Hear a Preview of The Voyage Before the US Premiere
https://youtu.be/BEKXXfXOoZ8?list=PLaomE-4i9RydUE_0SKe6pitic5W-24X6r
Performing Ensembles
The Voyage Librettist Reveals Inspiration for Work
The Voyage librettist Charles Bennett talks about what inspired him to compose the text for this new work. Hear the U.S. Premiere of The Voyage at the VocalEssence concert on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at 4 pm at Central Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN.
Guest Artist Melanie DeMore Inspires Hundreds
VocalEssence WITNESS guest artist Melanie DeMore visited Minnesota the week of September 19-24, 2016 where she breathed life into the Underground Railroad theme for hundreds of students, teachers, and community members. Below is a list of all of Melanie’s activities that week: School Visits at Parkway Middle, North High School, Parkway Middle, Johnson Senior High School), where… Read More →
Making the World Beautiful, One Stitch at a Time
It was a surprise like no other. In cahoots with Philip Brunelle, Kay’s husband Mike commissioned five women composers to write a song based on one of Kay’s quilts. She was speechless at the reveal. “I can’t tell you how excited I am about this project,” Kay described later with tears in her eyes. “This… Read More →
VocalEssence ReMix Adds New Voices to Choral Music
VocalEssence announces the winners of its second annual ReMix mentorship, designed to foster the next generation of choral music composers. VocalEssence ReMix matches four emerging Minnesota composers with mentors for a six-month one-on-one partnership to help each composer complete two new, original choral pieces. These works will premiere at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA)… Read More →
Classical MPR Invites the Community to Unite in Song this Thursday
Inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s plea that we respond to violence with a renewed resolve “to make music more intensely, more beautifully, and more devotedly than ever before,” we as artists have gotten together to create a musical response to the most recent tragedies. We hope you will join us in our efforts to unite our… Read More →
VocalEssence Brought Down the House with Andrea Bocelli
Sixty five members of the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers wowed more than 16,000 fans at Target Center with Andrea Bocelli on Tuesday, June 9. Selections ranged from opera standards to popular hits from the musical The Sound of Music. One VocalEssence Chorus member commented, “that was the most unforgettable experience and opportunity! Peruse photos of… Read More →
The Voyage Connects Young and Old Through Singing
This fall VocalEssence hosts the U.S. premiere of The Voyage, a new piece by former King’s Singer and British composer Bob Chilcott, that connects singers across generations through music. Joining the VocalEssence Chorus will be singers from Minnesota Chorale’s Minneapolis Youth Chorus and Voices of Experience. Watch the video above produced for the premiere performance… Read More →
VocalEssence Choralia is a Smashing Success!
What a wonderful world! The VocalEssence Choralia fundraiser on Sunday, May 1, 2016 broke so many records that VocalEssence is overcome with gratitude. We sold out the Radisson Blu Mall of America with 500 attendees. Guest artist Melanie DeMore encouraged all of us to “hold up” one another through song, while singers from the Sabathani Vintage Voices… Read More →
Be In “Musical Bliss” at Listeners’ Choice LIVE
You voted, and now VocalEssence and Classical MPR are preparing to reveal the listeners’ choice top 25 choral countdown. Whether you are a soprano, alto, tenor or bass, the VocalEssence Listeners’ Choice LIVE performances this April will wrap you in one big choral blanket of warmth. Our singers cannot hold in their excitement: “Both I… Read More →
Older Adults Benefit From the Power of Song
How do you stay healthy as you age? Just ask anyone in the VocalEssence Vintage Voices program—singing. This spring, Vintage Voices conductor Rob Graham and piano accompanist John Jensen are rehearsing choirs at Sabathani Senior Center and Ebenezer Park Apartments in Minneapolis in preparation for their performances this May. Rehearsals bring seniors together, to socialize… Read More →
VocalEssence Choralia Almost Sold Out!
Time is running out to purchase tickets to VocalEssence Choralia—a singing celebration to benefit the VocalEssence Community Engagement Programs. We are nearly sold out! Do you have your ticket yet? Because of our limited availability, tickets are only available by calling 612-547-1473. VocalEssence Choralia Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 4:30 pm Radisson Blu Mall of America… Read More →
Four Saints Breaks the Boundaries of Opera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdXWDz7J6F4&feature=youtu.be Imagine a moment in time when a Gertrude Stein opera so roused the public that it became the longest running opera in the history of Broadway. An opera so influential that fashionable Manhattan stores rushed to create window displays inspired by its language and design. Come see this opera brought to life by VocalEssence… Read More →
VocalEssence WITNESS: Morehouse College Glee Club a HUGE Success!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a05dQj0ljpE&feature=youtu.be VocalEssence WITNESS: Morehouse College Glee Club engaged more than 8,000 people in less than a week, thanks to many people in our community (you know who you are!) You are an inspiration to us all. Thank you.
River Songs & Tales in Moorhead Is “Sheer Delight”
900 audience members in Moorhead experienced “eighty minutes of sheer delight” last Friday night, according to River Songs & Tales with Mark Twain attendee Dr. René Clausen, conductor of The Concordia Choir. As part of an Arts Tour grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers, Associate Conductor G. Phillip… Read More →