Returning from a VERY successful series of 4 concerts in Mexico City with the Ensemble Singers, Philip Brunelle immediately plunged into rehearsals for his 51st VocalEssence season as well as planning a number of special events for the fall and… Read more »
There are a lot of exciting opportunities in store for the VocalEssence Vintage Voices singers during the 2019-2020 season! Rehearsals have kicked off for the Park Singers at Parkshore Senior Community in Saint Louis Park, where 40 participating singers are… Read more »
SUNDAY 9/1/2019 and MONDAY 9/2/2019 The End and the Beginning We are home, and after the whirlwind of Saturday and Sunday, the dust has settled. I’m late in writing about our last days of our trip because I’m dazed,… Read more »
SATURDAY 8/31/2019 JOY AND WORK Our day free, some of us went to the Zocalo, the city center, to see the Indigenous Festival; others went to a nearby shopping center to eat at the churro stand recommended by the… Read more »
FRIDAY 8/30/2019 A THOUSAND SMALL MOMENTS All week, I’ve been thinking about how to capture the connections we’ve made together, the new, raw friendships that make us buzzy, exhausted, and grateful. I believe firmly in the broad brushstrokes of VocalEssence’s motto “Together We Sing.” Yes, world… Read more »
THURSDAY 8/29/2019 COLORES It is such a pleasure to sing with the Coro and Orquesta de Mineria. For starters, they are kind and warm and hilarious. But also, the colors in their voices. Tonight, I asked my seatmate Roxanne… Read more »
WEDNESDAY 8/28/2019 WHAT LASTS “¿Listos?” Maestro Prieto said. He spoke in both English and Spanish, often switching mid-sentence. “¡Coro! No anxiety, sin ansiedad, about an early ‘s’, por un ‘s’ temprano, on the word ‘agnus.’” His speech was quick,… Read more »
TUESDAY 8/27/2019 Hands We each went our own ways this morning and early afternoon. Some visited Frieda Kahlo’s house Casa Azul, some the Museo Nacional de Antropología, and some Castillo de Chapultepec. There is no end to the beauty… Read more »
MONDAY 8/27/2019 On Singing Softly Six hours of painstaking rehearsal notes with our Mexican Coro de Mineria friends on the Verdi Requiem: we are exhausted, but happy. As all 80+ singers crammed together, we sat literally shoulder to shoulder…. Read more »
SUNDAY 8/25/2019 Estamos Aqui! An early morning saw most of us clutching our coffee cups at Terminal 1, but the TSA check wasn’t quite as ugly as we’d feared. Our direct flight was a godsend, and four hours later,… Read more »
The end of July found artistic director Philip Brunelle in Hong Kong, where the Hong Kong Children’s Choir celebrated its 50th anniversary and the 50th anniversary of VocalEssence. He also found time to stop in London and Gloucester for the… Read more »
The VocalEssence Ensemble Singers under the direction of Philip Brunelle will present a Homecoming Concert featuring music from their Mexico tour on Saturday, September 7, at 7 PM at Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church in Prior Lake. The concert… Read more »
Tag along with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers as they head to Mexico, August 25-September 2, by checking in with the VocalEssence Facebook page where our “Postcards from Mexico” correspondents will be sharing updates and running a fun trivia challenge. Every… Read more »
April brought a huge thrill as Chorus America recognized VocalEssence with its 2019 Education and Community Engagement Award for our youth choral program, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (VESOTA). Chorus America is a prominent advocacy organization for our nation’s choral… Read more »
In his “wonderful and busy” June and July, Artistic Director Philip Brunelle has been making music with old friends and new. He returned to the podium to conduct the Lake Harriet Pops Orchestra, a post he held for 10 seasons,… Read more »