PREVIEW PERFORMANCE: Candide, March 20
2019-03-20 19:30 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. TIckets are still available and can be purchased at The Cowles Center beginning at 6 PM.
This is a preview performance. Seating is general admission.
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Chamber Chorus
Phinehas Bynum
Michael Fairbairn
Bradley Greenwald
Liz Hawkinson
Susan Hofflander
Rodolfo Nieto
Liv Redpath
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Chamber orchestra
Philip Brunelle, music director
Peter Rothstein, stage director
This production is in partnership with Theater Latté Da.
With star-crossed lovers, villains, Monty Python-esque comedy, and a beautiful score, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is opera for the people. Wrapped in irony, this musical follows the optimistic young Candide in search of “the best of all possible worlds” on an extraordinary journey to reunite with his soulmate. Imagined by Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein, the all-star cast will perform a theatrical concert version, allowing audiences to savor the epic beauty of Bernstein’s music.
Concert Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_candideprogram_v10-01_no_crops_f

CONCERT: Candide, March 21
2019-03-21 19:30 - 22:00 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
This event is sold out.
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Chamber Chorus
Phinehas Bynum
Michael Fairbairn
Bradley Greenwald
Liz Hawkinson
Susan Hofflander
Rodolfo Nieto
Liv Redpath
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Chamber orchestra
Philip Brunelle, music director
Peter Rothstein, stage director
This production is in partnership with Theater Latté Da.
With star-crossed lovers, villains, Monty Python-esque comedy, and a beautiful score, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is opera for the people. Wrapped in irony, this musical follows the optimistic young Candide in search of “the best of all possible worlds” on an extraordinary journey to reunite with his soulmate. Imagined by Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein, the all-star cast will perform a theatrical concert version, allowing audiences to savor the epic beauty of Bernstein’s music.
Tickets are also available as part of a 50th Concert Series Subscription. Choose 3 or more Concert Series events to subscribe.
Concert Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_candideprogram_v10-01_no_crops_f
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

CONCERT: Candide, March 22
2019-03-22 19:30 - 22:00 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
This event is sold out.
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
VocalEssence Chamber Chorus
Phinehas Bynum
Michael Fairbairn
Bradley Greenwald
Liz Hawkinson
Susan Hofflander
Rodolfo Nieto
Liv Redpath
G. Phillip Shoultz, III
Chamber orchestra
Philip Brunelle, music director
Peter Rothstein, stage director
This production is in partnership with Theater Latté Da.
With star-crossed lovers, villains, Monty Python-esque comedy, and a beautiful score, Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is opera for the people. Wrapped in irony, this musical follows the optimistic young Candide in search of “the best of all possible worlds” on an extraordinary journey to reunite with his soulmate. Imagined by Theater Latté Da’s Peter Rothstein, the all-star cast will perform a theatrical concert version, allowing audiences to savor the epic beauty of Bernstein’s music.
Tickets are also available as part of a 50th Concert Series Subscription. Choose 3 or more Concert Series events to subscribe.
Friday, March 22, 2019 at 7:30pm is an ASL/AD Performance. Please mention if you need these services when you purchase your tickets.

Concert Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_candideprogram_v10-01_no_crops_f
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

CONCERT: Candide, March 23, 2 PM
2019-03-23 14:00 - 16:30 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

CONCERT: Candide, March 23, 7:30 PM
2019-03-23 19:30 - 22:00 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

CONCERT: Candide, March 24
2019-03-24 14:00 - 16:30 | Goodale Theater at The Cowles Center, 528 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States

FAMILY SERIES: Tales & Tunes, 9:30 AM
2019-03-30 09:30 - 10:30 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Tickets are off sale online, but walk up sales will be available on Saturday, March 30 starting at 9 am.
Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and Singers Of This Age
Nancy Carlson, author
Let’s create together! In this musical story time, your little ones can roll up their sleeves and make a craft, sing along to nursery rhymes with our singers, and hear acclaimed local author Nancy Carlson read some of her most-loved books. Listen to brand new songs written by teen moms through our Lullaby Project, and create a song with us that you can take home.
All ages welcome. Children and youth ages 0-17 are free, with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Event Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/tales___tunes_5languages_final
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

FAMILY SERIES: Tales & Tunes, 11:30 AM
2019-03-30 11:30 - 12:30 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Tickets are off sale online, but walk up sales will be available on Saturday, March 30 starting at 11 am.
Members of the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers and Singers Of This Age
Nancy Carlson, author
Let’s create together! In this musical story time, your little ones can roll up their sleeves and make a craft, sing along to nursery rhymes with our singers, and hear acclaimed local author Nancy Carlson read some of her most-loved books. Listen to brand new songs written by teen moms through our Lullaby Project, and create a song with us that you can take home.
All ages welcome. Children and youth ages 0-17 are free, with the purchase of an adult ticket.

Event Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/tales___tunes_5languages_final
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

CONCERT: The Times They Are A-Changin'
2019-04-27 20:00 - 22:00 | Palace Theatre, 17 West 7th Place, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Ashley DuBose, guest appearance
Jeremy Messersmith, guest appearance
Nation, guest appearance
Bob Dylan’s timeless music has been covered by everyone from Jimi Hendrix to the Kronos Quartet. As the finale to our 50th season, it’s time to add our name to the list. Join us as we reimagine Dylan in the Midwest premiere of The Times They Are A-Changin’: The Words and Music of Bob Dylan, commissioned in honor of his 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature and arranged by Steve Hackman. Kick back, grab a drink, and hear Dylan’s music like it’s the first time all over again.
Please note: Bob Dylan will not be performing at this concert.
Concert Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_spring_concertprogram2019_final
Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

FAMILY SERIES: VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Community Concert 2019
2019-05-21 19:00 - 20:30 | Ordway Concert Hall, 345 Washington Street, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Field Community School, Minneapolis
Harding High School, St. Paul
Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School, New Hope
Hear our community come together as hundreds of students join VocalEssence to celebrate Mexico in song at the VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Community Concert. The culmination of a year-long composer-in-residence program, this bilingual concert includes premieres and an audience sing-along that will leave you with a renewed hope that music can change the world. Learn more about the VocalEssence ¡Cantaré! Program by clicking here, or watching the video below.
All ages welcome.

Thank you to our 50th Anniversary Season Sponsors

EVENT: Tienda at TPT
2019-05-23 19:30 - 21:30 | Studio A at Twin Cities Public Television, 172 4th st e, Saint Paul, MN, 55101, United States
This unique performance at TPT Studio A in Lowertown, St. Paul will feature a partially staged opera by Schubert Club Composer-in-Residence Reinaldo Moya with words by Caitlin Vincent. Among the singers and instrumentalists featured in this chamber opera is mezzo soprano Clara Osowski and members of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age.
The opera tells the story of Luis Garzón, a Mexican musician who immigrated to Minneapolis in 1886 and opened a small Mexican grocery store, or tienda, in St. Paul in the 1920s. While Luis had married an American woman and was fully integrated into Minneapolitan society, his store served as a community hub for the newest arrivals from Mexico, many of whom had fled the Mexican Revolution and now toiled in the sugar beet farms of rural Minnesota. Tienda explores the immigrant experience: what must be left behind—and what cannot be forgotten—on the journey to a new home. This world premiere performance of Tienda is one of the highlights of Moya’s two-year residency with the Schubert Club.
This event is ticketed through the Schubert Club. The VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers will not be performing on this concert.
Cast & Creative Team

Reinaldo Moya, composer
Caitlin Vincent, librettist
Adrian Rosas, Old Luis
Bergen Baker, Clara
Juan Carlos Mendoza, Aarón and Javier
Matthew Valverde, Young Luis
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Adam Rappel, percussion
Maja Radovanlija, guitar
Sarah Grimes, violin
Susan Janda, viola
Teresa Richardson, cello
Rafael Rodriguez, conductor
Ahmed Anzaldúa, pianist & vocal coach
Jon Cranney, director

Biographies
Reinaldo Moya (Composer)
Reinaldo Moya is a graduate of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education system. Through El Sistema, he had access to musical training from an early age and was a founding member of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra touring throughout Europe, North and South America. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a participant in the prestigious John Duffy Composers Institute and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Composers Institute. Moya now lives in Northfield, and is Associate Professor of Composition at Augsburg College. His young adult opera, Memory Boy was commissioned by the Minnesota Opera and received its premiere in February of 2016. Reinaldo Moya is the recipient of the 2019 Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2015 McKnight Composers Fellowship, the Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer and the Aaron Copland Award from the Copland House.
Caitlin Vincent (Librettist)
Caitlin Vincent is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing has been praised as “nuanced and honest” (DC Theatre Scene), “intriguing” (The Baltimore Sun), and “luminous” (The Huffington Post). Her opera Better Gods, with composer Luna Pearl Woolf, premiered in January 2016 at the Kennedy Center as part of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. In 2017, Vincent and composer Douglas Buchanan won the prestigious Sackler Music Composition Prize to fund a new opera about Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator, and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas, for a premiere in 2019. Other recent commissions include Nullipara with composer D. J. Sparr for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and Little Black Book with composer Susan LaBarr for Carnegie Hall. A classically-trained soprano, Vincent graduated cum laude from Harvard University and holds a MM degree from the Peabody Conservatory and a PhD from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.
Adrian Rosas (Old Luis)
Hailed by the New York Times as “a stalwart bass-baritone with a burnished voice” and in Opera News as a “mellifluous bass-baritone [with] theatrical flair”, Adrian Rosas is an artist with “impressive experience and talent” (The Boston Globe). He has performed with the Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Saratoga, and the Detroit Opera House. As a champion of new and modern music, he has had the opportunity to work on newly written works, including Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket, Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, Petr Kotik’s Master-Pieces, Matt Aucoin’s Whitman, and newly written works with American Lyric Theater, American Opera Projects, and the Ostrava Center for New Music. Equally versed in concert repertoire, he has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Library of Congress.
In addition to his career as a singer, Adrian has a dedication to education and entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder of Arts On Site NYC, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting the development of artists and encouraging community collaboration; a co-founder of the Vocal Apprentice Program and voice mentor at the The National Music Festival, which provides collegiate-level singers with an opportunity to study, learn, and perform with career professionals; and is on voice faculty with the California State Summer School for the Arts. Adrian holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School.
Bergen Baker (Clara)
Praised by the Star Tribune as having a “fetching blend of grace, warmth and humor on stage,” soprano Bergen Baker has been a featured performer with local companies such as Minnesota Opera, The Minnesota Orchestra, Skylark Opera Theatre, Lakes Area Music Festival as well as many operatic and symphonic companies across the country. Currently, she is the Managing Director and a frequent performer for LOFTrecital, a Minneapolis arts organization bringing unique musical experiences to unconventional spaces.
In addition to performance on the operatic and concert stage, Ms. Baker holds a passion for arts education and served as Teaching Artist for Minnesota Opera from 2012-2014. During her tenure, Ms. Baker organized community residencies and performances that served nearly 15,000 opera lovers across the state of Minnesota. Today, she manages the opera study abroad program, Musica nelle Marche LLC, in Urbino, Italy, and remains a highly sought after Teaching Artist, offering residencies, workshops and master classes to students and communities across the country.
Ms. Baker holds Bachelor and Master degrees in vocal performance from DePaul University and the University of Minnesota, respectively. More info at bergenbaker.com and loftrecital.org
Clara Osowski (Edith)
Mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, who sings “from inside the music with unaffected purity and sincerity” (UK Telegraph), is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. Recognized for her excellence in Minnesota, Clara was a recipient of the prestigious 2018-2019 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.
In international competition with pianist Tyler Wottrich, in March of 2017, Clara became the first ever American prize winner when she placed second at Thomas Quasthoff’s International Das Lied Competition in Heidelberg, Germany. In September, the duo was also one of four to reach the finals in the prestigious Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation Song Competition in London, and Clara was awarded the Richard Tauber Prize for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder. She recently won the Radio-Canada People’s Choice Award and third place in the song division at the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal.
In addition to performing, Clara serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Source Song Festival, a week-long art song festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This festival strives to create and perform new art song, and cultivate an educational environment for students of song, including composers, vocalists, and collaborative pianists. Clara also teaches on the faculty at Aspen Music Festival’s Professional Choral Institute in partnership with Seraphic Fire. Please see www.claraosowski.com for more information.
Juan Carlos Mendoza (Aarón and Javier)
Tenor Juan Carlos Mendoza is a native of Muscatine, IA. Stage roles include Freddy in My Fair Lady, Tigranes in the North American premiere of Cavalli’s La Doriclea, Gloster Hemming in The Mother of Us All, and Bill in A Hand of Bridge. Concert highlights include Tenor Evangelist in Pärt’s Passio, and Tenor Soloist in Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Magnificat and Mass in g minor (Bach), and Bolts of Melody (Ford). As a choral performer Mr. Mendoza has performed in Tannhäuser with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Harmoniemesse (Haydn), Carmina Burana (Orff) and The Kingdom (Elgar) with the Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF). Mr. Mendoza received a Master of Arts degree from The University of Iowa, a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, additional studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice and Opera at The University of Iowa. In addition to performing, he has served on the voice faculties of Drake University, Knox College, Monmouth College, Kirkwood Community College, and currently teaches voice at Augustana College.
Matthew Valverde (Young Luis)
Matthew Valverde has been praised in the New York Classical Review as having a “huge, handsome tenor voice.” He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a master’s degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and degrees from Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX). Matthew has just completed his third year as Assistant Professor of Voice at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO, where he also serves as Inclusive Excellence Liaison, supporting initiatives of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Valverde made his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2014 and has been tenor soloist in performances including Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Britten’s Serenade and War Requiem. Orchestral credits include: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Oratorio Society, Finger Lakes Choral Festival, and the SLV Symphony. He has appeared with the Rochester Lyric Opera, Finger Lakes Opera (Geneseo, NY), and Eastman Opera Theatre. Valverde has performed with the Internationale Bachakademie’s Festivalensemble Stuttgart (Helmuth Rilling), Vox Humana (David Childs), Voices Chamber Choir (William Weinert), First Inversion Vocal Ensemble (Lee Wright), and is the tenor section leader of EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble (Eugene Rogers).
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (Chorus)
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age is a dynamic group of 50 young people from Minneapolis and Saint Paul high schools who sing, dance, write their own music, rap, and—most importantly—reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. Under the visionary leadership of G. Phillip Shoultz, III, the students sing a wide range of music—from classical to hip-hop and everything in between, perform in world-class venues, awaken their creativity by studying voice, dance, theatre, and spoken word, rehearse at Augsburg University to provide exposure to life in college, and belong to an accepting community of peers from all walks of life.
Rafael Rodriguez (Conductor)
Rafael Antonio Rodriguez is internationally recognized and highly regarded as a conductor and educator. His professional work has taken him throughout the Americas to Peru, Colombia, the Amazon region of Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, and to Costa Rica where he lived and worked for many years before returning to the United States.
While serving as Artistic Director and conductor for the national youth orchestra in the Sistema Nacional de Educación Musical (Costa Rica), Rafael led the Orquesta Sinfónica Manuel María Gutiérrez on an international tour to Mexico including performances at such prestigious venues as the Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City. He has also performed to sold-out audiences at the National Theatre of Costa Rica, and at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, Peru.
Committed to excellence in teaching and to creating a collaborative musical experience for students and professionals alike, Rafael’s background as a jazz pianist and arranger provide an uncommon foundation for a creative and emotive approach to orchestral performance. Rafael is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting & Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder, and holds graduate degrees in Instrumental Conducting (M.M.) and in Education (M.Ed.) from universities in southern California. Currently, he serves on the music faculty at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Ahmed Anzaldúa (Pianist & Vocal Coach)
Ahmed Anzaldúa is a Mexican choral conductor, classical pianist, and music educator of Egyptian descent. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and the United States frequently as a soloist and conductor with choirs, orchestras, in recitals, and as a collaborative pianist. He currently lives in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the director and founder of Border CrosSing, an organization dedicated to integrating historically-segregated audiences, repertoire, and musicians through the performance of choral music. He is also a co-editor of the Justice Choir songbook.

Adam Rappel (Percussion)
Dr. Adam Rappel takes great pride in being a versatile percussionist. He has performed in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and Sweden. He has also performed with YOA – Orchestra of the Americas – in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In addition, he performed in the first International Percussion Ensemble festival in Costa Rica with the University of Minnesota Percussion Ensemble. As an orchestral percussionist, he performs regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Mankato Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Rappel has held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, MacPhail Center for Music and Inver Hills Community College. He is currently serving as Visiting Assistant Professor of Percussion at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and is affiliate faculty at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where he directs the Steel Drum Ensemble. Adam received his Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, studying with Peter Kogan, Phil Hey, Steve Yeager and Fernando Meza. He is the first percussionist to ever receive the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He is proudly endorsed by Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and is a Yamaha Concert Percussion artist and clinician.
Maja Radovanlija (Guitar)
Maja Radovanlija was born in Belgrade, Serbia. As a child, she won several awards in music festivals and competitions in former Yugoslavia. While in high school, she won second prize at the Petar Konjevic International Competition in Belgrade and took part in a classical music show for National Television of Serbia.
Maja completed her Bachelor degree at the University of Belgrade. As a graduate student (M.M and DMA) at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, she studied with Ernesto Bitetti, and with lutenist Nigel North. During her studies Maja performed many new works written for her, and started performing her own pieces, arrangements and improvised pieces, inspired by traditional music of Balkan countries.
Maja taught classical guitar for over 10 years in Belgrade Serbia. She was also on the guitar faculty for the Jacobs School of Music’s pre-college guitar program, where she led an ensemble for kids ages 5-10. Beginning the fall of 2011, she was appointed as the only guitar faculty at the School of Music, University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Maja is a member of several chamber ensembles and projects based in Minneapolis and Belgrade, such as Radovanlija-Chatterton guitar/flute Duo, Improvised Ecosystems, Szilard Mezei strings and flute Trio, and Minneapolis Guitar Quartet.
Sarah Grimes (Violin)
Violinist Sarah Grimes, a native of the Twin Cities, joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2016, where she is a member of the first violin section. Before her appointment in the Minnesota Orchestra, she performed full time as a Guest Musician with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and formerly a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Grimes was concertmaster of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, performer and cofounder in student-led ensembles, and a freelance musician in the greater Chicagoland area.
Sarah has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Evanston Chamber Players, and most recently with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Spring 2019. An active chamber musician in the Twin Cities, Grimes performs for the Minnesota Orchestra Chamber Music Series, Liquid Music Series, the SPCO Chamber Music Series, Bakken Trio, Outpost, The Musical Offering, and at festivals including Kneisel Hall Chamber Music, Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills and Astona International. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. Her principal teachers include Sarah Kwak and Almita and Roland Vamos.
Susan Janda (Viola)
Susan Janda is a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Four Voices String Quartet, One World Consort (jazz-world music fusion), and is on faculty at Hamline University. Recent work includes: Minnesota Orchestra and VocalEssence performances, upcoming CDs with Minnesota Opera, singer-songwriter Jonathan Brooke, vibraphonist Steve Yeager, jazz vocalist Lucia Newell. Janda makes her home in St. Paul with her husband and two boys, and has recently taken up the great sport of long blade speed skating…realizing a wish from long ago.

Teresa Richardson (cello)
Teresa Richardson is Assistant Principal cellist with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. Teresa has performed in many orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Mill City Summer Opera. She has performed with Bakken Trio, The Musical Offering, Zeitgeist, VocalEssence, and onstage as soloist with the St. Paul Ballet. Teresa appeared as soloist with orchestra performing concertos by Elgar, Haydn, Saint-Saens, and Boccherini. Fulfilling a strong passion for teaching, Teresa is on the faculty at North Star Cello Academy and MacPhail Center for Music, and has taught at University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Teresa earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in cello performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where she graduated with high distinction under the instruction of Janos Starker, Emilio Colon, and Helga Winold.
Jon Cranney (Director)
Jon Cranney has been a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul professional theatre community for over four decades. He was a member of the Guthrie Theater Company in its early years and served as the Artistic Director in the 80s and 90s of the Tony Award honored The Children’s Theatre Company. He has directed for many Twin Cities theatres as well as others across the nation and in Moscow, Japan and China.
He has also performed as an actor at The Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Park Square Theatre and Yellow Tree Theatre, and has assisted on many projects as a director and writer for VocalEssence.

EVENT: Tienda at Neighborhood House
2019-05-25 14:00 - 16:00 | Neighborhood House, 179 Robie St E, Saint Paul, MN, 55107, United States
This unique performance will feature a partially staged opera by Schubert Club Composer-in-Residence Reinaldo Moya with words by Caitlin Vincent. Among the singers and instrumentalists featured in this chamber opera is mezzo soprano Clara Osowski and members of the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age.
The opera tells the story of Luis Garzón, a Mexican musician who immigrated to Minneapolis in 1886 and opened a small Mexican grocery store, or tienda, in St. Paul in the 1920s. While Luis had married an American woman and was fully integrated into Minneapolitan society, his store served as a community hub for the newest arrivals from Mexico, many of whom had fled the Mexican Revolution and now toiled in the sugar beet farms of rural Minnesota. Tienda explores the immigrant experience: what must be left behind—and what cannot be forgotten—on the journey to a new home. This world premiere performance of Tienda is one of the highlights of Moya’s two-year residency with the Schubert Club.
This event is produced by the Schubert Club. The VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers will not be performing on this concert.
Cast & Creative Team

Reinaldo Moya, composer
Caitlin Vincent, librettist
Adrian Rosas, Old Luis
Bergen Baker, Clara
Juan Carlos Mendoza, Aarón and Javier
Matthew Valverde, Young Luis
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Adam Rappel, percussion
Maja Radovanlija, guitar
Sarah Grimes, violin
Susan Janda, viola
Teresa Richardson, cello
Rafael Rodriguez, conductor
Ahmed Anzaldúa, pianist & vocal coach
Jon Cranney, director

Biographies
Reinaldo Moya (Composer)
Reinaldo Moya is a graduate of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education system. Through El Sistema, he had access to musical training from an early age and was a founding member of the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra touring throughout Europe, North and South America. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a participant in the prestigious John Duffy Composers Institute and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Composers Institute. Moya now lives in Northfield, and is Associate Professor of Composition at Augsburg College. His young adult opera, Memory Boy was commissioned by the Minnesota Opera and received its premiere in February of 2016. Reinaldo Moya is the recipient of the 2019 Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2015 McKnight Composers Fellowship, the Van Lier Fellowship from Meet the Composer and the Aaron Copland Award from the Copland House.
Caitlin Vincent (Librettist)
Caitlin Vincent is an American librettist and lyricist whose writing has been praised as “nuanced and honest” (DC Theatre Scene), “intriguing” (The Baltimore Sun), and “luminous” (The Huffington Post). Her opera Better Gods, with composer Luna Pearl Woolf, premiered in January 2016 at the Kennedy Center as part of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative. In 2017, Vincent and composer Douglas Buchanan won the prestigious Sackler Music Composition Prize to fund a new opera about Bessie Coleman, the first African-American female aviator, and Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas, for a premiere in 2019. Other recent commissions include Nullipara with composer D. J. Sparr for the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble and Little Black Book with composer Susan LaBarr for Carnegie Hall. A classically-trained soprano, Vincent graduated cum laude from Harvard University and holds a MM degree from the Peabody Conservatory and a PhD from Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia.
Adrian Rosas (Old Luis)
Hailed by the New York Times as “a stalwart bass-baritone with a burnished voice” and in Opera News as a “mellifluous bass-baritone [with] theatrical flair”, Adrian Rosas is an artist with “impressive experience and talent” (The Boston Globe). He has performed with the Seattle Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Saratoga, and the Detroit Opera House. As a champion of new and modern music, he has had the opportunity to work on newly written works, including Peter Ash’s The Golden Ticket, Robert Xavier Rodriguez’s Frida, Petr Kotik’s Master-Pieces, Matt Aucoin’s Whitman, and newly written works with American Lyric Theater, American Opera Projects, and the Ostrava Center for New Music. Equally versed in concert repertoire, he has performed as a soloist at Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center, and The Library of Congress.
In addition to his career as a singer, Adrian has a dedication to education and entrepreneurship. He is a co-founder of Arts On Site NYC, a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting the development of artists and encouraging community collaboration; a co-founder of the Vocal Apprentice Program and voice mentor at the The National Music Festival, which provides collegiate-level singers with an opportunity to study, learn, and perform with career professionals; and is on voice faculty with the California State Summer School for the Arts. Adrian holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University and a Master’s degree from The Juilliard School.
Bergen Baker (Clara)
Praised by the Star Tribune as having a “fetching blend of grace, warmth and humor on stage,” soprano Bergen Baker has been a featured performer with local companies such as Minnesota Opera, The Minnesota Orchestra, Skylark Opera Theatre, Lakes Area Music Festival as well as many operatic and symphonic companies across the country. Currently, she is the Managing Director and a frequent performer for LOFTrecital, a Minneapolis arts organization bringing unique musical experiences to unconventional spaces.
In addition to performance on the operatic and concert stage, Ms. Baker holds a passion for arts education and served as Teaching Artist for Minnesota Opera from 2012-2014. During her tenure, Ms. Baker organized community residencies and performances that served nearly 15,000 opera lovers across the state of Minnesota. Today, she manages the opera study abroad program, Musica nelle Marche LLC, in Urbino, Italy, and remains a highly sought after Teaching Artist, offering residencies, workshops and master classes to students and communities across the country.
Ms. Baker holds Bachelor and Master degrees in vocal performance from DePaul University and the University of Minnesota, respectively. More info at bergenbaker.com and loftrecital.org
Clara Osowski (Edith)
Mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski, who sings “from inside the music with unaffected purity and sincerity” (UK Telegraph), is an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the United States and Europe. Recognized for her excellence in Minnesota, Clara was a recipient of the prestigious 2018-2019 McKnight Artist Fellowships for Musicians administered by MacPhail Center for Music.
In international competition with pianist Tyler Wottrich, in March of 2017, Clara became the first ever American prize winner when she placed second at Thomas Quasthoff’s International Das Lied Competition in Heidelberg, Germany. In September, the duo was also one of four to reach the finals in the prestigious Wigmore Hall/Kohn Foundation Song Competition in London, and Clara was awarded the Richard Tauber Prize for the best interpretation of Schubert Lieder. She recently won the Radio-Canada People’s Choice Award and third place in the song division at the 2018 Concours Musical International de Montréal.
In addition to performing, Clara serves as the Associate Artistic Director of Source Song Festival, a week-long art song festival in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This festival strives to create and perform new art song, and cultivate an educational environment for students of song, including composers, vocalists, and collaborative pianists. Clara also teaches on the faculty at Aspen Music Festival’s Professional Choral Institute in partnership with Seraphic Fire. Please see www.claraosowski.com for more information.
Juan Carlos Mendoza (Aarón and Javier)
Tenor Juan Carlos Mendoza is a native of Muscatine, IA. Stage roles include Freddy in My Fair Lady, Tigranes in the North American premiere of Cavalli’s La Doriclea, Gloster Hemming in The Mother of Us All, and Bill in A Hand of Bridge. Concert highlights include Tenor Evangelist in Pärt’s Passio, and Tenor Soloist in Messiah (Handel), Requiem (Mozart), Magnificat and Mass in g minor (Bach), and Bolts of Melody (Ford). As a choral performer Mr. Mendoza has performed in Tannhäuser with Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Harmoniemesse (Haydn), Carmina Burana (Orff) and The Kingdom (Elgar) with the Grant Park Music Festival (GPMF). Mr. Mendoza received a Master of Arts degree from The University of Iowa, a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School, additional studies at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts in Voice and Opera at The University of Iowa. In addition to performing, he has served on the voice faculties of Drake University, Knox College, Monmouth College, Kirkwood Community College, and currently teaches voice at Augustana College.
Matthew Valverde (Young Luis)
Matthew Valverde has been praised in the New York Classical Review as having a “huge, handsome tenor voice.” He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree and a master’s degree in vocal performance and literature from the Eastman School of Music (Rochester, NY), and degrees from Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, TX). Matthew has just completed his third year as Assistant Professor of Voice at Adams State University in Alamosa, CO, where he also serves as Inclusive Excellence Liaison, supporting initiatives of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Valverde made his Carnegie Hall debut in May 2014 and has been tenor soloist in performances including Handel’s Messiah, Haydn’s The Creation, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Mozart’s Requiem, and Britten’s Serenade and War Requiem. Orchestral credits include: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, National Repertory Orchestra, Rochester Chamber Orchestra, Rochester Oratorio Society, Finger Lakes Choral Festival, and the SLV Symphony. He has appeared with the Rochester Lyric Opera, Finger Lakes Opera (Geneseo, NY), and Eastman Opera Theatre. Valverde has performed with the Internationale Bachakademie’s Festivalensemble Stuttgart (Helmuth Rilling), Vox Humana (David Childs), Voices Chamber Choir (William Weinert), First Inversion Vocal Ensemble (Lee Wright), and is the tenor section leader of EXIGENCE Vocal Ensemble (Eugene Rogers).
Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age (Chorus)
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age is a dynamic group of 50 young people from Minneapolis and Saint Paul high schools who sing, dance, write their own music, rap, and—most importantly—reflect the diversity of our community in its membership. Under the visionary leadership of G. Phillip Shoultz, III, the students sing a wide range of music—from classical to hip-hop and everything in between, perform in world-class venues, awaken their creativity by studying voice, dance, theatre, and spoken word, rehearse at Augsburg University to provide exposure to life in college, and belong to an accepting community of peers from all walks of life.
Rafael Rodriguez (Conductor)
Rafael Antonio Rodriguez is internationally recognized and highly regarded as a conductor and educator. His professional work has taken him throughout the Americas to Peru, Colombia, the Amazon region of Brazil, Bolivia, Mexico, Honduras, and to Costa Rica where he lived and worked for many years before returning to the United States.
While serving as Artistic Director and conductor for the national youth orchestra in the Sistema Nacional de Educación Musical (Costa Rica), Rafael led the Orquesta Sinfónica Manuel María Gutiérrez on an international tour to Mexico including performances at such prestigious venues as the Sala Nezahualcoyotl in Mexico City. He has also performed to sold-out audiences at the National Theatre of Costa Rica, and at the Gran Teatro Nacional in Lima, Peru.
Committed to excellence in teaching and to creating a collaborative musical experience for students and professionals alike, Rafael’s background as a jazz pianist and arranger provide an uncommon foundation for a creative and emotive approach to orchestral performance. Rafael is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Orchestral Conducting & Literature from the University of Colorado Boulder, and holds graduate degrees in Instrumental Conducting (M.M.) and in Education (M.Ed.) from universities in southern California. Currently, he serves on the music faculty at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Ahmed Anzaldúa (Pianist & Vocal Coach)
Ahmed Anzaldúa is a Mexican choral conductor, classical pianist, and music educator of Egyptian descent. He is an active musician, performing in Mexico and the United States frequently as a soloist and conductor with choirs, orchestras, in recitals, and as a collaborative pianist. He currently lives in the city of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is the director and founder of Border CrosSing, an organization dedicated to integrating historically-segregated audiences, repertoire, and musicians through the performance of choral music. He is also a co-editor of the Justice Choir songbook.

Adam Rappel (Percussion)
Dr. Adam Rappel takes great pride in being a versatile percussionist. He has performed in Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Austria and Sweden. He has also performed with YOA – Orchestra of the Americas – in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay. In addition, he performed in the first International Percussion Ensemble festival in Costa Rica with the University of Minnesota Percussion Ensemble. As an orchestral percussionist, he performs regularly with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Minnesota Opera, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Mankato Symphony Orchestra, La Crosse Symphony Orchestra and the Central Wisconsin Symphony Orchestra.
Dr. Rappel has held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, MacPhail Center for Music and Inver Hills Community College. He is currently serving as Visiting Assistant Professor of Percussion at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN and is affiliate faculty at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities, where he directs the Steel Drum Ensemble. Adam received his Master’s degree from the University of Minnesota, studying with Peter Kogan, Phil Hey, Steve Yeager and Fernando Meza. He is the first percussionist to ever receive the Doctorate of Musical Arts degree from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. He is proudly endorsed by Innovative Percussion, Sabian Cymbals, and is a Yamaha Concert Percussion artist and clinician.
Maja Radovanlija (Guitar)
Maja Radovanlija was born in Belgrade, Serbia. As a child, she won several awards in music festivals and competitions in former Yugoslavia. While in high school, she won second prize at the Petar Konjevic International Competition in Belgrade and took part in a classical music show for National Television of Serbia.
Maja completed her Bachelor degree at the University of Belgrade. As a graduate student (M.M and DMA) at Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, she studied with Ernesto Bitetti, and with lutenist Nigel North. During her studies Maja performed many new works written for her, and started performing her own pieces, arrangements and improvised pieces, inspired by traditional music of Balkan countries.
Maja taught classical guitar for over 10 years in Belgrade Serbia. She was also on the guitar faculty for the Jacobs School of Music’s pre-college guitar program, where she led an ensemble for kids ages 5-10. Beginning the fall of 2011, she was appointed as the only guitar faculty at the School of Music, University of Minnesota in Minneapolis. Maja is a member of several chamber ensembles and projects based in Minneapolis and Belgrade, such as Radovanlija-Chatterton guitar/flute Duo, Improvised Ecosystems, Szilard Mezei strings and flute Trio, and Minneapolis Guitar Quartet.
Sarah Grimes (Violin)
Violinist Sarah Grimes, a native of the Twin Cities, joined the Minnesota Orchestra in 2016, where she is a member of the first violin section. Before her appointment in the Minnesota Orchestra, she performed full time as a Guest Musician with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. A graduate of the Northwestern University Bienen School of Music and formerly a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Grimes was concertmaster of the Northwestern Symphony Orchestra, performer and cofounder in student-led ensembles, and a freelance musician in the greater Chicagoland area.
Sarah has appeared as a soloist with the Minnesota Orchestra, Minnesota Sinfonia, Evanston Chamber Players, and most recently with the Mississippi Valley Orchestra in Spring 2019. An active chamber musician in the Twin Cities, Grimes performs for the Minnesota Orchestra Chamber Music Series, Liquid Music Series, the SPCO Chamber Music Series, Bakken Trio, Outpost, The Musical Offering, and at festivals including Kneisel Hall Chamber Music, Chamber Music Festival of the Black Hills and Astona International. She currently serves as concertmaster of the Mississippi Valley Orchestra. Her principal teachers include Sarah Kwak and Almita and Roland Vamos.
Susan Janda (Viola)
Susan Janda is a member of the Minnesota Opera Orchestra, Four Voices String Quartet, One World Consort (jazz-world music fusion), and is on faculty at Hamline University. Recent work includes: Minnesota Orchestra and VocalEssence performances, upcoming CDs with Minnesota Opera, singer-songwriter Jonathan Brooke, vibraphonist Steve Yeager, jazz vocalist Lucia Newell. Janda makes her home in St. Paul with her husband and two boys, and has recently taken up the great sport of long blade speed skating…realizing a wish from long ago.

Teresa Richardson (cello)
Teresa Richardson is Assistant Principal cellist with the Minnesota Opera Orchestra. Teresa has performed in many orchestras, including the Minnesota Orchestra, Evansville Philharmonic, Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and Mill City Summer Opera. She has performed with Bakken Trio, The Musical Offering, Zeitgeist, VocalEssence, and onstage as soloist with the St. Paul Ballet. Teresa appeared as soloist with orchestra performing concertos by Elgar, Haydn, Saint-Saens, and Boccherini. Fulfilling a strong passion for teaching, Teresa is on the faculty at North Star Cello Academy and MacPhail Center for Music, and has taught at University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Teresa earned Master of Music and Bachelor of Music degrees in cello performance from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, where she graduated with high distinction under the instruction of Janos Starker, Emilio Colon, and Helga Winold.
Jon Cranney (Director)
Jon Cranney has been a member of the Minneapolis/St. Paul professional theatre community for over four decades. He was a member of the Guthrie Theater Company in its early years and served as the Artistic Director in the 80s and 90s of the Tony Award honored The Children’s Theatre Company. He has directed for many Twin Cities theatres as well as others across the nation and in Moscow, Japan and China.
He has also performed as an actor at The Guthrie Theater, The Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, Park Square Theatre and Yellow Tree Theatre, and has assisted on many projects as a director and writer for VocalEssence.

FAMILY: Tales & Tunes 2019, 9:30 AM
2019-09-28 09:30 - 10:30 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 8:45 AM.
Let’s create together! In this musical story time your little ones can roll up their sleeves and make a craft, sing along to nursery rhymes with VocalEssence singers, and hear acclaimed authors, David LaRochelle and Mike Wohnoutka read some of their most-loved books. Listen to brand new songs written by teen moms through our Lullaby Project and create a song with us that you can share with your loved ones.
Tickets: Adults (18+) $15 / Child (0-17) FREE
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Family Series Subscription.
Performers

Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Members of VocalEssence Ensemble Singers

Three Things to Know

All ages are welcome, and it is best experienced by children up to age six.
There is no dress code for this event. Children and adults should wear what makes them most comfortable, whether that is sweatpants, a princess dress, or a super hero costume.
The VocalEssence Lullaby Project matches pregnant women and new mothers with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting maternal health, aiding child development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child. Learn more about the project in our video below.

CONCERT: Divine Light, 4 PM
2019-10-13 16:00 - 17:30 | Summit Center for Arts & Innovation, 1524 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. A limited number of tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 2:30PM. More tickets are available for the 7PM performance.
Soak in the intimate beauty of the human voice in this unique chamber performance exploring the relationship between the human and the divine. Joining the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers on this journey will be Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini. Skillfully selected for the space, the wide-ranging blend of music from all over the world includes György Ligeti’s 16-part Lux Aeterna, made famous in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Gaelic Hymns by Ina Boyle / 15 min
Psalm 151 by John Høybye / 15 min
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré / 6 min
Colores Pacis by John August Pamintuan / 6 min
Lux Aeterna by György Ligeti / 9 min
A Silence Haunts Me by Jake Runestad / 13 min

There will be no intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Ruggero Allifranchini, violin
Philip Brunelle, conductor
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Three things to know

When Stanly Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in 1968, György Ligeti was surprised to hear his Lux Aeterna featured prominently in the movie’s score. Kubrick later used Ligeti’s music in two of his other films—with permission!
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré was originally written for piano and chorus in the late 1880s.
Ina Boyle achieved some major successes early in her career—she is the only female composer included in the Carnegie Collection of British Music—and studied with Vaughan Williams, who regarded her highly. But she often had to struggle to get her music performed or published.

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
Listen
https://soundcloud.com/the-lyric-feature/ina-boyle-from-the-darkness

CONCERT: Divine Light, 7 PM
2019-10-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Summit Center for Arts & Innovation, 1524 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, 55105, United States
Advance ticket sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 5:30 PM.
Soak in the intimate beauty of the human voice in this unique chamber performance exploring the relationship between the human and the divine. Joining the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers on this journey will be Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Associate Concertmaster Ruggero Allifranchini. Skillfully selected for the space, the wide-ranging blend of music from all over the world includes György Ligeti’s 16-part Lux Aeterna, made famous in the 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Gaelic Hymns by Ina Boyle
Psalm 151 by John Høybye / 15 min
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré / 6 min
Colores Pacis by John August Pamintuan / 6 min
Lux Aeterna by György Ligeti / 9 min
A Silence Haunts Me by Jake Runestad / 13 min

There will be no intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Ensemble Singers
Ruggero Allifranchini, violin
Philip Brunelle, conductor
Mary Jo Gothmann, piano

Three things to know

When Stanly Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered in 1968, György Ligeti was surprised to hear his Lux Aeterna featured prominently in the movie’s score. Kubrick later used Ligeti’s music in two of his other films—with permission!
Pavane, Op. 50 by Gabriel Fauré was originally written for piano and chorus in the late 1880s.
Ina Boyle achieved some major successes early in her career—she is the only female composer included in the Carnegie Collection of British Music—and studied with Vaughan Williams, who regarded her highly. But she often had to struggle to get her music performed or published.

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
Listen
https://soundcloud.com/the-lyric-feature/ina-boyle-from-the-darkness

CONCERT: What a Mighty God
2019-11-17 16:00 - 18:00 | St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church, 900 Stillwater Road, Mahtomedi, 55115, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 3:00 PM on Sunday.
Feel your spirit soar to new heights at this vibrant and soulful program. Born of a dark past, spirituals have an unmistakable power to connect us through our joys and sorrows. Dr. André Thomas expertly honors this past and moves into the gospel realm by conducting the Midwest premiere of his Mass: A Celebration of Love and Joy with orchestra, soloists, and choir. Continue the journey with powerful spirituals for choir and orchestra including “In That Great Gettin’ Up Morning” and “What a Mighty God,” and get ready to shout for joy!
Performers

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Dr. André Thomas, conductor
NaGuanda Nobles, soloist
Christian Mark Gibbs, soloist
Orchestra

Three Things to Know

Through spirituals, enslaved Africans were able to express their community solidarity and vision of freedom while they protested the condition of slavery. The songs were a source of inspiration and comfort, and sometimes a means to convey coded messages that included escape routes.
The Fisk Jubilee Singers played a pivotal role in the preservation and popularization of spirituals. They were the first to share the music of their ancestors with the wider world, and their performances helped secure a prominent place for spirituals in American music.
Thomas Dorsey, the “father of Gospel Music,” combined the hymn of praise with the rhythms of jazz and blues. He’s the author of the gospel standard “Precious Lord.”

Learn more
Westminster Town Hall Forum
Dr. Thomas spoke at the Westminster Town Hall Forum on Tuesday, November 12, 2019 about “Understanding the Negro Spiritual.” Hear his presentation here: https://www.mprnews.org/story/2019/11/12/andre-thomas-at-westminster-town-hall-forum
Minnesota Spokesman Recorder Article
https://spokesman-recorder.com/2019/11/14/renowned-composer-andre-thomas-returns-to-minnesota-for-a-celebration-of-love/
KBEM Interview
http://www.jazz88.fm/2019/11/14/dr-andre-thomas-with-vocalessence/

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
Thank you to our sponsors

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2019, Apple Valley
2019-12-07 19:30 - 21:30 | Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 12650 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley, MN, 55124, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 6:30 PM on Saturday, December 7.

God Jul! Celebrate a Nordic Christmas with carols from Sweden, Finland, and Norway, including the world premiere of Nordic Christmas—a suite of Norwegian carols arranged by Norway’s hot young composer, Kim André Arnesen—commissioned in honor of the 125th anniversary of Sons of Norway. Traverse the fjords and hear arrangements of carols you know, and fall in love with two new carols featuring violin as the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest celebrates its 22nd anniversary.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Nordic Christmas by Kim André Arneson
Stephen was a stable boy by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
Det är en ros utsprungen by Jan Sandström
Snow by Sigurd Lie
Miles and Miles by Justin Merritt
A Christmas Garland arranged by Conrad Susa (with audience singing)
In Silent Night by Mitchell Southall
Have You Seen the Baby Jesus? by Rosephanye Powell
O Little Town of Bethlehem by David Evan Thomas
Two new carol contest winners – SATB with violin

There will be a 20 minute intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Chamber instrumental ensemble
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Three Things to Know

In 2016, Kim André Arneson’s Cradle Hymn was performed at the White House for President Obama.
Since the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest began 21 years ago, VocalEssence has premiered 42 new carols at our Christmas concerts.
Every Welcome Christmas concert includes an audience sing of a familiar carol—get ready to sing your heart out!

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
Listen

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2019, Minneapolis, 4 PM
2019-12-08 16:00 - 18:00 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Advance sales are now closed. A limited number of Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the door beginning at 3 PM on Sunday, December 8.

God Jul! Celebrate a Nordic Christmas with carols from Sweden, Finland, and Norway, including the world premiere of Nordic Christmas—a suite of Norwegian carols arranged by Norway’s hot young composer, Kim André Arnesen—commissioned in honor of the 125th anniversary of Sons of Norway. Traverse the fjords and hear arrangements of carols you know, and fall in love with two new carols featuring violin as the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest celebrates its 22nd anniversary.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Nordic Christmas by Kim André Arneson
Stephen was a stable boy by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
Det är en ros utsprungen by Jan Sandström
Snow by Sigurd Lie
Miles and Miles by Justin Merritt
A Christmas Garland arranged by Conrad Susa (with audience singing)
In Silent Night by Mitchell Southall
Have You Seen the Baby Jesus? by Rosephanye Powell
O Little Town of Bethlehem by David Evan Thomas
Two new carol contest winners – SATB with violin

There will be a 20 minute intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Chamber instrumental ensemble
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Three Things to Know

In 2016, Kim André Arneson’s Cradle Hymn was performed at the White House for President Obama.
Since the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest began 21 years ago, VocalEssence has premiered 42 new carols at our Christmas concerts.
Every Welcome Christmas concert includes an audience sing of a familiar carol—get ready to sing your heart out!

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
Listen

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2019, Minneapolis, 7:30 PM
2019-12-13 19:30 - 21:30 | Plymouth Congregational Church, 1919 LaSalle Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55403, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at Plymouth Congregational Church beginning at 6:30 PM.

God Jul! Celebrate a Nordic Christmas with carols from Sweden, Finland, and Norway, including the world premiere of Nordic Christmas—a suite of Norwegian carols arranged by Norway’s hot young composer, Kim André Arnesen—commissioned in honor of the 125th anniversary of Sons of Norway. Traverse the fjords and hear arrangements of carols you know, and fall in love with two new carols featuring violin as the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest celebrates its 22nd anniversary.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Nordic Christmas by Kim André Arneson
Stephen was a stable boy by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
Det är en ros utsprungen by Jan Sandström
Snow by Sigurd Lie
Miles and Miles by Justin Merritt
A Christmas Garland arranged by Conrad Susa (with audience singing)
In Silent Night by Mitchell Southall
Have You Seen the Baby Jesus? by Rosephanye Powell
O Little Town of Bethlehem by David Evan Thomas
Two new carol contest winners – SATB with violin

There will be a 20 minute intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Chamber instrumental ensemble
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Three Things to Know

In 2016, Kim André Arneson’s Cradle Hymn was performed at the White House for President Obama.
Since the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest began 21 years ago, VocalEssence has premiered 42 new carols at our Christmas concerts.
Every Welcome Christmas concert includes an audience sing of a familiar carol—get ready to sing your heart out!

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
Listen

FAMILY: Winter Wonder, 9 AM
2019-12-14 09:00 - 10:15 | Reception Hall, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at Mia beginning at 8:30 AM on Saturday.

Deck the hall with VocalEssence at this hands-on holiday event. Clap, wiggle, and sing along to your favorite holiday classics, and try your hand at creating a winter-themed craft to take home. Sit up close and experience the wonder of singing together (maybe for the first time). Baby bottles and teddy bears welcome!
Tickets: Adults (18+) $15 / Child (0-17) FREE
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Family Series Subscription.
Schedule

Crafts: 9-9:30 AM
Concert: 9:30-10:15 AM

Performers

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers

Three Things to Know

All ages are welcome, and it is best experienced by children up to age eight.
There is no dress code for this event. Children and adults should wear what makes them most comfortable, whether that is sweatpants, a princess dress, or a super hero costume.
The crafts we create will be used during the concert.

Listen

EVENT Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/winter_wonder_fall2019_all_languages

FAMILY: Winter Wonder, 11 AM
2019-12-14 11:00 - 12:15 | Reception Hall, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at Mia beginning at 10:30 AM on Saturday.

Deck the hall with VocalEssence at this hands-on holiday event. Clap, wiggle, and sing along to your favorite holiday classics, and try your hand at creating a winter-themed craft to take home. Sit up close and experience the wonder of singing together (maybe for the first time). Baby bottles and teddy bears welcome!
Tickets: Adults (18+) $15 / Child (0-17) FREE
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Family Series Subscription.
Schedule

Crafts: 11-11:30 AM
Concert: 11:30 AM -12:15 PM

Performers

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers

Three Things to Know

All ages are welcome, and it is best experienced by children up to age eight.
There is no dress code for this event. Children and adults should wear what makes them most comfortable, whether that is sweatpants, a princess dress, or a super hero costume.
The crafts we create will be used during the concert.

Listen

Event Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/winter_wonder_fall2019_all_languages

FAMILY: Winter Wonder, 1 PM
2019-12-14 13:00 - 14:15 | Reception Hall, Minneapolis Institute of Art, 2400 3rd Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN, 55404, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at Mia beginning at 12:30 PM on Saturday.

Deck the hall with VocalEssence at this hands-on holiday event. Clap, wiggle, and sing along to your favorite holiday classics, and try your hand at creating a winter-themed craft to take home. Sit up close and experience the wonder of singing together (maybe for the first time). Baby bottles and teddy bears welcome!
Tickets: Adults (18+) $15 / Child (0-17) FREE
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Family Series Subscription.
Schedule

Crafts: 1-1:30 PM
Concert: 1:30-2:15 PM

Performers

VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
VocalEssence Ensemble Singers

Three Things to Know

All ages are welcome, and it is best experienced by children up to age eight.
There is no dress code for this event. Children and adults should wear what makes them most comfortable, whether that is sweatpants, a princess dress, or a super hero costume.
The crafts we create will be used during the concert.

Listen

Event Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/winter_wonder_fall2019_all_languages

CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2019, Roseville
2019-12-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Roseville Lutheran Church, 1215 Roselawn Ave. W., Roseville, MN, 55113, United States
Advance sales are now closed. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at Roseville Lutheran Church beginning at 3 PM on Sunday.

God Jul! Celebrate a Nordic Christmas with carols from Sweden, Finland, and Norway, including the world premiere of Nordic Christmas—a suite of Norwegian carols arranged by Norway’s hot young composer, Kim André Arnesen—commissioned in honor of the 125th anniversary of Sons of Norway. Traverse the fjords and hear arrangements of carols you know, and fall in love with two new carols featuring violin as the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest celebrates its 22nd anniversary.
Tickets are also available as part of a 2019-20 Concert Series Subscription.
Program

Nordic Christmas by Kim André Arneson
Stephen was a stable boy by Jaakko Mäntyjärvi
Det är en ros utsprungen by Jan Sandström
Snow by Sigurd Lie
Miles and Miles by Justin Merritt
A Christmas Garland arranged by Conrad Susa (with audience singing)
In Silent Night by Mitchell Southall
Have You Seen the Baby Jesus? by Rosephanye Powell
O Little Town of Bethlehem by David Evan Thomas
Two new carol contest winners – SATB with violin

There will be a 20 minute intermission at this performance.
Performers

VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers
Chamber instrumental ensemble
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Three Things to Know

In 2016, Kim André Arneson’s Cradle Hymn was performed at the White House for President Obama.
Since the Welcome Christmas Carol Contest began 21 years ago, VocalEssence has premiered 42 new carols at our Christmas concerts.
Every Welcome Christmas concert includes an audience sing of a familiar carol—get ready to sing your heart out!

CONCERT PROGRAM
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_fall_concertprogram2019_final_bdc0ce35b9d0a6
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FAMILY: Together We Sing Festival 2020
2020-01-18 13:30 - 17:00 | Minnesota History Center, 345 W Kellogg Blvd, Saint Paul, MN, 55102, United States
Advanced registration is now closed. All are welcome! Walk up registration begins at 1 PM on Saturday.
IMPORTANT FESTIVAL Update:
Last updated Sat Jan 18 at 7am
The Together We Sing Festival on Saturday, January 18 from 1:30-5 PM will continue as scheduled. We understand that transportation to the Minnesota History Center may vary by person due to weather conditions in your area and will understand if you are unable to attend today’s event. Should you be able to make it today, know that an afternoon of fellowship through singing, service, and snacking is on to warm your spirits on this cold wintry day. Our biggest wish is for you to be well and stay warm, wherever you are.

“Come together…right now” and sing as we honor the musical legacy of Minnesota and the rich tapestry of voices who call it home. Enjoy a performance by future stars from our radically diverse youth choir, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age, and give back to our community through a service project to benefit the Healthy Black Pregnancies initiative. You can learn more about the project and sponsor a Baby Care Package, by clicking here.
This event is free, with advance registration requested. Admission to the museum is optional and may be purchased separately through the Minnesota Historical Society.
Thank you to the Red Balloon Bookshop in St. Paul for their support of this project!
Schedule

1-1:30 PM: Registration
1:30 PM: VocalEssence Singers Of This Age performance
2-5 PM: Workshops, Service Project, and Snacks

“The Man Behind the Dream” One Voice Mixed Chorus, Jane Ramseyer Miller, director
“Songs of First Ave and Beyond” G. Phillip Shoultz, III

Performers

One Voice Mixed Chorus
VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
G. Phillip Shoultz, III

Three Things to Know

All ages welcome, and this is best enjoyed by children ages eight and up.
The 2019 attendees were thrilled with this event, with one participant noting, “I had no idea what to expect, and I was delighted in a million ways.”
Part of the event will include giving back to a local nonprofit. More information will be provided as we get closer to the event.

FAMILY: Moana Movie Sing-Along, 10 AM
2020-02-01 10:00 - 12:00 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States
This event is sold out.
Whether it is Moana, Maui, or even Hei Hei, “make way” for your favorite character on screen at a Moana movie sing-along led by members of our youth choir, VocalEssence Singers Of This Age. Create a craft to take home and voyage into the castle for Moana treasures to win a prize. ASI Museum admission included. “You’re welcome!”
Tickets: Adults (18+) $15 / Child (0-17) FREE

Performers

Members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age

Three Things to Know

All ages are welcome, and this is best enjoyed by children age 4 to 10.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who voices Maui, comes from a long line of Samoan wrestlers. In fact, the appearance of Maui in the film was based on his grandfather.
When Moana wears red feathers, it symbolizes royalty. In Pacific Island cultures, red is a color of royalty, so it’s fitting that the daughter of a chief wears that bold, vibrant, and royal hue—especially for ceremonial occasions.

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FAMILY: Moana Movie Sing-Along, 1 PM
2020-02-01 13:00 - 15:00 | Larson Hall, American Swedish Institute, 2600 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN, 55407, United States

CONCERT: Deep Roots
2020-02-23 16:30 - 18:30 | Orchestra Hall, 1111 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 55403, United States
Join us as we honor the deep musical roots from which VocalEssence WITNESS sprang 30 years ago. Guiding you on the journey through spirituals, jazz, gospel, and soul will be homegrown artists—singers, actors, dancers—including two-time Billboard Gospel chart-topper Jovonta Patton and a special 30th Anniversary Community Choir. Continuing our commitment to include new voices on stage, the concert will include a world premiere arrangement of the spiritual “Witness” by Joel Thompson.
Program

Performers

One Voice Mixed Chorus
Jane Ramseyer Miller, conductor
Mindy Eschedor, piano
Jovonta Patton
30th Anniversary Community Choir including members from Deliverance For Youth Reunion, MN State Baptist Convention Youth Choir (Treasures), and North Central Singers
VocalEssence Teaching Artists:

Timothy Berry
Patricia Brown
Brandon Commodore
Ginger Commodore
Karla Nweje
T. Mychael Rambo
Anita Ruth
Roxane Wallace

VocalEssence Chorus, Ensemble Singers, & VocalEssence Singers Of This Age
Mary Jo Gothmann. piano
Philip Brunelle, conductor
G. Phillip Shoultz, III, conductor

Three Things to Know

In 1991, VocalEssence created WITNESS to celebrate the artistic contributions of African Americans to the fine arts and to our common cultural heritage.
Throughout the years, the VocalEssence WITNESS program has featured artists such as Bobby McFerrin, James Earl Jones, Rita Dove, Billy Taylor, the Morehouse College Glee Club, Spelman College Glee Club, and Moore by Four.
A 50-minute version of this concert will be performed for more than 5,000 students grades K-12 on Monday, February 24, 2020.

Concert Program
https://issuu.com/vocalessence/docs/ve_springprogramwitness2020
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THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS

LIVE STREAM: GPS & Friends - Inaugural Episode
2020-04-30 19:00 - 19:30 | MN
Join us at 7 PM on Thursday, April 30th for the inaugural 30-minute episode of GPS & Friends! For more than 50 years, VocalEssence has connected with you with world-class artists, and now you can be inspired by their creativity and beauty from the comfort of your own home. Streamed live via Facebook and YouTube, Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III will showcase international artists who have a soft spot in their heart for VocalEssence. Hear what inspires them, watch them perform, and live chat with them throughout the episode. Miss the episode? Watch the archived episode anytime on our YouTube Channel.
Guest Artists
Special guests in this inaugural episode include vocal activist Melanie DeMore and jazz pianist and composer Laura Caviani.
Vocal activist Melanie DeMore
Jazz pianist and composer Laura Caviani

LIVE STREAM: GPS & Friends on May 7
2020-05-07 19:00 - 19:30 | MN
Join us at 7 PM on Thursday, May 7th for the 30-minute episode of GPS & Friends! For more than 50 years, VocalEssence has connected with you with world-class artists, and now you can be inspired by their creativity and beauty from the comfort of your own home. Streamed live via Facebook and YouTube, Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III will showcase international artists who have a soft spot in their heart for VocalEssence. Hear what inspires them, watch them perform, and live chat with them throughout the episode. Miss the episode? Watch the archived episode anytime on our YouTube Channel.
GUEST ARTISTS
Special guests in this episode include composer and performers Timothy Takach and Jocelyn Hagen.

LIVE STREAM: GPS & Friends
2020-05-14 19:00 - 19:30 | MN
Join us at 7 PM on Thursday, May 14th for the 30-minute episode of GPS & Friends! For more than 50 years, VocalEssence has connected with you with world-class artists, and now you can be inspired by their creativity and beauty from the comfort of your own home. Streamed live via Facebook and YouTube, Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III will showcase international artists who have a soft spot in their heart for VocalEssence. Hear what inspires them, watch them perform, and live chat with them throughout the episode. Miss the episode? Watch the archived episode anytime on our YouTube Channel.
GUEST ARTISTS
Jake Runestad, composer and conductor
Julio Morales, composer, conductor, and tenor
