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July 2020
GALA: VocalEssence Gala 2020
The auction is now open! Click "Watch and Bid" to access the event site! Raise your voice for our community at the online VocalEssence Gala 2020—Better Together. Celebrate all the ways we are better together through the great programs we offer, especially honoring the VocalEssence WITNESS 30th Anniversary. VocalEssence will be joined by special guests from past and present showcasing the work we do building community through song. Bid in the online auction, and raise your glass to toast VocalEssence!…
Find out more »August 2020
EVENT: Music Lives Here, A Minnesota Roundtable, August 6
Join us on Thursday, August 6 to for an online rehearsal demonstration to prepare you for fall rehearsals. Save the date for our next roundtable on Aug. 20: Race, Advocacy, and Equity: Quanice G. Floyd, founder and director, Arts Administrators of Color Network. Zoom Information https://stolaf.zoom.us/j/98077756921?pwd=ek9wTFRMbFFQZmxxU215ZzRHYXQ0Zz09 Meeting ID: 980 7775 6921 Password: musiclives Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Background A day of new possibilities began on Monday, May 11 as representatives from ACDA-MN (Diane Heaney,…
Find out more »EVENT: Music Lives Here, A Minnesota Roundtable, August 20
Join us on Thursday, August 20 for a roundtable on Race, Advocacy, and Equity with special guest Quanice G. Floyd, founder and director, Arts Administrators of Color Network. Zoom Information https://stolaf.zoom.us/j/98077756921?pwd=ek9wTFRMbFFQZmxxU215ZzRHYXQ0Zz09 Meeting ID: 980 7775 6921 Password: musiclives Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) Background A day of new possibilities began on Monday, May 11 as representatives from ACDA-MN (Diane Heaney, Kristin Kivell, Paula Holmberg, and Stephanie Trump), and MMEA (Dan Hampton and Tonya Barnes) met…
Find out more »September 2020
VocalEssence On Demand 2020-2021 Season
VocalEssence is delighted to announce our 2020-2021 season, broadcast in high-definition video to our new website—VocalEssence On Demand. VocalEssence On Demand allows you to watch as much as you want, whenever you want—all for one low price of $49. Stunning Originals: VocalEssence will premiere eight new performances from October 2020 to June 2021. Featuring stunningly clear audio and crisp, high-quality video, these performances will provide intimate and engaging concert experiences that are the next best thing to attending events in person. To learn more about the performances, click the concert names under "Yours…
Find out more »October 2020
CONCERT: Rightfully Hers
Commemorating 100 years of women’s voices through song Join us for a special online musical event to commemorate the passing of the 19th Amendment—a critical milestone in the centuries-long struggle to let the voices of women be heard. VocalEssence lifts up those voices through music composed by women from the past 100 years—including Mabel Daniels, Alice Parker, Rosephanye Powell, and Jocelyn Hagen—who took the risk and shared their dreams. Guiding us on the journey will be acclaimed actor Sally Wingert and the VocalEssence Ensemble Singers. Tickets Tickets are currently available as a single stream or as part of a VocalEssence On Demand…
Find out more »November 2020
FAMILY: Imagine
Im·ag·ine /iˈmajən/ verb 1. form a mental image or concept of. “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world.” —Harriet Tubman, American abolitionist Discover beauty in diversity, and imagine a world where the spirit of kindness, generosity, and love for our neighbors lives in us all year. Join the VocalEssence Singers Of This Age and conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III as they usher…
Find out more »December 2020
CONCERT: Welcome Christmas 2020
Behold the wonder of Christmas with familiar favorites Behold the wonder of the season from the comfort of your home. For more than five decades, VocalEssence has welcomed Christmas. This December curl up by the fire and let Artistic Director Philip Brunelle and Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III warm your heart with the sounds of Christmases past and present in new performances by the VocalEssence Chorus & Ensemble Singers. Dust off your singing voice and join us in beloved carols that will surely get you in the Christmas spirit. Tickets Tickets are currently available as a single stream or as part…
Find out more »FAMILY: Story & Song, Episode 1
When the weather gets cold, spend time inside with us. Story & Song is a FREE video series designed especially for preschool kids and older to create a positive sense of self, spark curiosity, and inspire empathy while celebrating the multitude of cultures in our community. Created by Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III, each 20-minute episode features a book and a song, as well as a visit from an author. Episodes will be released four times and will be available to stream anytime, anywhere from the VocalEssence YouTube Channel. All episodes are available with closed captioning in English and Spanish.
Find out more »LIVE STREAM: Take 5 with GPS
Take 5 With GPS is a daily live stream hosted by VocalEssence Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III. Every morning, start your day off with Phillip (who we call GPS) for 5 minutes of singing and 5 minutes of inspiration. Join Phillip to sing each and every day. Take 5 will include wellness components, poems, and, of course, SONG. It’s a time for centering, reflecting, and being grateful, and an opportunity to watch and follow along at home. Join us…
Find out more »VIDEO: Musical Moments with Philip Brunelle
To add joy to your lunchtime and a little insider information about composers, Philip Brunelle is hosting Musical Moments—celebrating the composers who have been central to the success of both VocalEssence and Plymouth Congregational Church. These videos are shared via Facebook every week day. See the archive of all of the videos on the Plymouth Congregational Church YouTube page by clicking the Watch Videos button.
Find out more »TV: Welcome Christmas on TPT Life Channel
This year, the Welcome Christmas concert will available on demand on our website AND will be televised across Minnesota on Twin Cities PBS (TPT) three times during the peak of the holiday season, and making it available to stream on their family of platforms. Relevant dates include: December 19th: Welcome Christmas becomes available to stream on Tpt.org, PBS.org, and the PBS video app. December 19th: Welcome Christmas broadcast at 7 PM on TPT Life December 20th: Welcome Christmas broadcast at 8 PM on TPT MN December 24th: Welcome…
Find out more »TV: Welcome Christmas on TPT MN Channel
This year, the Welcome Christmas concert will available on demand on our website AND will be televised across Minnesota on Twin Cities PBS (TPT) three times during the peak of the holiday season, and making it available to stream on their family of platforms. Relevant dates include: December 19th: Welcome Christmas becomes available to stream on Tpt.org, PBS.org, and the PBS video app. December 19th: Welcome Christmas broadcast at 7 PM on TPT Life December 20th: Welcome Christmas broadcast at 8 PM on TPT MN December 24th: Welcome…
Find out more »Christmas Eve Sing-Along with GPS
Gather the family (in person and virtually) and join Associate Conductor G. Phillip Shoultz, III for a LIVE special Christmas Eve edition of Take 5 with GPS. Usher in the magic by singing "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night," and listen to the classic Christmas story The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Rachel Isadora. Join us via YouTube or Facebook Live, or click the link above to join as the event gets closer.
Find out more »TV: Welcome Christmas on TPT 2 Channel
This year, the Welcome Christmas concert will available on demand on our website AND will be televised across Minnesota on Twin Cities PBS (TPT) three times during the peak of the holiday season, and making it available to stream on their family of platforms. Relevant dates include: December 19th: Welcome Christmas becomes available to stream on Tpt.org, PBS.org, and the PBS video app. December 19th: Welcome Christmas broadcast at 7 PM on TPT Life December 20th: Welcome Christmas broadcast at 8 PM on TPT MN December 24th: Welcome…
Find out more »January 2021
FAMILY: Believe
Be·lieve /bəˈlēv/ verb To accept (something) as true; feel sure of the truth of. “If my mind can conceive it, and my heart can believe it – then I can achieve it.” —Rev. Jesse Jackson, American Civil Rights Activist Let freedom ring as members of VocalEssence Singers Of This Age dare you to believe in a world where people are “not judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Through solo and group performances, these young musicians will use the words of…
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