nick Nash and Karen Lundholm
John Nuechterlein and Dan Monson
James M. and Sonja Devick Odland
Productivity, Inc. (Greg and Lisa Buck)
Lois E. Quam and Arshad Mohammed
Marty and David Raymond
Mary Schaffner
Cay Shea
Sue Shepard
Kristina Rodel Sorum
Warren and Mary Lynn Staley
Jocelyn Hagen and Timothy C. Takach
Bob Thacker and Karen Cherewatuk

Cathedral of Saint Paul
Fr. Joseph Johnson
Haskell’s Wine and Spirits
Plymouth Congregational Church
Schmitt Music

VocalEssence has a large group of committed supporters and is honored by the many gifts received in memory, appreciation, and celebration of friends and family that are too many to list in this concert program.

Please click the button below to see a full list of supporters and special tributes.

VocalEssence Supporters