VocalEssence

TV: VocalEssence WITNESS on TPT 2 Channel
2021-05-30 18:00 - 19:00 (America/Chicago) | TPT 2
This year our the 31st annual VocalEssence WITNESS concert is available on VocalEssence On Demand AND will be televised across Minnesota on Twin Cities PBS (TPT).
Here are the air dates and times on stations TPT 2 and TPT Life:

Saturday, May 29: WITNESS broadcast at 7 PM on TPT LIFE
Sunday, May 30: WITNESS broadcast at 1 AM on TPT LIFE
Sunday, May 30: WITNESS broadcast at 12 PM on TPT LIFE
Sunday, May 30: WITNESS broadcast at 2 PM on TPT 2
Sunday, May 30: WITNESS broadcast at 6 PM on TPT 2

POWER OF ART TO CHANGE THE WORLD
Music harnesses the power to move mountains and change the world. Singing has been an integral component of the fight for civil rights and social justice—from abolitionism to Black Lives Matter—mobilizing people, healing hearts, and changing minds. Join the VocalEssence Chorus, Ensemble Singers, & Singers Of This Age as they explore songs rooted in activism and resistance that challenge the United States to become an equitable nation for all.
Concert Program

Download Concert Program in English
Featured Composers and Arrangers

Download Concert Program in Spanish
Featured Composers and Arrangers

FAMILY: Celebrate
2021-07-01 - 2021-08-15 | VocalEssence On Demand
Cel·e·brate
/ˈseləˌbrāt/
verb
To acknowledge (a significant or happy day or event) with a social gathering or enjoyable activity.
Move your body and raise your voice to celebrate the possibilities of a world where justice reigns supreme and people can live out the fullest expression of their life. Join VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (VESOTA) led by Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, as well as guest singers, as they perform two world premieres written by Mexican composer Julio Morales, shine a spotlight on the senior members of VESOTA, and give us all a reason to celebrate the day.
Tickets

Tickets are currently available as a single stream.

Performers

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano
Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School, Chicago, IL,Wade Elkins, director
Glenbard West High School, Glen Ellyn, IL, Andrew Jeffrey, director
Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs, Philip Brown and Beth Egger, directors
ComMUSICation, Carey Shunskis, director
Minnesota Boy Choir, Mark Johnson, director
Minneapolis Youth Chorus, Pat Arasim, director

Subscribe: VocalEssence 2021-2022 Season
2021-08-23 10:00 - 2022-03-04 08:00
MUSIC Moves Us
Subscribe and join VocalEssence for an exuberant return to the concert hall for our 2021-2022 Season as we explore the ways music moves us. From partnerships with Minnesota Dance Theatre, Bach Society of Minnesota, and The Aeolians of Oakwood University to thrilling premieres of works by Stewart Copeland of British hitmakers The Police and rising star Gabriel Kahane, this season gives us many reasons to rejoice—together! Concert Series Subscribers save 30% over single tickets, and you can select any three, four, five, or all six season concerts to subscribe.
SUBSCRIBER Benefits

$28 tickets: A savings of 30% off the $40 single ticket price!
Flexible and free ticket exchanges.
Subscriber priced tickets to share with friends and family.
Priority seating at concerts.

COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Updates
We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. These protocols are subject to change based on changing conditions. Please check the following page for updates: vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.
Stay tuned for our digital options.
Thank you to our season sponsors

CONCERT: Hope Lives Here
2021-10-16 16:00 - 17:15 | Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55403, United States
Reflect and be reassured in the promise of hope for the future
Join the VocalEssence Chorus, Ensemble Singers, and Singers Of This Age, Minnesota Dance Theatre, and a chamber instrumental ensemble in an exuberant return to Orchestra Hall. Reflect on our journey through the pandemic and be reassured in the promise of hope for the future as we experience a fresh interpretation of Leonard Bernstein’s “Chichester Psalms,” juxtaposed with Astor Piazzolla’s tango-infused tribute to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, “Las Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas” (Four Seasons of Buenos Aires). Traverse a range of emotions as you witness movement including original choreography featuring the Company of Minnesota Dance Theatre and VocalEssence Singers Of This Age. VocalEssence will also present the world premieres of Gabriel Kahane’s “We are the Saints,” a meditation on the natural world and our relationship to it commissioned by VocalEssence and Kyle Pederson’s “The Other Side.” Kahane and Pederson are exciting voices in classical composition.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

VocalEssence Chorus
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Minnesota Dance Theatre
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.
Concert Program

CONCERT: Bach's Christmas Oratorio
2021-12-03 19:30 - 21:30 | The Basilica of Saint Mary, 1600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
THIS CONCERT IS SOLD OUT.
Experience the greatest musical Christmas story of all time
“Shout for joy!” exclaims the choir, joined by timpani, trumpets, and the rest of the ensemble in the opening chorus of J.S. Bach’s Christmas Oratorio. Welcome the season with the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and the Bach Society of Minnesota as we perform one of the greatest musical Christmas stories of all time. Nearly 300 years after its creation, Bach’s narrative recitatives, beautiful arias, solemn chorales, and magnificent choral writing prove more popular than ever. Join us on this vivid musical journey through the mystery of the nativity in the beautiful Basilica of Saint Mary led by Philip Brunelle and Matthias Maute, conductor of the Bach Society of Minnesota.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Orchestra of the Bach Society of Minnesota
Matthias Maute, conductor
Philip Brunelle, conductor

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.
Concert Program

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2021, Minneapolis 4 PM
2021-12-11 16:00 - 17:15 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Advance ticket sales for this concert are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 3PM.
Revel in the mystery of the season through the depth of a mother’s love
Experience the mystery of the season through a mother’s eyes featuring the VocalEssence Chorus, Singers Of This Age, and members of the Ensemble Singers. José Maurício Nunes Garcia’s exquisite setting of the Magnificat (Song of Mary) and selections by B.E. Boykin, Vicente Lusitano, and Zaniaida Robles shine alongside stories from modern day mothers and familiar carols transporting us to a place of deep love, exuberant joy, everlasting hope, and abiding peace felt on that first Christmas morning.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

VocalEssence Chorus
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Concert Program

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2021, Minneapolis 7:30 PM
2021-12-11 19:30 - 20:45 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Advance ticket sales for this concert are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 6:30PM.
Revel in the mystery of the season through the depth of a mother’s love
Experience the mystery of the season through a mother’s eyes featuring the VocalEssence Chorus, Singers Of This Age, and members of the Ensemble Singers. José Maurício Nunes Garcia’s exquisite setting of the Magnificat (Song of Mary) and selections by B.E. Boykin, Vicente Lusitano, and Zaniaida Robles shine alongside stories from modern day mothers and familiar carols transporting us to a place of deep love, exuberant joy, everlasting hope, and abiding peace felt on that first Christmas morning.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

VocalEssence Chorus
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Concert Program

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2021, Roseville
2021-12-12 16:00 | Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Ave. W., Roseville, MN, 55113, United States

CANCELED: VocalEssence Presents: The Aeolians
2022-02-28 19:00 - 20:15 | North Community High School, 1500 James Avenue N, Minneapolis, MN, 55411, United States
This concert is canceled
VocalEssence is canceling the February 28 performance with The Aeolians of Oakwood University at North High School in Minneapolis in an effort to limit exposure to the high levels of community spread of the coronavirus variant.
The Aeolians will still be with us for WITNESS: Rejoice! on Sunday, March 6 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. And we encourage you to join us as The Aeolians will perform a 40 minute solo set and join with the VocalEssence Chorus and Singers Of This Age in a joyful affirmation the Black experience featuring toe-tapping gospel, powerful spirituals, choral symphonic masterworks by Nathaniel Dett and Adolphus Hailstork, and much more.

CONCERT: WITNESS 2022: Rejoice!
2022-03-06 16:00 - 18:00 | Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55403, United States
TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Affirm Black joy and resilience
The Aeolians, a world-renowned choir from Oakwood University in Huntsville, Alabama, an Historically Black College and University, are giving us so many reasons to “Rejoice.” Named the “2017 Choir of the World” at the World Choir Games, The Aeolians inspire audiences to stand up and cheer for more, whether singing the music of Bach, spirituals, or 21st century masterpieces. The Aeolians join the VocalEssence Chorus and Singers Of This Age in a program that affirms Black joy and resilience through the music of Nathaniel Dett, Adolphus Hailstork, and many others highlighting the rich array of music from the Black experience.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

The Aeolians of Oakwood University
VocalEssence Chorus
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Roderick George, tenor
Jason Max Ferdinand, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor
Orchestra

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.
Concert Program

Thanks to our Sponsors

CONCERT: Choosing Love
2022-04-24 16:00 - 17:30 | Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
ADVANCE TICKET SALES FOR THIS CONCERT ARE NOW CLOSED. TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AND CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE DOOR BEGINNING AT 3PM.
Embracing the beloved community
Through singing, movement, spoken word, and visual art, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and guest artists invite us to envision a world where we listen to and learn from each other. This concert affirms our belief that every person is worthy of acceptance. It is a call, in the midst of it all, to choose love. Choosing Love features new choral standards and co-created original works marking the artistic culmination of a year of conversations and learning.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.
Concert Program
To view the digital concert program, click the button below.
Concert Program
Thanks to our Sponsors

CONCERT: Satan's Fall
2022-05-08 16:00 - 17:45 | Central Lutheran Church, 333 South 12th Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
ADVANCE TICKET SALES FOR THIS CONCERT ARE NOW CLOSED. TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AND CAN BE PURCHASED AT THE DOOR BEGINNING AT 2:30 PM.

Legendary rock drummer and film composer Stewart Copeland imagines John Milton’s epic poem “Paradise Lost”
Join the VocalEssence Chorus, Ensemble Singers and Orchestra, along with celebrated tenor Nathan Granner and dexterous soprano Jamie Chamberlin, in the regional premiere of “Satan’s Fall,” a new composition by Stewart Copeland. The work, based on Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” tells the story of Satan’s darkness, insurrection, and eventual fall from grace. Presented in the magnificent Central Lutheran sanctuary with stage direction by Theater Latté Da founder Peter Rothstein. Stewart Copeland will be in attendance for a pre-concert talk.
Tickets

Tickets are also available as part of a 2021-2022 Season Subscription.

Performers

VocalEssence Chorus
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Jamie Chamberlin, soprano
Nathan Granner, tenor
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Program

Listen
Enjoy a preview from the world premiere of “Satan’s Fall” in the video below.

We are closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic as it evolves and adhering to all health and safety recommendations put forth by the Minnesota Department of Health, as well as any health and safety protocols in place at our concert venues. To view our current safety protocols, visit vocalessence.org/covid-19-updates.

Subscribe: VocalEssence 2022-2023 Season
2022-06-27 08:00 - 2023-02-24 17:00

CONCERT: The Mendelssohns
2022-10-15 19:00 - 21:00 | Benson Great Hall, Bethel University, 3900 Bethel Dr, Arden Hills, MN, 55112, United States

CONCERT: Montserrat Boy Choir
2022-11-11 19:30 - 21:00 | The Basilica of Saint Mary, 1600 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2022, Minneapolis 7:30 PM
2022-12-10 19:30 - 21:00 | Northrop, University of Minnesota, 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2022, Minneapolis 4 PM
2022-12-11 16:00 - 17:30 | Northrop, University of Minnesota, 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States

CONCERT: WITNESS: Reawakening Love
2023-02-26 16:00 - 18:30 | Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55403, United States

CONCERT: Change Sings 2 PM
2023-04-22 14:00 - 15:30 | Capri Theater, 2027 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55411, United States

CONCERT: Change Sings 4:30 PM
2023-04-22 16:30 - 18:00 | Capri Theater, 2027 W Broadway Ave, Minneapolis, MN, 55411, United States

Subscribe: VocalEssence 2023-2024 Season
2023-05-12 08:00 - 2024-02-04 17:00

CONCERT: Singing the World Awake
2023-05-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States

Concert: VocalEssence and the St. Olaf Choir
2023-10-29 16:00 - 18:00 | Central Lutheran Church, 333 South 12th Street, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States

Concert: Welcome Christmas 2023, Dec 9
2023-12-09 16:00 - 17:30 | Northrop, University of Minnesota, 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States

Concert: Welcome Christmas 2023, Dec 10
2023-12-10 16:00 - 17:30 | Northrop, University of Minnesota, 84 Church St SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States

Concert: Bach's Christmas Oratorio 2023, Dec 15
2023-12-15 19:30 - 21:30 | St. Paul’s United Church of Christ, 900 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, United States

Concert: Bach's Christmas Oratorio 2023, Dec 16
2023-12-16 16:00 - 18:00 | Westwood Lutheran Church, 9001 Cedar Lake Rd, St. Louis Park, MN, 55426, United States

Concert: WITNESS: Leading with Love
2024-03-17 16:00 - 18:30 | Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55403, United States

Concert: Hope Renewed
2024-05-03 19:30 - 21:30 | Ted Mann Concert Hall, 2128 Fourth Street South, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States

VocalEssence 2024-2025 Season
2024-06-24 10:00 - 2025-05-24 17:00
