Artistic Director Philip Brunelle just returned from England meeting with John Rutter, Sir Stephen Cleobury (just knighted in the Queen’s Birthday Honours), Simon Halsey and Katie Rowan—the person helping us with the U.S. premiere in October of Ina Boyle’s music….  Read more »

For Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, the end of the concert season with our Bob Dylan tribute was a festive conclusion to season 50! Now we are in the midst of finalizing plans for season 51 and beyond. The month of…  Read more »

Thank you to the 262 people who took the Candide Survey. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to plan for better performances in the future. Below is a summary of the results. 40% of attendees were…  Read more »

Thank you to the 150 people who took the VocalEssence WITNESS: Yet They Persist Survey. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to plan for better performances in the future. Below is a summary of the results….  Read more »

Thank you to the people who took the Tales & Tunes Survey. This is our first Tales & Tunes event, and we appreciate you taking the time to give us feedback. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the…  Read more »

Following the amazing success of Candide, Artistic Director Philip Brunelle was in Mexico City for meetings about the Ensemble Singers next visit there in August 2019. He and his wife Carolyn also spent four days vacationing in Oaxaca (a rarity!). On…  Read more »

Artistic Director Philip Brunelle was interviewed about why VocalEssence chose to perform The Times They Are A-Changin’ at the Palace Theatre in Saint Paul. The Palace Theatre is not the first venue you think of when you think of a…  Read more »

Thank you to the 69 people who took the Frozen Movie Sing-Along Survey. This is our first family movie event, and we appreciate you taking the time to give us feedback. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to…  Read more »

Both Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III will be attending the national convention of ACDA (American Choral Directors Association) in Kansas City the last days of February. It is an important time for…  Read more »

Dominick Argento was an amazing man—he was my teacher, colleague and personal friend of our family. When I arrived at the University of Minnesota, I signed up for History of Opera, not knowing that I would have the best professor…  Read more »

Join us at VocalEssence WITNESS: Yet They Persist on Sunday, February 24, 2019 at 4 PM at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis! Tickets start at $10. Visit this website to learn more and purchase tickets: https://www.vocalessence.org/event/concert-vocalessence-witness-yet-they-persist/  

Thank you to the 275 people who took the Welcome Christmas 2018 Survey. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to plan for better performances in the future. Below is a summary of the results. 23% of…  Read more »

For Artistic Director Philip Brunelle, January began with meetings in Washington DC with Senator Tina Smith and Congressman Dean Phillips—both of them very supportive of VocalEssence! He also met with the Norwegian Cultural Consul, with Alberto Fierro (Executive Director of the…  Read more »

Thank you to the 147 people who took the Music for a Grand Cathedral Survey. The VocalEssence staff analyzes the results and uses the information to plan for better performances in the future. Below is a summary of the results….  Read more »

Since 1973, when the first commission by VocalEssence led Dominick Argento to compose Jonah and the Whale, the organization has ardently supported new music. More than 300 commissions later, VocalEssence Artistic Director and Founder Philip Brunelle explains how commissioning works. Why does VocalEssence commission…  Read more »